Neighbor yelled at us for flying!

[w0by]

So the other night around 8pm I had a neighbor ride is bike down the street and ask me if it's "my quadcopter" that I've been flying around. I told him yes thinking he thinks it's cool or something, but instead starts yelling at me telling me that if I ever fly anywhere near his home he's going to shoot it out of the sky. He said that I've been flying over his house, spying on him. First of all, I fly it around 350ft so it doesn't bother people, and second of all my brother and I fly at night so you can definitely see it and we definitely aren't "spying" on people. If you shoot my quadcopter outta the sky, get ready to have a felony on your record because you can't just discharge a firearm within city limits. The dude also told me that I've been flying directly in front of his window..Uhh I'm sorry but we fly at 350ft, he's like a half mile away maybe or less, and I definitely wouldn't be flying low near ANYONES home.

Anyways the police ended up coming and calming him down, we even showed him a night time video we did at 4th of July to show him that you can't get video at night time, but he said "you can put filters on that thing to make it daylight". The police told him there are no laws against flying a toy quadcopter around and there's not much they can do.

We told him that we won't fly "near" his house anymore, it's a block and that direction doesn't have trees so it's more of a clear view of the sky. I'm just annoyed with the dude. Why does he think that he's THAT important that anyone would want to spy on him? lol! With the Phantoms camera it's pretty impossible to spy on people, everything just looks like little tiny objects from that high in the sky. My rant!

 

[mikey]

I hear ya.

I only just recently purchased my fc40, I've done a total of 4 flights... haven't had any complaints yet, but I'm half expecting it... I'm trying to be mindful of people's privacy, and likely won't "fly it down the street'.. so far I've flown twice at the park down the road, and twice in my backyard...

 

[Monte55]

Where can I get one of those filters? I want one for my riding mower to mow at night.

 

[Mad Mitchie 88]

So the other night around 8pm I had a neighbor ride is bike down the street and ask me if it's "my quadcopter" that I've been flying around. I told him yes thinking he thinks it's cool or something, but instead starts yelling at me telling me that if I ever fly anywhere near his home he's going to shoot it out of the sky.

You should have had the coppers inform this jerk that shooting a Phantom is considered felony vandalism because it's retail cost is over $1,000. That would likely mean a year in prison in most states for this hothead --- unless it's within the city limits of Chicago or DC in which case he's looking at more like 3 or 4 years in the pokey for possession of a firearm.

 

[kitari]

Gotta love how some people think they're always being spied on by drones, like I really wanna see you sitting in your lazyboy eating Doritos as you watch fox news talking about all those terrorists out to get you. Lol, what about all those cameras on top of Walmart, on the highway, and all the people with cell phones? There's even websites that let you watch those cameras live like earthcam and opentopia.

 

[750r]

Thank the media for that all the false information they give just to sell a story and most people who watch it think it's all true because it was in the paper or on tv you know they always give the facts .

 

[w0by]

No doubt, every time I see something on the news about a "DRONE" it makes me cringe because it's going to think that people with quadcopters are "spying" on them, ya right, no thanks, I could care less what you are doing in your home or in your back yard. The police did explain to him that everywhere you go you're being recorded anyways, plus those cameras are closer and clearer than a quadcopter.

 

[ElGuano]

Who knows, maybe he's running a sovereign citizen movement in his basement and he's afraid your night-vision x-ray drone is being deputized by the FBI to initiate an armed standoff before they are ready...

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I get asked about how well it can see things and the occasional "I'll shoot it down if it comes near my property" crap too. I wonder how these folks feel about my dash cam that runs in my car every time I start it. I film hundreds of people a day with it including their car and license plates. Like everyone should know, every time you step foot out of your house (or in mine since there are security cams in there too) you are being filmed... on the streets, in retail businesses, in county buildings, everywhere. Besides, if I wanted to spy on someone why would I use a blinky, buzzy, highly noticeable unit like the Phantom?

 

[itsaz]

See this regarding the Fed's position on remote controlled model aircraft: http://dronelawjournal.com/

The Texas legislature passed a law last year that prohibits "capturing an image" using an unmanned aircraft. The key word here is capture. Merriam-Webster defines capture as a noun, "the act of getting control of something" or as a verb, "the act of recording in a permanent file". To me, that means, here in Texas, I can look at you with the quad, but I can't take your picture or video you.

It's been my experience that uninformed people develop opinions without the use of facts and when presented with the facts, they choose to ignore them in favor of their opinions.

Glad the cops took your side. Tell the neighbor to go pound sand!

 

[480sparky]

..... or as a verb, "the act of recording in a permanent file". ......

I'd argue that digital is not 'permanent'. Left to it's own devices, the file will eventually disappear.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Man, Texas don't play around! How did this pass? -> http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/05/texas-lawmakers-give-final-approval-to-drone-legislation.php

Texas lawmakers in May 2013 passed a bill [HB 912, PDF] that penalizes the possession, display and distribution of any image or video captured by an illegal drone, and increases penalties to up to $10,000 if those images or videos are subsequently posted on the internet. In addition, the bill makes it a Class C misdemeanor to use an "unmanned vehicle or aircraft" to photograph or videotape "individual or privately owned property" within the state without the consent of its possessor.

 

[Photogd]

BE CAREFUL. Police arrested and charged a guy flying a drone with a felony "unlawful surveillance" because he was flying it near a "medical" building in our city.
http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/ ... e_say.html
The police accused him of using it to peer in the windows at medical patients (even though the windows were tinted dark and couldn't be seen in) and the guy is a well known concert promoter with a website of footage posted that he takes with his phantom.

Apparently the police thought the phantom has x-ray vision or something.

Be careful, because if it records video they CAN charge you with unlawful surveillance no matter where you are, if the police want to or if you get enough complaints. At least in my State.

 

[ElGuano]

I'd argue that digital is not 'permanent'. Left to it's own devices, the file will eventually disappear.

Ehh...well in that case from a thermodynamics as well as a philosophical perspective, NOTHING is permanent, right?

Man, Texas don't play around! How did this pass?

I think the craziest thing about it is that it the law came about because a pilot filmed some company dumping toxic waste and creating an environmental hazard. So when this law came out, they had to specifically carve out filming of environmental hazards.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I think the craziest thing about it is that it the law came about because a pilot filmed some company dumping toxic waste and creating an environmental hazard. So when this law came out, they had to specifically carve out filming of environmental hazards.

Oh I see, just some good ol boy favoritism.

 

[damoncooper]

Man, Texas don't play around! How did this pass? -> http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/05/texas-lawmakers-give-final-approval-to-drone-legislation.php

Texas lawmakers in May 2013 passed a bill [HB 912, PDF] that penalizes the possession, display and distribution of any image or video captured by an illegal drone, and increases penalties to up to $10,000 if those images or videos are subsequently posted on the internet. In addition, the bill makes it a Class C misdemeanor to use an "unmanned vehicle or aircraft" to photograph or videotape "individual or privately owned property" within the state without the consent of its possessor.

Wow.

 

[dtviewer]

Man, Texas don't play around! How did this pass? -> http://jurist.org/paperchase/2013/05/texas-lawmakers-give-final-approval-to-drone-legislation.php

Texas lawmakers in May 2013 passed a bill [HB 912, PDF] that penalizes the possession, display and distribution of any image or video captured by an illegal drone, and increases penalties to up to $10,000 if those images or videos are subsequently posted on the internet. In addition, the bill makes it a Class C misdemeanor to use an "unmanned vehicle or aircraft" to photograph or videotape "individual or privately owned property" within the state without the consent of its possessor.

No need to panic...the quote from the article this is from is not accurate and doesn't represent what was in the bill at all.
Read here:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/83 ... navpanes=0

 

[LuvMyTJ]

No need to panic...the quote from the article this is from is not accurate and doesn't represent what was in the bill at all.
Read here:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/83 ... navpanes=0

The article I linked to used that form and links to it in the story. What is different?

Here is the passed version - http://legiscan.com/TX/text/HB912/2013

 

[damoncooper]

Again: wow. I might expect this kind of thing from some extreme left wing states but I never would have thought Texas would have enacted such draconian measures. Sorry for anyone in Texas.

Basically: if you fly in Texas with a camera you are looking at $10,000.00 fine for putting up a YouTube video of a park or beach.

WTF.

 

[dtviewer]

No need to panic...the quote from the article this is from is not accurate and doesn't represent what was in the bill at all.
Read here:
http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/83 ... navpanes=0

The article I linked to used that form and links to it in the story. What is different?

Here is the passed version - http://legiscan.com/TX/text/HB912/2013

Read into the link you provided:
Sec. 423.005. ILLEGALLY OR INCIDENTALLY CAPTURED IMAGES NOT
SUBJECT TO DISCLOSURE. (a) Except as otherwise provided by
Subsection (b), an image captured in violation of Section 423.003,
or an image captured by an unmanned aircraft that was incidental to
the lawful capturing of an image:
I bolded what seems to be the relevant part of the text...the 'incidental' part.

Then there is this under the exclusions section:
(6) with the consent of the individual who owns or
lawfully occupies the real property captured in the image;
and this:
(16) of public real property or a person on that
property;

So from what I am reading it seems this bill is saying you can use the drones to take pictures of public property and people on that property, on private property with consent, and on your own property.
Its also saying that 'incidental' filming is also OK as long as your 'intent' was not 'surveillance'.

I think this bill is basically laying out what all hobbyist drone flyers should know...dont fly over private property, try not to film people on private property, and dont spy on people...