A remote control aircraft, or drone, used by a local Austin resident.[/caption]

Austin Police Department officers will no longer write tickets for those flying remote control aircrafts in Austin.

Assistant Chief Brian Manley distributed a memo April 16 to all APD enforcement staff to no longer cite those using remote-operated airplanes—also called drones—unless he or she is doing so in an unsafe manner.

APD Chief Art Acevdo first said he would regulate the use of remote control aircrafts during a March 11 pre-South by Southwest news conference. Acevedo said at the time that anyone flying a drone would be ticketed, fined and their aircraft would be confiscated, said Robert Youens, owner of Camera Wings Aerial Photography, which has its headquarters in Austin.

Youens uses a drone to take photos of popular Austin locations and scenery for his business. Acevedo's announcement and the APD enforcement that followed impacted businesses that use remote-operated airplanes as well as recreational users, he said.

Austin city law does not consider it unlawful to fly drones within city limits; however, there is a stipulation that states operators of such aircraft cannot "operate an aircraft in a careless or reckless manner that creates a danger to another person’s health or property." Airport officials and police officers can also ask anyone to stop his or her activity if there is any threat or danger to nearby airspace, according to the law.

APD's change of heart as to how it will enforce the use of drone aircrafts came as a pleasant surprise to Youens, who spoke April 16 to Austin City Council during the public comment period. There are two remote control flying clubs in Austin that have a combined 360 members, Youens said, and thousands more in the city that fly such aircraft without belonging to a club.

Owners of Austin-area HobbyTown USA stores told Youens they sold more than 3,000 remote-controlled aircrafts in 2014, and Fry's Electronics sold several thousand, Youens said.

People who are safely flying remote control aircrafts may no longer be cited under city law, but federal regulations are still being considered for monitoring such activities in the future.