Is a model airplane a drone? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) says yes, and as such any commercial use is illegal. That's the logic that has allowed the government to fine a man $10,000 for using a model airplane to take aerial footage of a hospital to use in a commercial.
The FAA lost its initial attempt to levy the fine, with the presiding judge noting that the agency's arguments could eventually subject the operator of "a paper aircraft, or a toy balsa wood glider" to FAA control. That decision has now been reversed, and the FAA is proceeding with the fine.
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