A remote pilot is flying near a rural highway when a powered parachute crosses into the area at approximately 300 feet AGL. The powered parachute is traveling slowly and the pilot is unsure whether it has seen the drone. What must the remote pilot do?

Why →A powered parachute is an aircraft. Under § 107.37(a), the drone must yield the right of way to all aircraft without exception. Whether or not the powered parachute pilot has seen the drone is not a factor. The drone must maneuver clear. Flashing lights is not a reliable or regulation-defined collision avoidance measure. Descending assumes the powered parachute will maintain altitude, which cannot be known.

The trap →Flashing the aircraft lights introduces a technique not recognized in the regulations as a right-of-way action. Descending below 100 feet AGL substitutes an altitude assumption for the required yielding action. The regulations do not permit the drone to stay near a conflicting aircraft at any altitude.

Field note →Powered parachutes, trikes, and ultralights frequently operate below 500 feet AGL in rural areas without filing flight plans or communicating with ATC. They may not appear on ADS-B or flight tracking apps. Visual scanning is the only reliable detection method.