Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Pirker, FAA Settle Penalty for Alleged Unsafe Drone Operation
Raphael Pirker settled with the FAA on the first civil fine the agency levied for alleged unsafe operation of an unmanned aircraft.

The drone pilot who in 2013 incurred the first fine the FAA levied for alleged reckless operation of an unmanned aircraft has settled with the agency without admitting to any violation. On January 22, Swiss national Raphael Pirker and his attorney Brendan Schulman announced that Pirker will pay $1,100 to settle the charges, a fraction of the FAA’s original $10,000 civil penalty.