California SB 142 - if it passes, what will you do?

[III% Streve]

Sorta related, but not exactly... Last Friday I was out flying.. from my back yard! There is a High School about 2/3 or a mile from me, and I could hear some kind of game being played. Next to the school is a Walmart. I fly as many as 20 flights a day out of my back yard for Beta testing. Lots of flights needed, and driving 3 trips to the lake is absurd! So I hit the Walmart parking lot, as I do all the time.. great signal as usual using the 32 channel hack... and head west to the school to see what they are doing. I'm about 200 yards from the field at close to 350 feet and I get a drop in video, but the app tells me RC signal lost. That's a new one!! I got a bit concerned, but know she will RTH without trouble... but then I hear a **** helicopter! Its an air ambulance coming in fast... and once I see it I realize its heading right to where I'm flying. Quickly I cycle the power on the controller and managed to get control.. a quick 360 pan to find the heli.. no where in site! Do I go up, where I know Ill be above it, but obviously break the 400 ft boundary and maintain control. Or do I drop quickly and hope it doesn't RTH again, which would put me below this crazy 350 ft limit over houses? At 600 feet I finally found the chopper, landing north or Walmart near the highway and I fly home safely.

The point in all of that is that limitations WILL be broken. Could people cry about me being over their home?? Sure, but leaning to the side of safety FAR exceeds my concern for their privacy! Especially since I was in their vicinity for reasons other than looking at them. Real aircraft ARE in the same altitude ranges that we fly, and for some like myself, its actually safer for me to fly outside the ranges of 100 and 500ft than it is to fly below 400ft.

 

[III% Streve]

We are in agreement. We have enough knuckleheads flying over people's houses. Don't want the Ca. solution in my state, either.

What state is that?

 

[Deleted member 29014]

What state is that?

State of Disillusion.

 

[sdtrojan]

I cannot for the life of me see this passing (geez, I hope not)...therefore, since this is California, it will likely pass.

 

[ianwood]

State of Disillusion.

CA usually makes good decisions when it comes to technology. This is not one of them.

I cannot for the life of me see this passing (geez, I hope not)...therefore, since this is California, it will likely pass.

It's sitting on the governor's desk. Hopefully he doesn't sign it.

 

[AlmostTan]

EXACTLY THE TYPE OF PERSON THE LAW WAS WRITTEN FOR.

So when are we writing laws to govern how many times a motorcyclist can pull out of their own driveway? Since the decible output of a motorcycle is greater than my quad, we should definitely govern that too.

 

[TAZ]

If you don't like this law, live in California, and would like to add your voice to urging the Governor to issue a veto of the bill, the AUVSI* is offering a form to quickly and easily do so: Act Now to Veto SB 142 - Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International

*If unfamiliar with the AUVSI, they are a non profit advocacy/lobby group for unmanned vehicle technology (air and ground based alike) that's been around since 1972, with several large and small corporate and individual sponsors.

 

[redmoe]

In that case you'd be in violation of the proposed law. Is your post an attempt to show that you'd be flying lawfully?

No just a proposing a middle ground. I do not live in CA so this proposed law does not impact me (well at least not yet).

 

[lonjsnyder]

It begins:
Poway votes 4-1 to ban drone operations | sUAS News


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[III% Streve]

Its Cali.. you cant expect anything better!

 

[Youngbill]

CA deserves what it gets. They elect these people into office. If you don't like it, move out of that godforsaken state.

 

[III% Streve]

CA deserves what it gets. They elect these people into office. If you don't like it, move out of that godforsaken state.

Careful!! Thy tend to get offended every time someone mentions common sense!

 

[Youngbill]

I'm done with people getting offended. I don't have time for those people. Same with the PC police.

 

[III% Streve]

I'm right there with you brother!

 

[sdtrojan]

It begins:
Poway votes 4-1 to ban drone operations | sUAS News


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I live close to Poway...nothing to see there, so no loss. Again, these clowns are getting way ahead of themselves and regulating something they have no authority over.

I will fly in Poway in the Community Park right behind the police station and see if they cite me...then we will see what happens.

 

[III% Streve]

Its not the point of there being something to see.. Its that the state, much less the city, has the authority to govern the sky. Or what I do in it!

 

[GadgetGuy]

So here is a hypothetical situation

your out flying around your neighbourhood following the letter of this law 350-400ft and say your a good 4-500ft out and you see a heli coming into the area, your immediate reaction would be to drop the quad down real low to get out of its way but in doing so your gonna drop into the invasion of privacy window

looks like its gonna be damned if you do damned if you dont

That's exactly why the bill, as written, is flawed and will never be enforced succcessfully. It attempts to legislate the airspace solely within the jurisdiction of the FAA, and the FAA trumps all state law!

 

[GadgetGuy]

I live close to Poway...nothing to see there, so no loss. Again, these clowns are getting way ahead of themselves and regulating something they have no authority over.

I will fly in Poway in the Community Park right behind the police station and see if they cite me...then we will see what happens.

They only intend to enforce during fires, and will not enforce it at any other time. That should tell you they know it's unenforceable, as written!

 

[GadgetGuy]

A little sarcastic, but at the end of the day, its the only truth thats important. I dont EVER have to justify my actions to anyone! If I choose to fly my P3 20 times a day out of my back yard then thats my choice. If I choose to drive to the lake to fly, then thats my choice too. Who is anyone else to question me?

Amen!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Thats the key.. I WILL fly over your property. But doing that doesn't make it unsafe, nor does it imply an intent to violate your privacy! I can fly over your house in a real helicopter and wouldn't think anything about it beyond the noise. So why the, again, artificial assumption that I'm doing it to look at your yard? Do you REALLY think you're that important?

+1!