My thoughts on breaking the rules.

[Matchlock]

Thank you, sincerely, for your service.

Bud

Look Suhail78, you are probably ignorant of the fact that society only works when people live by the agreed upon rules called laws and without compliance then we're are back to Dodge City and having lived through Vietnam I personally prefer to live in a place where the law is not who is best with a gun.

 

[Slackware]

Thank you, sincerely, for your service.

Bud

I prefer the faster gun myself. But when were you consulted about these "rules". It's kind of hard to agree on tehm when they are written in

I am getting sick of reading all the posts here people are worried, mad, confused and the like. IF YOU DONT LIKE FLYING A DRONE UNDER THE CURRENT CONDITIONS (legal and social)...SELL THE FRIGGIN THING AND START ANOTHER HOBBY.

end of rant...

If the government is going to use drones to kill us, then we need to use drones to defeat them, or at least to practice tactics against.
It is not a hobby, it is SELF PRESERVATION.

 

[Slackware]

A completely valid point. Let me tell you where i'm coming from with my comments...

One day i went out to a spot to do a quick flight (followed all the rules), get a couple photos and i had a couple friends wiht me who wanted to check out the drone, and then this random person comes up to me and starts grilling me.........

"Have you called the airport, you know your supposed to call the airport when your within 5 miles, people will report you, but not me i'm just telling you. Your not allowed to fly over 400 feet, and you have to make sure the drone is in visual sight the whole time , people will report you, and you can get in trouble, but i'm not going to report you.......and on and on"

I did absolutly nothing wrong, and this was my experience with people preaching about the rules and regulations.

Honestly, it infuriated me...

1) i was just there to do a quick flight, i did obey all the rules, and
2) it was pretty embarrassing b/c i had friends with me and i'm sure it turned them off to wanting to get a drone themselves b/c of what they witnessed that day.

It rubbed me in such a wrong way, b/c someone should never assume that we dont know the rules. Everyone should be given the benefit of the doubt.

I apologize if my post seemed to be negative towards your comments, that was not my intention.

There is who they should be licensing and regulating. know it all public nuances.

 

[Slackware]

Dont you worry it will get stricter as more and more people have access to those drones
Just look at countries like sweden (not a donald fib)
They basically don't allow any drones with cameras on unless you have a special permit which is nearly impossible to get
People always break the rules whether in traffic or guns etc so it will not be question of if just when
Unfortunately


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

If the government can point cameras into our houses, and cars, then how can they say we can't also?
Sweden has SUBJECTS is the difference. They are owned by the state.

 

[PeakXV]

Big birds/raptors fly everywhere, break all kinds of laws, peek in windows, smash into windows, habitually enter no fly zones, nest on transmission lines, and there's little man can do about it. UAVs fly everywhere and occasionally break these rules, and are, accordingly, subjected to an ever increasing wave of scrutiny, rules & regulations. Don't know exactly where this is headed (nobody does) but it's going to be interesting as more media, corporate, and the already ubiquitous consumer masses take to the air.

 

[Slackware]

Look Suhail78, you are probably ignorant of the fact that society only works when people live by the agreed upon rules called laws and without compliance then we're are back to Dodge City and having lived through Vietnam I personally prefer to live in a place where the law is not who is best with a gun.

I prefer the faster gun myself, over WE will shoot you, crooks will shoot you, but you can't shoot back "rules" we have now.
But when were you consulted about these "rules".
It's kind of hard to agree on them when they are written in secret by hacks who have no idea what they are talking about. Congress writes laws. Let THEM put a bill on the floor for a vote.

 

[Slackware]

Big birds/raptors fly everywhere, break all kinds of laws, peek in windows, smash into windows, habitually enter no fly zones, nest on transmission lines, and there's little man can do about it. UAVs fly everywhere and occasionally break these rules, and are, accordingly, subjected to an ever increasing wave of scrutiny, rules & regulations. Don't know exactly where this is headed (nobody does) but it's going to be interesting as more media, corporate, and the already ubiquitous consumer masses take to the air.

I remember two birds zapping out the main power lines causing a black out.
What EVERYONE is overlooking is in this country you are not responsible for others who break the law. They are the ones responsible, you don't punish innocent party for actions of others. It's called the constitution, and ignoring it is the problem.

 

[ribjig]

> How does coming here to...moan about what others are doing help?

Here's what CAN be done here that might have effect...?:

Start a permanent "at the top" thread titled this or similar:

REPORTED FAA & OTHER FINES
LEVIED FOR ILLEGAL DRONE FLYING

IMO, most here will check it from time to time & thread will "check"
flying behavior of some from time to time...

 

[Slackware]

> How does coming here to...moan about what others are doing help?

Here's what CAN be done here that might have effect...?:

Start a permanent "at the top" thread titled this or similar:

REPORTED FAA & OTHER FINES
LEVIED FOR ILLEGAL DRONE FLYING

IMO, most here will check it from time to time & thread will "check"
flying behavior of some from time to time...

Well at least FAA will have to repeal TWO rules for every one they want to write now.

 

[Rayven-Eye]

First, about putting things in perspective. Yes, the Navy has done tests of Drone Vs. Fullsize aircraft and helicopters, over 90 collisions....aircraft always wins and suffers nearly no damage whatsoever. Some try to make the point that bird strikes are more dangerous than drones, yes true, but we can't control wildlife, we can only control ourselves. But, really is this the point? In tests of humans vs. automobiles, the car always wins, but does that mean its ok to play in traffic? Come on guys! As far as Suhail attempting to shut down this conversation as pissing and whining, maybe it is you who should shut the xxxx up, did someone put you in charge of regulating our speech or determining what should be said or not said in this forum? I think it NEEDS to be said and maybe the idiots who think it OK to break the rules will read it. It doesn't matter if its rules, regulations or laws, some just don't care. For example, operating a transmitter that requires a HAM license never killed anyone, but it is the law you have one. Some enjoy being pirates, but in plainer speech, a pirate is a criminal. If you don't like the law or the regs or whatever, then lobby to change them. But this idea in society that you can pick and choose what rules or laws to obey and not obey...leads to a break down of society itself. Now to address the issue of cameras on drones or someone pointing a telephoto lens at you. When you are outside your home, even in your yard, you have no expectation of privacy whatsoever. The minute you step outside, some camera is looking down on you. In my state agriculture surveys are performed routinely with aircraft that have 100 megapixel cameras that can see every blade of grass, now add Google, military and weather satellites.....get the picture? As a state licensed investigator, I routinely photograph and video people without their knowledge or consent.

 

[Kirby Johnson]

Hi everyone, Just wanted to express some thoughts on much of what I've been reading lately. I'm a new P4P owner and almost at a point where I'm sorry that I invested the money into this hobby because of what may come in the future. First off, this site has been great and everyone has been so helpful whenever you have a technical issue or can't figure something out. What is bugging me is that many are posting things they have done or want to try and do and they know it's against the rules or they know it's pushing the issue. For example this guy.
Anyone thought about doing this....
Well, not to sound like a jerk, 'cause I actually really am, but I have seriously thought of disguising mine as a UFO and flying around just to get the beanie wearers revved up.

They sell these kids hula hoops with rotating flashing multicolor LEDs inside. You could hang it from the drone with sufficient lengths of fishing monofilament and at night it would be pretty convincing.

 

[Kirby Johnson]

Is there a difference?
But what everyone is overlooking is are the "rules" even constitutional. I can't find regulating airspace in the enumerated powers of the constitution.

E X A C T L Y.

And Yeah, to somebody above, I am a criminal. The truth is, by his definition, every last one of us is. Like a couple of PoPo told me. "We have so many laws and rules that anyone anytime, we can find something to arrest him/her for if we want to."

 

[potluckman]

Agreed! have a great one too sir!

Suhail78 I understand your point of not preaching to people all the time but the original post is very
valid and needs to be pointed out to those that want to do dumb things. I push the law when i feel the immediate situation merits it. If I need to fly to 500 ft agl to to get a wide angle shot I will. But I also
will not do it near an airport and I will not do it so far away that I cannot be watching for other aircraft.
I am a non-active licensed private pilot so I especially do not want to endanger anyone. The whole point of the original post is that the 0.0001 % of drone pilots that maybe crash into a crowd will cause laws to be enacted on all of us. Give you an example, I used to fly ultralight aircraft and there were almost no restrictions or requirements. Idiots went out and bought them and tried to fly without any
training at all because they could. I remember seeing several takeoff and fly under high tension power lines and then fifty feet over our business building. Point is, now you cannot fly most of the ultralights without formal (meaning money out of your pocket) training and considerable regulation.

 

[johnyoung]

It's a fact of life, when people are told they can not do something a proportion will obey, a proportion will blow off hot air and the remaining will do exactly what they were told not to do, to a greater or lesser degree.

Bottom line in my opinion is that the government does not want drones in the hands of the general public and for several good reasons all relating to public safety and preservation.

Now, we can comply with the regulations or we do as we please.

The former will keep the drones in civilian hands a lot longer than the latter.

Sent from my F3311 using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Osmosis]

The problem is that too many people are either ignorant of the law or are outright scofflaws.

Unless you're flying as a licensed UAV pilot under commercial rules mot are breaking the airport manager permission law. Look at a map of the US, mostly covered shaded areas that are within a five mile radius of any airport.

 

[Hammerman]

Hi everyone, Just wanted to express some thoughts on much of what I've been reading lately. I'm a new P4P owner and almost at a point where I'm sorry that I invested the money into this hobby because of what may come in the future. First off, this site has been great and everyone has been so helpful whenever you have a technical issue or can't figure something out. What is bugging me is that many are posting things they have done or want to try and do and they know it's against the rules or they know it's pushing the issue. For example this guy.
Anyone thought about doing this....
Not saying he did it, but obviously the thought is in his mind. People wanting to fly near airports, break the 400 ft rule, flying over events and stadiums and crowds etc.... The list goes on. There are millions of areas you can fly, be safe and not either get in trouble or piss someone off. What this is creating is an anger towards drones from the general public and worse is to make the FAA create more rules, regulations and get things to a point where you won't be able to fly anywhere other than your back yard. I work in aviation and have had a close call in a helicopter where some idiot with a drone was well within the restricted airspace near the airport and well over 400 ft. Then, you see people post their illegal flights they have done and then wine when law enforcement comes and takes their equipment and slaps them with huge FAA fines etc. well hello, you deserve what's coming to you. I'm just asking that we all think first so what hopefully has been a fun hobby so far doesn't get ruined. Would gladly like to hear anyone else's thoughts.

I think you may be taking the board a bit serious my friend. Half the stuff on here that I see where someone is talking about breaking the rules, I take as a joke. Me, I'd dearly love to disguise my drone as a silhouette of a witch riding a broomstick and figure out a way to make it smoke and spell "Surrender Dorothy", and fly it over the city. That would rock!! But I know that's not gonna happen. Or do like the guy did in California and build a superman body and fly it around the coast.
Some of the things folks ask about, I try to go research the rules. I see several folks have cited the 400' altitude rule and that it's not actually a rule. That being one case. Unfortunately for me, I'm having signal problems and I'm lucky to get mine above 200' currently. But ask yourself this. 400' from what base? I can stand on the street and get up to 400', and I doubt I'd worry. Or I could go to the top of Mt. Cheaha here in Alabama that's 6000' above sea level, and fly up an additional 400'. Would that get me in trouble?
Me, I've got my certs through the FAA, and look for other areas where I may need to register because I want to be on the right side of the law. I have also taken to asking for permission in areas before I fly, unless it's a wide open area. Amazingly a lot of people are really cool about it, even if the answer is no, and they thank me for asking. I've even had some park owners and companies tell me yes, and offer me pay for my photos and videos! At this point, I give them freely and just ask for credit if they post them publicly.
It's quite annoying for people who follow the rules, and see people blatantly break them and get away with it. I'm having this same struggle with my hotdog business that I'm trying to get off the ground. But, not a lot we can do about it, so we just move on, being secure in the knowledge that at least we're doing the right thing, and hopefully it'll catch on.
Safe flying, my friends.
Hammer

 

[Don Holmes]

A case in point... Just saw on the news..The government of Iran has prohibited all civilian drones within the city of Tehran. One pilot flew a drone too close to the wrong building. A building where the Ayatollahs hang out. So, no flying in that whole city.
This is what happens when one pilot breaks the rules. Governments freak!! They don't just punish the rule breaker, they make rules that affect all pilots.

Well, they kill people for dancing over there, so...Over here the one person gets a ticket.

 

[Tenly]

Hi everyone, Just wanted to express some thoughts on much of what I've been reading lately. I'm a new P4P owner and almost at a point where I'm sorry that I invested the money into this hobby because of what may come in the future. First off, this site has been great and everyone has been so helpful whenever you have a technical issue or can't figure something out. What is bugging me is that many are posting things they have done or want to try and do and they know it's against the rules or they know it's pushing the issue. For example this guy.
Anyone thought about doing this....
Not saying he did it, but obviously the thought is in his mind. People wanting to fly near airports, break the 400 ft rule, flying over events and stadiums and crowds etc.... The list goes on. There are millions of areas you can fly, be safe and not either get in trouble or piss someone off. What this is creating is an anger towards drones from the general public and worse is to make the FAA create more rules, regulations and get things to a point where you won't be able to fly anywhere other than your back yard. I work in aviation and have had a close call in a helicopter where some idiot with a drone was well within the restricted airspace near the airport and well over 400 ft. Then, you see people post their illegal flights they have done and then wine when law enforcement comes and takes their equipment and slaps them with huge FAA fines etc. well hello, you deserve what's coming to you. I'm just asking that we all think first so what hopefully has been a fun hobby so far doesn't get ruined. Would gladly like to hear anyone else's thoughts.

You have nothing to worry about!

You're worried that if too many people break the existing rules, they'll create MORE rules? How does that make sense? If people are breaking the current rules - how would creating more help things? They can simply prosecute those people for the rules they are already breaking.

But if they did create more rules - then by your logic, wouldn't those new rules also be important for the safety and benefit of all - so you should be just as happy to follow them as you are to follow the current rules...!

I actually think the opposite will happen...if too many people break the existing rules, they will relax them to a point that is reasonable - while still being generally safe. Technology improvements will also continue to make our toys safer and more reliable.

Remember prohibition? A lot of people broke those rules. Can't remember the details. How did the government handle that? More rules? Stricter punishments? No - wait - they relaxed the rules considerably! If we take that as a lesson - then isn't it almost our duty to break the rules as much as possible (at least the silly ones that don't pose a safety risk - like night flying over water) to save our hobby?


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots

 

[Rod Cambridge]

Rules? Safety or Slavery

Most regulations are based on fear. Fear of what "might" happen. This is so true with this new technology. We have been found guilty before any crime has been committed. All of us are forced to face severe consequences every time we fly. And we can be found guilty not because someone was harmed, but because of a infinitesimally small chance that it might happen. These are not Rules to respect. Someone said, '"Laws should fit a Man like a Loose Suit of Clothes." Meaning, we should feel comfortable with the Rules we all agree too. We are suppose to be "Innocent until proven Guilty," in this country. Walk through any of the Hundreds of Veteran's Cemeteries. What did they all die for? Freedom? Do you feel Free?

 

[SteveMann]

Then, you see people post their illegal flights they have done and then wine[sic] when law enforcement comes and takes their equipment and slaps them with huge FAA fines etc.

Please quote the source of this. I don't think the FAA has ever fined someone relying on evidence from a video posted online. Also, the FAA does not confiscate equipment. If you aware of an example of this, then please post the cite.

I get a weekly summary of the FAA enforcement letters (letter of proposed enforcement action), and I have yet to see even one quote a hobby UAS or confiscation. Not one.