so anyway this has been stressing me out for like a week. i was flying in this open field near my house and the wind pushed my mavic further than i meant and it ended up over the highway for maybe 30 seconds before i got it back. nobody stopped, nothing happened, but i started looking up laws afterwards and now i dont know if i technically violated something

im not part 107 certified, i just fly recreationally and i have my FAA number on the drone. is flying over a road or highway actually illegal for recreational flyers or is that just a 107 commercial thing. i cant find a clear answer and most of what i read is either super vague or it's about flying over people which is slightly different i think

honestly i wouldnt lose sleep over this one. the FAA rules around flying over moving vehicles are more clearly defined for Part 107 operators and the recreational rules are a bit murkier. what you're supposed to avoid is flying over moving crowds of people and there are specific waiver categories for stuff like that under 107. a highway with cars is a gray area for recreational flyers and a 30 second drift due to wind is not the kind of thing enforcement is focused on

that said, if you're flying recreationally you're supposed to stay within visual line of sight and not do anything that could endanger people or property, and a highway could theoretically fall under that depending on the situation. but realistically? nothing is gonna happen. just be more careful about wind conditions before you launch, check the forecast and maybe set a tighter geofence on your controller if you have that option.

tbh this exact thing happened to me and a buddy of mine told me the same thing, that unless you're commercial the highway thing isnt specifically spelled out the way people think it is. still made me nervous tho. i started using aloft (used to be kittyhawk) to check airspace before every flight now, it also shows some local restriction info which helps. wont cover every ordinance but its better than nothing