Gutted

[Deleted member 62848]

Should have know better,heaps of wind and bad weather lately ,,decide to fly quick lap before rain comes,,went well tested me new lights ,nec minet,cop at my door ,****, well someone thought i was hovering in their yard at 287ft doin nearly full noise goin past,showed police flight data and height etc ,,for this one reason i fly at night or early morning ,not out to piss anyone off ,just love to fly,,,ps it was pitch black at 8 30pm at nite..mixed emotions,,just had to post and ps again flying around my neighbourhood is not something i do everyday ,gutted,,,but thanks to NZ police for investigating

 

[Neon Euc]

It just takes one person to make a complaint. Same thing happened to me last month. Flying around Greenwich, London at night taking shots of the cutty sark boat and next thing, some rich guy with more money then sense screamed at me, showed him the flight and he still called cops. The end result.... Got cops to pose with a pic of me and the guy knew he was in the wrong. I made him feel worse by being the first one to put my hand out and offered a hand shake just to show that I'm not bitter and he is in fact a lemon lol. You have many years of flight ahead of you mate. These things will happen now and again. Dont let it put you off

 

[Alan Russel]

oops ianzone not the best way to impress your nieghbours..oh well life goes on!

 

[DocDiggler]

Hahaha.....same happened to me 2 weeks ago it’s ok with all my neighbors except 1 idiot down the street who complaint

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Yeh always one bad lemon ,it was algood ,invite the police inside showed him flight in dji app ,talked for ages ,was good,,new i was not just flyin not spying,was testing new headlights on p4 and from above and they light the ground up ,,one interesting question he did ask was whats the minimin height to fly at,there is none its a common sense thing,gezz google street veiw is more intrusive,,so anyway no more flying in da neighbourhood,take care out there

 

[DocDiggler]

Funny thing is the guy who complained does burnouts in our street

 

[tevek]

Yeh always one bad lemon ,it was algood ,invite the police inside showed him flight in dji app ,talked for ages ,was good,,new i was not just flyin not spying,was testing new headlights on p4 and from above and they light the ground up ,,one interesting question he did ask was whats the minimin height to fly at,there is none its a common sense thing,gezz google street veiw is more intrusive,,so anyway no more flying in da neighbourhood,take care out there

Well that's pretty crappy as I thought Kiwis were more relaxed than most, still there will always be that one fool who has nothing better to do with their time. On the positive side, at least you had all your ducks in a row and were able to prove your case with data and obviously appear as someone who knows what they are doing. Can only imagine if it were some noob who had no idea what was going on and the cop leaves thinking all drone pilots were idiots. I live in a community of about 150 people and it took a month or so before I was accepted with the drone and that I wasn't spying or reporting back to the cops that I'd found their 'crops' etc. If you are following the rules, there is nothing anyone can do about it and so I'd keep flying or go and visit whoever it was with a six pack and have a polite discussion.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Well that's pretty crappy as I thought Kiwis were more relaxed than most, still there will always be that one fool who has nothing better to do with their time. On the positive side, at least you had all your ducks in a row and were able to prove your case with data and obviously appear as someone who knows what they are doing. Can only imagine if it were some noob who had no idea what was going on and the cop leaves thinking all drone pilots were idiots. I live in a community of about 150 people and it took a month or so before I was accepted with the drone and that I wasn't spying or reporting back to the cops that I'd found their 'crops' etc. If you are following the rules, there is nothing anyone can do about it and so I'd keep flying or go and visit whoever it was with a six pack and have a polite discussion.

Yes i did ask but privacy issues by police cant say,armed with his photos for evidence he was off to say sorry for me,theres a few phantoms and a mavric around here,bit odd how police came direct here unless me headlights guide them,i actually stop flying around here like i used just incase something happen and me bird go down,bit to populated,would hate to make the news,thanks for kind words but now will travel to fly ,not want to cause trouble its just a hobbie,sposed to be fun

 

[tevek]

Yes i did ask but privacy issues by police cant say,armed with his photos for evidence he was off to say sorry for me,theres a few phantoms and a mavric around here,bit odd how police came direct here unless me headlights guide them,i actually stop flying around here like i used just incase something happen and me bird go down,bit to populated,would hate to make the news,thanks for kind words but now will travel to fly ,not want to cause trouble its just a hobbie,sposed to be fun

Well that sucks a bit but it may be for the best if you are worried about losing the drone and hitting someone/thing. If mine comes down, it's either going in the lake or in the forest and it will be irretrievable. I'd say you were dobbed in by someone who knows you as I doubt the cops would have been looking up at the sky and then be able to follow it back to your place.
At least you have some great countryside to fly in from the photos you've posted in the past......

 

[DocDiggler]

Ian zone was the cop a bloke ?
There where 2 cops on my front door
1 was one hot woman the other could not tell if it was male or female
Looked like a kid first time on the job
They had no idea about drone rules or regulations even admitted it
Just pressed the issue of camera and privacy invasion
I will still fly from here just adjusting my flight path

 

[tevek]

Ian zone was the cop a bloke ?
There where 2 cops on my front door
1 was one hot woman the other could not tell if it was male or female
Looked like a kid first time on the job
They had no idea about drone rules or regulations even admitted it
Just pressed the issue of camera and privacy invasion
I will still fly from here just adjusting my flight path

Hopefully your visit by the cops was a mutually beneficial event as you taking the time to prove you know what you are doing will also assist the cops with a bit of knowledge for the next time they have to speak to a drone pilot. And there will be a next time...
I had a couple of beers with the neighbourhood park ranger and he knew next to nothing about drones except for not flying during bushfire operations and not to get to close to nesting areas in the NP at my back door. I showed him the CASA app and explained the flight restrictions regarding airports etc and he had never heard of that either. The nearest cop is over 30klms away and I doubt I'll be getting a visit from them anytime soon and if I do, I have my story ready just in case

 

[DocDiggler]

Hopefully your visit by the cops was a mutually beneficial event as you taking the time to prove you know what you are doing will also assist the cops with a bit of knowledge for the next time they have to speak to a drone pilot. And there will be a next time...
I had a couple of beers with the neighbourhood park ranger and he knew next to nothing about drones except for not flying during bushfire operations and not to get to close to nesting areas in the NP at my back door. I showed him the CASA app and explained the flight restrictions regarding airports etc and he had never heard of that either. The nearest cop is over 30klms away and I doubt I'll be getting a visit from them anytime soon and if I do, I have my story ready just in case

Yep agree still a grey area
What’s the definition of a populous area ?
1 ...2.....3......how many people
In a way when you fly eventually you fly over somebody hard to avoid
And it will be30 m plus[emoji3]

 

[tevek]

Ding Dong lol

Hope you made them a nice cup of tea.

 

[DocDiggler]

Got a print out of regulations here on my table
For next time

 

[DocDiggler]

 

[DocDiggler]

Hope you made them a nice cup of tea.

Lol was not prepared next time I will
Had a few beers at that time and it came as a surprise

 

[tevek]

Yep agree still a grey area
What’s the definition of a populous area ?
1 ...2.....3......how many people
In a way when you fly eventually you fly over somebody hard to avoid
And it will be30 m plus[emoji3]

There actually is a definition of a populous area and for the life of me I cannot find the link that I read last week. Something like 2-3 people in a 10 sq mtr area but I may be wrong. As for height, I'm usually at 100 mtrs to make sure I am nowhere the 30 - 40 mtr height trees down my way and often the only soul in the areas where I normally fly. Living in the bush has some merit I guess, don't have to deal with traffic, built up areas and tip toeing around flying locations.

 

[DocDiggler]

Hm that’s very interesting
Also with 30 meters that’s minimum reference as I usually fly higher than that

 

[tevek]

Hm that’s very interesting
Also with 30 meters that’s minimum reference as I usually fly higher than that

Yeah, but flying over populous areas is considered naughty regardless of height. Referring to crowded beaches, footy events and areas like that, unless you are transiting through the area (excluding NFZs and local bylaws). Someone from over here posted some really nice footage of Bondi beach but I cringed watching it as he flew over thousands of people having a swim and sitting on the sand.

 

[Deleted member 62848]

Lol was not prepared next time I will
Had a few beers at that time and it came as a surprise

Yes i can say they was few emptys around after flight and same got a suprise,(not before flight),yip police man ,no nice ladies like your pic,classic,just on the population here it just on16,786 and climbing