It's actually not that hard to design a new plane. We did it in groups of 6 4th year Aerospace Engineering students over the course of a year at my old uni. Most of the hard work is already done and exists in the FAA and JAR Standards. Everything like the size and strength of gusts you have to design for, etc is all laid out for you. You just have to design to meet the Standards.
That being said, since this is a drone and not an aircraft, FB probably decided they didnt need to meet all of the safety factors that are laid out in the FAA regulations. And look what happens when you dont follow the rules... ;)
Biting the hand that feeds IT
