Pirker was the first drone operator fined by the FAA, and his case gives us an idea of how similar ones could go in the future. His lawyer said Pirker settled because the amount of time it's taking to finish the case has "diminished [its] utility... to assist the commercial drone industry in its regulatory struggle." Even so, he and his company, Team BlackSheep, are thankful that it has sparked significant talks about drone use.

Here's Team BlackSheep's statement issued on his behalf:

We are pleased that the case ignited an important international conversation about the civilian use of drones, the appropriate level of governmental regulation concerning this new technology, and even spurred the regulators to open new paths to the approval of certain commercial drone operations.

According to the terms of the settlement, Pirker isn't admitting guilt despite paying up, and the FAA will drop some of its accusations against him. As to when the agency will finally come up with a full set of regulations for drone use, well, we can't say, but that's likely still far off.