How illegal is this...

[b0nes8604]

So I was in downtown Detroit last night for the Metallica Worldwired tour and debated for a while weather or not I was gonna takeoff and get some footage. The outside was crawling with police so I was sketched out for a while, but knew I would be disappointed if I didn't try. I'm just curious how much trouble I could get in for flying where I did. Just looking for any insight. I threw the video together sitting at my desk at work so ignore the poor quality and shaky footage. I lost signal twice so that's why you'll see the camera turn around a few times. THANKS!

 

[b0nes8604]

Just realized I rendered the entire song lol [emoji23]

 

[JxBx80]

It's hard to tell from the footage because drone cameras often look closer than they are, but were you hovering above the stands where people were sitting? I figured you were just going to orbit the outside of the stadium, which would have been pretty cool. Next time, use Litchi and preplan the flight so you don't have to worry about video signal strength.

 

[JxBx80]

FYI, I have a night time video of my local county fair on my channel. I set up the waypoint mission in Litchi ahead of time and just loaded it up after we left the fairgrounds at dusk. It kept the video smooth and intentional without me having to second guess myself.

 

[tcope]

Is it illegal? I think there is little doubt if someone wanted to charge you, it would stick. Would anyone charge you is the real question. When we fly, we all fly illegally. The real question is how likely is it that you'd have someone take interest in your flight. IMHO, I think if any law enforcement officer saw you flying in that areas that they would probably see it as a violation of law. I think you would get their attention because you are close to the active stadium. However, the real issues are that it appears you'd be flying over areas with groups of people and that you are flying at night and beyond visual line of sight. In all, I'd say a risky flight.

 

[DanMan32]

What do you mean we all fly illegally?

Another issue is copyright infringement if you recorded any part of the concert.

 

[jwmcgrath]

I'm just curious how much trouble I could get in for flying where I did.

About as much trouble as Detroit drone laws say you would be.

Seriously, it's always cool to get the shot you can't get any other way. But laws are laws and I'm sure there are some in Detroit that you could probably find faster by googling than waiting for replies here.

 

[Raptorman0909]

Well, yes, if they were to catch you the odds are they could charge you with something. First, you're not allowed to fly when it's full on dark. Second, flying over or even near a stadium is a no no. Third, a police helicopter could have been patrolling the area and that would risk a midair collision that could kill someone. Not trying to hate -- just answering the question...


Brian

 

[macoman]

Yup, flying at night is illegal unless you have part 107 license and a waiver to fly in the dark.

 

[anotherlab]

Not to rain your parade because it was a cool video...

It's your video, but I would pull it from YouTube. It's going to get flagged at some point because you used their music. It will either get removed for the copyright infraction or someone will turn it in to either Metallica's management or the FAA. I'm not sure which one would cause more trouble for you, but do you really want to find out? Some bands are lenient when people post cell phone footage from a show, but it sounds like you mixed in music from an album, not the live show. Also, Metallica has not been known to be particularly happy to have their music shared.

As others have noted you were flying well after sunset. It's also very clear the drone was directly over people sitting in the stadium. At 24 seconds into the video, you are over what appears to be section 324 or 323.

And if you had a Part 107 license and a night time waiver, you would have been required to have lighting on the drone to make it more visible. And that would have made it a bright blinking object to people at the concert in the sections across from where you entered the stadium. And it would have been in line of sight for the band.

 

[microraptor]

Unrelated- Metallica Rocks......just saying.

 

[N017RW]

Well, yes, if they were to catch you the odds are they could charge you with something. First, you're not allowed to fly when it's full on dark. Second, flying over or even near a stadium is a no no. Third, a police helicopter could have been patrolling the area and that would risk a midair collision that could kill someone. Not trying to hate -- just answering the question...


Brian

Other issues with this flight notwithstanding, flying at night is not prohibited for hobbyists. Seems this is another common misunderstanding similar to the legality of dropping objects.

 

[N017RW]

Yup, flying at night is illegal unless you have part 107 license and a waiver to fly in the dark.

Other issues with this flight notwithstanding, flying at night is not prohibited for hobbyists. Seems this is another common misunderstanding similar to the legality of dropping objects.

 

[Green Phantom]

why would it be illegal to film the concert? so many people in a concert film on their phones ha

 

[anotherlab]

why would it be illegal to film the concert? so many people in a concert film on their phones ha

Many venues do not allow this. Many performers do not allow this. The problem was not with the filming of the performance, it's with the audio was added to the video. YouTube has a mechanism in place called Content ID that allows content owners to upload their music to YouTube. YouTube will then scan uploaded videos to see if any of the audio matches the content submitted. If Metallica has uploaded their music for Content ID, at some point your video will get flagged by it.

 

[b0nes8604]

It's hard to tell from the footage because drone cameras often look closer than they are, but were you hovering above the stands where people were sitting? I figured you were just going to orbit the outside of the stadium, which would have been pretty cool. Next time, use Litchi and preplan the flight so you don't have to worry about video signal strength.

I was over the crowd for a moment but lost signal and had to return home. I've never messed with litchi but maybe i will because a slow orbit of the stadium would have made for a great shot

 

[JxBx80]

I was over the crowd for a moment but lost signal and had to return home. I've never messed with litchi but maybe i will because a slow orbit of the stadium would have made for a great shot

Yep, I mix manual and autonomous flying in my videos. My video of Spring Park would be the best example. Most of the high stuff is through Litchi, and the low stuff is through dji go. My St. Augustine video is ALL done with Litchi accept for the beach clips at the end.

 

[Indiana_pyro]

Everyone likes to get the best footage they can, but seriously- fling over the crowd !!!! I would be really worried to leave this video where it could be used as evidence. This is a perfect example of why some people will stop at nothing until UAVs are limited to the max.