Criminal charges on 2 pilots

gklugie · Jan 24, 2016

These men are definitely making other pilots look bad. One thing that "gets to me" is the seizure of the aircraft. Why? Do they seize your automobile if you exceed lawful parameters like speed? I can understand ordinances, but the seizure thing is crazy.... besides... what if these fellows (for some wild reason) were found innocent? Would this result in actions for unlawful seizure?

JKDSensei · Jan 24, 2016

Good points / good questions

snerd · Jan 24, 2016

They can impound your car for reckless driving around these parts. Same for reckless flying I would guess.

snowghost · Jan 25, 2016

JKDSensei said:
I think there are members and moderators here affected by this. Bummer. I LOVE night flights.

Until this BS, most of my flights were sunset or night. I have some beautiful night shots all around my area.

JKDSensei · Jan 25, 2016

snowghost said:
Until this BS, most of my flights were sunset or night. I have some beautiful night shots all around my area.

What will you do now?

WetDog · Jan 25, 2016

riverphantom3 said:
Me too!

Sorry. The FAA wants to rain on your parade:

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/media/021515_sUAS_Summary.pdf

snowghost · Jan 25, 2016

AFAIK, Ventura County is okay for night flying. I'm close to the County Line, so I could drive 3 miles and be in Ventura.

I wonder if it's enforceable in the case of me taking off outside the LA City Limits and then flying over LA.

snerd · Jan 25, 2016

I only made one short night flight to check out a lighting mod I use to have on my bird. It was great, UFO city! When it warms up again, I'll do some more, staying under 400' feet of course. I will post them as private and send friends and family the link. Will have to go full incognito.............. new name, several proxies and whatnot. Eff 'em!

snerd · Jan 25, 2016

snowghost said:
AFAIK, Ventura County is okay for night flying. I'm close to the County Line, so I could drive 3 miles and be in Ventura.

I wonder if it's enforceable in the case of me taking off outside the LA City Limits and then flying over LA.

It's not a city, county or state thing............. it's an FAA thing.

snowghost · Jan 25, 2016

snerd said:
It's not a city, county or state thing............. it's an FAA thing.

I agree, but I don't want to be a test case like the two guys who are the topic of the thread.

JKDSensei · Jan 25, 2016

Somehow I get the feering that 2016 may break the record books for people charged with criminal offenses for playing with their toys (sUAVs)

Hope I'm wong

Hope I'm not among them more

snowghost · Jan 26, 2016

I still don't get how Helipads constitute airports. Especially ones that are flagged as emergency only.

Jussaguy · Jan 26, 2016

Sinisalo said:
The FAA app that is promoted during the UAS registration process is not even accurate. I wish that everyone could get their heads on straight before we start prosecuting individuals. At first in that article it says operating within 5 miles of an airport, then it goes in detail and says that it was being flown within 5 miles of hospital heliports. I agree that you should know before you fly but I don't think unknowingly operating close to a hospital is the same as operating near an airport. Either way he should never have been more than 400 feet off the ground anyway. 400 feet is the max so he should have given himself some margin for error and flew much less than 400ft.

Agreed. I never he even heard of this rule and I read the synopsis of the bill.

That pretty much gives us not many places to fly. We should definitely be anti-jackasses but the government should stop acting like they own the air because they really don't.

Last fight for air was the radio waves, government lost, then GPS (it took a decade) but they lost that one too.

UAV "hobbyists" will die out as the bad ones crash their first $1300 unit or $4000 unit and won't want to replace it.

Equilibrium will be met by the users, not the FAA.

Btw, I am completely calling BS on a UAS having to change its flight path. Government lying to help sell its cause on this example.

Seen it before. Not surprised and I'm not some -anti-everything government guy.

This just reeks of BS and only some by the users.

snowghost · Jan 26, 2016

What bugs me is the Los Angles ordinance says no flying within 5 miles of airport unless explicit permission. AFAIK, there isn't a way to get explicit permission from a non manned concrete pad.

kirk2579 · Jan 26, 2016

JKDSensei said:
I think there are members and moderators here affected by this. Bummer. I LOVE night flights.

+1

kirk2579 · Jan 26, 2016

WetDog said:
Sorry. The FAA wants to rain on your parade:

http://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/rulemaking/media/021515_sUAS_Summary.pdf

I may be incorrect
When I read this pdf it appears to be oriented to commercial operations of suas.
note the testing and vetting aspect about operators etc.

I don't think hobby night flying is addressed by faa at this time.

Neil cee · Jan 26, 2016

So glad we don't have these laws in the uk .

Basically as long as your not flying in stupid places then no one really cares . A friend on mine was passing a air ambulance helicopter that had landed on a field in Liverpool uk . So he stopped and asked the cops could he get some shots on his drone . The chief inspector that was there was like . Yer go for it mate it will look good . He then spent 20 min flying over the chopper and police cars . And the police where all watching the feed on his tablet .

No one really cares in the uk to be honest . Like I said long as your not flying over stupid places . And to be fair most cops are cool if you tell them what your doing . I recently flew mine over a building on liverpools waterfront , the liverbuildings and there was a armed response police car there I asked was it ok and his response was yer mate go for it . Then asked could they watch

Liverpool - England

Neil Cee