I was referring to the 2 main sites in Cambridgeshire which the website talked about, as it says you won't need to get your own permission for launching.
As for risk to air crafts, I would love to see some numbers. Whats the historical reason behind allowing max 2m sized balloons with a weight of 2kg, but an unmanned aircraft with the wingspan of 3m is totally fine (so long its under 20kg). What's the risk/effects of a balloon hitting a aircraft, and is it larger than say, the risk one has from meteors? I am all for regulations when it regulates a industry or when someone is pushing the boundaries on what is safe (like dropping a car Mythbuster style). However, the current regulations looks to me at least as a bit random and inconsistent (and ... dated).
Radio interference. wow, that's an old concept :). I suppose the FCC is undergoing some renewing and is slowly releasing frequencies and lowering the margins between them. The technology of handling radio interference has advanced quite a bit since the ww2/cold war where so much of the radio regulations was created, and the regulation is slowly moving forward. Know perfectly well that I will upset every licensed amateur radio operator out there, but my advice is still to take that regulation with a pinch of salt.
I guess it all depend on the details of what one do, the effect the law might have, and how much common sense one apply. What the guy did however does not sound as something that should require government permission.
As for risk to air crafts, I would love to see some numbers. Whats the historical reason behind allowing max 2m sized balloons with a weight of 2kg, but an unmanned aircraft with the wingspan of 3m is totally fine (so long its under 20kg). What's the risk/effects of a balloon hitting a aircraft, and is it larger than say, the risk one has from meteors? I am all for regulations when it regulates a industry or when someone is pushing the boundaries on what is safe (like dropping a car Mythbuster style). However, the current regulations looks to me at least as a bit random and inconsistent (and ... dated).
Radio interference. wow, that's an old concept :). I suppose the FCC is undergoing some renewing and is slowly releasing frequencies and lowering the margins between them. The technology of handling radio interference has advanced quite a bit since the ww2/cold war where so much of the radio regulations was created, and the regulation is slowly moving forward. Know perfectly well that I will upset every licensed amateur radio operator out there, but my advice is still to take that regulation with a pinch of salt.
I guess it all depend on the details of what one do, the effect the law might have, and how much common sense one apply. What the guy did however does not sound as something that should require government permission.