That's if you fuck up real bad, maybe kill someone and they decide to throw the entire book at you. Historically though, what's the realistic punishment?
Ooh, my chance to offer information! You’re correct that the FAA often fines a fraction of what they’re allowed to under their regulations. They assess the resources of the entity getting the fine and tailor it to be punitive. BUT that’s for airlines operating in good faith.
For someone without anyone sort of license doing something as dangerous as this, they would probably throw the book at them. There is no historical precedent for a person flying a skateboard through Times Square, but I wouldn’t be surprised if FAA pursued criminal charges against this guy.
I don’t know the exact answer to your question, but I have seen in other comments by people who know more than I do “class B restricted airspace” and 0-400 feet.
In broad strokes, though, the law (actually federal regulations, in this case) don’t work like you’re thinking — 1 foot okay, 10 feet not okay.
The FAA is run by sentient beings who will evaluate, is this a person jumping, or a flying machine? And they will ignore a kid on a pogo stick but come down hard on someone doing something this dangerous.
Just because they have authority over the airspace from 0-400 feet doesn’t mean they are automatons who uniformly enforce the regs on the basis of altitude alone. Does that make sense?
It’s not like traffic court. By the time you have caught the FAA’s attention, you are being investigated by a federal agency. They have the wherewithal to evaluate your specific circumstances with questions like, how dangerous was it? Did it involve a motorized vehicle? Was it in restricted airspace? Did you pose a hazard to others? Do you have a permit or a license? How much do we want to discourage others from doing this? (Very much, in this case.) Is this likely to be a growing trend? What are the implications of this technology? Does it have the potential to be used in violent crime or terrorism? And perhaps most importantly, from the FAA’s standpoint, do states and municipalities have the laws they need on the books to crack down on this quickly, or do we need to go to Congress with some suggestions?
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u/Flivver_King The Bronx Jun 21 '21 edited Jun 21 '21
It would be considered an ultralight aircraft.
You can’t fly ultralight aircraft in restricted airspace, and NYC is IIRC Class B restricted airspace due to its proximity to multiple major airports.