An 18-year-old mechanical engineering student has attracted the attention of the Federal Aviation Administration after posting video of his “Flying Gun” drone on YouTube.
Austin Haughwout’s “Flying Gun” video has almost 2 million views since it was uploaded on July 10. The native of Clinton, Connecticut, is now being investigated by the FAA.
Federal authorities said they will assess whether any aviation laws were violated and also “work with its law enforcement partners to determine if there were any violations of criminal statutes,” ABC News reported Tuesday.
Mr. Haughwout, who has other drone videos posted to his YouTube account, said the Flying Gun was merely one of his “many engineering-related activities,” ABC reported.
“There are countless ways that drones can be useful. Using one as a remote-controlled weapon is not one of them, and I question the judgment of anyone who would attempt to do so,” said Peter Sachs, an attorney and drone advocate, ABC reported.
Local police told The Associated Press that it did not appear as though the college student violated any state laws.
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• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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