I hope Matty responds back to this thread and I hope he understands we are not against him.
While I have no idea if what he did violated any rules or regulations, I will say this. The open air is just that and not owned by anybody. He could of used a full scale heli with a news camera and read the labels on the workers jeans. He could of went to the top of that bluff and used a telephoto lens and a DSLR to do something similar. It's not as if it is a private residence... it is a large cooperate building. All that said, fliers should weigh the potential problems before deciding on making a risky or questionable flight.
As a hobby flier he cannot offer any services to anyone. He would need a Part 107 for that. If he does in fact hold a part 107 he should also know how to plan for a safe flight.
Agreed, I hope Matty does respond back and keep us informed.
To answer one of your questions, if he is the same Matty that posted the video linked above (and I believe he is, since the avatar photos are identical) it appears he does indeed hold a Part 107 certificate, and does business as Mr Videography (
Intro). I've watched several of his videos, you can see his skill progress nicely, and he does really nice work. But this lead me to a couple of question that possibly Matty, or someone else here could elaborate on.
His other videos are of the New Apple Campus 2 construction at 19111 Pruneridge Avenue Cupertino, CA . I have family in the area, and have considered taking my Phantom 4 with me when I visit, but had noticed the airspace is very congested. Since I am studying for my part 107 certification, I thought I would use what I have learned to interpret the airspace where the campus is. With my limited knowledge it looks like it is in Class C (sfc) airspace. So flying there under part 107 would require a certificate of waiver or authorization from the FAA? As as a hobby flight, would this area be off limits, or could permission be granted by calling the San Jose Airport? I almost always fly in the middle of nowhere, so contemplating flying in the bay area makes things a lot more, umm, interesting.
Sorry for the minor derail on my first post (I'm a first class lurker). This just brought up some questions that I thought Matty, or someone else might be able to answer. I often learn more from real life situations that apply in some way to my life.
Now back to the video topic of this thread, and to query the knowledge of those who are better informed. Under part 107 flight, when flying over a location like the Tesla factory while people are there but not a lot of people. Would having a visual observer assisting you be considered taking appropriate safety precautions, or would you need to make sure anyone who might be in close proximity to your flight be informed prior to the flight?
Thanks in advance, and good luck to Matty!