Volvo Ocean Race...No Drones allowed?

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Saw this today while browsing a FB page of an event I'm attending. It seems the new FAA regs are becoming more and more useless if local rules continue to develop. (If this indeed a true law).

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Yep that's how this hobby is going to go . They are going to make things very hard and watch this will bite them later . The people that make the rules are old and do not want to Advance our country forward . The possibilities that this new technology has is endless . They will put such heavy restrictions on us we will never come out of the dark ages .
So a full sized helicopter filming is safer than a unmanned Multi rotor . Everything we use can be potentially dangerous all on how you view it .
 
Yep that's how this hobby is going to go . They are going to make things very hard and watch this will bite them later . The people that make the rules are old and do not want to Advance our country forward . The possibilities that this new technology has is endless . They will put such heavy restrictions on us we will never come out of the dark ages .
So a full sized helicopter filming is safer than a unmanned Multi rotor . Everything we use can be potentially dangerous all on how you view it .

So you are saying that a guy with a drone equates to a professionally trained and licensed helicopter pilot?

Hell.. I drive a car. Looks like I'm entering the Indy 500 this year.
 
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It makes perfect sense for a sporting event to prohibit drones. If it was only 1 or 2 it would probably be OK but what if it became 10 or 20? What happens if one is flown in a haphazard way that is disruptive or even dangerous to people or participants? They have no way of knowing if you are a responsible person or a total loon. Like it or not, there's no simple way for race organizers to control drones and so it's much easier for them to say no.

Furthermore, there are broadcast rights and sponsorships to be considered. As we know, a drone can shoot some pretty amazing footage. This could be in conflict with those who paid for that privilege. If someone whipped out an ENG camera and started filming close ups without press credentials, the organizers would put a fast stop to it and show them to the exit.

If you really want to do it, your best bet is to get press credentials from the organizers. Not easy but likely the only route.

P.S. I used to work on the Volvo Ocean Race way back in the day. Great event.
 
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So you are saying that a guy with a drone equates to a professionally trained and licensed helicopter pilot?

Hell.. I drive a car. Looks like I'm entering the Indy 500 this year.
I guess you think only phantoms fly cams WRONG
And yes their are "drones" that can and do shoot better .
Do you live in a box under a rock ? Come on man you are just so focused on a phantom with a GoPro .

Good luck at the race :p
 
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It makes perfect sense for a sporting event to prohibit drones.
And exactly grants said organizers the right to say who can who cannot fly in the airspace above their event? Airspace is Federally regulated. Like it or not, once you place yourself or your craft .01" above the surface of the earth in sustained controlled flight, you leave the area where Volvo has any say in the matter.
 
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And exactly grants said organizers the right to say who can who cannot fly in the airspace above their event? Airspace is Federally regulated. Like it or not, once you place yourself or your craft .01" above the surface of the earth in sustained controlled flight, you leave the area where Volvo has any say in the matter.

I'd love to see how far you get with that approach. The kid who got arrested at the Long Beach Grand Prix last week didn't fair so well.

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The Volvo event will likely have a TFR on it just like the LV and America's Cup. So you can go fly 0.01" off the ground for as long as you like 5 miles away from the event.
 
The Volvo event will likely have a TFR on it just like the LV and America's Cup. So you can go fly 0.01" off the ground for as long as you like 5 miles away from the event.
And if they do indeed go through the process, and apply for, and receive a TFR over their event, then so be it. But at that point, it won't be them saying you can't fly, it'll be the FAA which is exactly the point I was making. So apparently we agree.
 
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So you are saying that a guy with a drone equates to a professionally trained and licensed helicopter pilot?

Hell.. I drive a car. Looks like I'm entering the Indy 500 this year.
Sorry guy I may have jumped the gun that's a demon I fight every day let me explane .
I for one do this for fun some do this professionally and is there bread & butter they have up words of 20g into equipment .
We have taken some real setbacks because of the hate we get . A lot of people see us as spy's , hazard to airplanes , just up to no good (I blame the media) all on what they hear and not what they know . All this banning is hurting the future .
You could get a couple professionals to film this event for the cost or less of just the fuel for the helicopter . No I'm not talking a redneck like myself with my GoPro . Let's go back to the pager days anyone who had one was a drug dealer then cellphones going to cause cancer your up to no good now look everyone has one .
We have people making up the rules that do not look at the good only the bad so we all suffer .
Let's pic a firefighter goes to a burning building say they had a Multi rotor they could send it up see different angles of the fire and have a better plan of attack .
I sometimes have a hard time making my words make my point I never was one of them guys or I'd be a politician :)
If you are following all the FAA's rules and regulations and these city's , towns , states make up there own we all lose . A lot of people are jumping on the hate train without looking at the possibilities .
Anyhow let me know I'll be your pit crew ;)
 
It makes perfect sense for a sporting event to prohibit drones. If it was only 1 or 2 it would probably be OK but what if it became 10 or 20? What happens if one is flown in a haphazard way that is disruptive or even dangerous to people or participants?

There are already FAA laws to prevent this. Truth is, most of these companies and agencies simply don't have the authority to restrict drone flight. That is just a fact. Yet they attempt to do it anyway. In this case they went so far as to tell people they would use police enforcement, which again would be illegal.

The key to flying is that a person does not fly in such a way as to endanger life or property. _IF_ that is being done, action can be taken. But common people or even law enforcement should not attempt to limit people's freedom to fly a drone because it _might_ be a danger. Should we also ban Frisbee's because a person _might_ throw one into a crowd? I can see one of two people having them but what about 10 or 20 Frisbee throwers. They are so easy to fly and affordable that I could see everyone just throwing them into crowds. Want to know why this does not happen.... because a vast majority of the people obey the laws and use Frisbee's in a responsible way. When they don't.... _THEN_ they are cited.
 
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It is the organizer's prerogative to choose what is and is not allowed. Some events do not allow photography of any sort. Don't like it? Choose another event.
 
It is the organizer's prerogative to choose what is and is not allowed.
It is indeed. What they don't get to decide is who can and cannot fly over their event and or photograph it from the air. That is up to the FAA. They can ask for a TFR, but they don't get to decide whether or not one will be issued, the FAA does. Surely this is not new information for you.
 
Be sure to have a friend come along and record it. That way we can all watch you getting thrown out / arrested like this guy:

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It is the organizer's prerogative to choose what is and is not allowed. Some events do not allow photography of any sort. Don't like it? Choose another event.

For the most part, that is incorrect. Have an event at your house and tell the local airport that they can't fly over your house. Let me know how that conversation goes. As (clearly) stated, event coordinators does not have any jurisdiction over the air. The FAA can only enforce non-commercial air flight when it's done in a "reckless" manner.

The grey area in your statement is that the property owner _may_ be able to not allow the launch or landing of a UAV on their property. This is the most they can do.

There are certain (and very limited) exceptions but they don't apply to the local we are discussing.
 
Be sure to have a friend come along and record it. That way we can all watch you getting thrown out / arrested like this guy:

This is not the same as what Johan is stating. Notice how this video was obtained? From a drone being flown in the air. No indication that the person taking the video was arrested.

Note: He could have been detained for the FAA as I'd say he was flying in a "reckless" manner, being above so many people.
 
It is the organizer's prerogative to choose what is and is not allowed. Some events do not allow photography of any sort. Don't like it? Choose another event.
That's fine in a non-public area like a stadium but how about open, public waterways?
Would race organisers have the ability to restrict photography from boats or the shore?
 
The Long Beach video of the guy being arrested was from a selfie stick, not a drone. He was arrested and later released. His drone was confiscated. He posted to this forum about it.

As for whether you can/cannot fly at public events, it's down to local legislation and event organizers. There are plenty of events have been declared no fly zones without FAA involvement. Coachella was a no drone zone. National parks are no drone zones. The city of Santa Monica has banned the use of drones on public beaches.

I don't agree with all of the restrictions but flying a drone over a major sporting event without permission is simply stupid.
 
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