New Phantom V2+3V Owner - OC-Irvine-Ladera Area

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I am totally new to the drone/quadcopter scene, just got mine today and flew it for the first time for 10 minutes and Irvine Cops already showed up. Just doing all the regulation research today and I can't find any ordinance in Irvine says that I can't fly it in open spaces like Orchard Hills back hills, or Portola springs area open places.

Any guidance on this and if I want to film mountain biking shots in Santiago Oaks or Whiting Ranch - has anyone done it?

Any info would really help my flying experience fun!

Thanks guys!
 
Can't fly by any airport and police heli pads and other landing spot for helicopter also no fly in parks park ranger will kick you out if you didn't do any of that then stand up and let the cop know you know your rights and that it's legal and he can't do anything btw record your videos while you do this cops will back off they have nothing better to do so you listen to them they are happy

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS ON EVERYTHING

watch tom zebra he will show you that they can't do anything

Burbank high school I was flyin in the football area school security came told me to leave I'm on private property I agree I bring it down leave outside side walk I fly on purpose he came I argue he call cops I knew my rights so cops come at this point my last battery died lol 4bats they let me go no law so I didn't break any law to be cited cop don't know even a code for this because no law was created here lol happy flying come to tujunga chill here no worries cops love it here only stop and ask question common how high how long how fast come take a pic of it lol
 
Don't be an ***, though. Because someone knows SOME of their rights doesn't mean they know when they are impeding on the rights of others or violating crimes that aren't listed in the narrow literature they read. This is NOT directed at labove. I'm speaking generally. If you speak calmly and respectfully, both with the cop and about your fellow citizens, you'll have no problem. Most that say "I know my rights" usually means they know little about the law. Big difference. Have you seen the CA penal codes?!!! They are over-filled with ridiculous laws that apply to a broad range of topics. Don't get that one ******* cop that researched one infraction just because he doesn't like these things because someone wasted his time before. Even if a ticket is a stretch of the law it costs you a day in court. Is it worth it? Not my time. I'll just move and continue to fly. Certainly won't matter to the judge or cop that YOUR time was wasted.

Labove, if someone asks you to leave property and are within their right to do so, why would you do something to incite them? You need to "win" that badly?
 
Welcome to the forum, XFlite. Can you tells more about the police encounter? All we know is they showed up.

Labove, if I asked you to NOT use punctuation, would you use it? I find your posts very difficult to read.
 
Hi Clipper707 - well I bought my Phantom last Friday, met up with the guy at a local Irvine shopping center parking lot, he flew the drone for like a minute to show me it works, picked it up and left, drove home parked my car and I walked across the street, there is a grass area across my place, no one was insight except for maybe 1 or 2 passersby walking there dog, I flew the phantom up with no problems (my first time every flying one) - about 10-15ft or so made a few turns to test the camera, went about 20 feet away from me, I did not want to fly to far since I was new to this, landed my phantom picked it up and walked back home - total flying time was about 5 or 10 minutes the most.

As I was leaving the house I realized I left the lens cap and the gimble plastic protector thing on the ground where I took off, so I walked back out to go find it and pick it up as soon as I did a cop showed up and he asked if I was flying "the drone" - then asked my license and asked if I was ever arrested before - he ran it and all came clean and just said - that could have been a violation.

he said in all of irvine there is a municipal code that bans all drones, airplanes, helicopters, rockets from flying anywhere except for a portion of the great park where you need to be a member.

I mentioned to him i am a photographer (still and video) wanted to add this as a service - then he said oh you need a pilot license to do so, I am getting one myself thats why I know this - he chuckles

He came and said I know its a cool toy, I would fly it to, but just not here - you can do that here.

I did not know any restrictions except for airports and state parks and the no fly zone map when I did my research when buying the phantom.

It's funny I live in Portola Springs area and I have seen at least in 2 occasions some guys flying there drones in the open area - one time I saw 2 guys together which I thought was pretty cool and one night at around 10pm - I saw some guy parked on the side of the street in Modjesak and Irvine Blvd. flying a huge drone (looked like one of those spider looking ones)

So all the while I thought it was OK

Oh well - I need to do more research and I hope I can fly it sometime this week and shoot some cool aerials of the sunset.

Any suggestions?

Thanks
 
and thanks for the welcome Clipper707 - cool and informative forum!
 
Was the grass area considered a park? Sometimes it's not easy to identify? Next time, I would a cop says it's illegal, I'd politely ask for a reference so I could look it up to make sure I don't violate anything, anywhere (displays interest in compliance).

Where you are, cops have time for that and may make it a bigger issue than it is. You can always come to the IE where they have bigger problems.
 
hahah - hey diver_matt - thats what I said - I had a feeling he was just driving by and saw me, well funny thing was I was leaving to take the family to dinner and I decided to drive by and pick up the lens cap and the gimble protector I left on the ground, made a U-Turn and was at a handicap spot - literally 1 second I got out he was there - he saw me pull through and he saw me pick up the piece on the ground.

he said - look, there are 2 violations right there - he quickly retracted and laughed since he literally saw me ran and grab the piece on the ground -

I have a feeling someone saw me and being it Irvine - they reported it - I was going to ask him what municipality code - but he just said yeah there is one - and I was trying to be nice and get out of there. I am moving tomorrow to Mission Viejo..... so new city and I think its the sheriffs out there..LoL

But I will definitely hit you up in the IE

Thanks
 
Mission viejo? They're just as bored there. Is not the agency that makes them nit-pick...it's boredom. I've used "no license plate light" as a reason to stop before. Definitely do a little homework though.

Important note here: if someone calls the cops and cops ask us to leave, we should leave. It's one thing to be right, it's another to do the right thing. If what I'm doing really bothers someone, there's other places I can go. I'd rather have THAT voter admire my cooperation than hate ALL of us.
 
exactly - diver_matt - I have a good friend who's a sergeant for LAPD and he loves his drones and there are no ordinances against it yet, but as you said if someone complains and I am asked to leave. I would be glad to leave and find some other place.

Just want to make sure there is no law I am breaking - so new to me to research if my toy is illegal or not. LOL
 
How about up Skyline Drive? You'll have to hike or bike in, but there's some gorgeous country up there. It's Cleveland National Forest, not in any city, so unless there's a fire or something and they have restricted the airspace for the duration, you can fly all you want. Jake Rodriguez is the district ranger in Corona if you want to double check with him.

There are some private landholdings up at the top, however. The radio towers at Oak Flat (KBRT) and the land they occupy is all private and covered with a lot of cameras and doppler motion detectors. The same goes for the radio towers at Sierra Peak, Pleasant's Peak and Santiago Peak, but all that is fenced and marked.
 
Not many toys can do what these do. The micros have been around a long time but it wasn't an issue. They fly around the house or maybe the yard. If they hit someone, they say ouch. If they hit an object, little to no harm. Being able to go half a mile and film at a price reachable by millions...that's relatively new I think.
 
It's funny I live in Portola Springs area and I have seen at least in 2 occasions some guys flying there drones in the open area - one time I saw 2 guys together which I thought was pretty cool and one night at around 10pm - I saw some guy parked on the side of the street in Modjesak and Irvine Blvd. flying a huge drone (looked like one of those spider looking ones)

Were the two guys flying at "Silverado Park"? Might have been me haha
 
hahah yeah! was it you? you guys also did the school before they really started construction? lol do you still fly there? @max
 
Haha it probably wasn't me. We only flew there once, last summer sometime. I had my P2V+ and he had his homebuilt
 

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