when does dronist call police on another dronist...?

[ribjig]

Never?
Only after determining if 107 with permission?**
Context:
from upper story balcony saw Phantom drone hovering
~100 ft over busy traffic light intersection;
thought to call police, then realized might be 107 work,
not waste police time...
next 5 min drone dipped to ~50 ft then ~30 ft over traffic,
then saw pilot on sidewalk double-hand catch;
thru binoculars, saw no lanyard around pilot neck;
**is 107 required to wear lanyard?
saw interaction of pilot with (2) others all checking papers;
thought it could be movie script or city work or developer work;
regardless, they left...
would others done different...?

 

[Starz]

Your location?

 

[Templin9]

I have worked in cities, including DC where I had to have US Capital Police standing next to me. I never needed to wear a lanyard or anything else, but carried my ID and license with me. I am also a UAV pilot for my FD and county and often have to fly in areas where 107 cannot due to flying under Part 104. Unless they are doing something really sketchy such as chasing birds or being unsafe there is no need to call the police on them.

 

[Starz]

Example of non-lanyard use.

Damaged MA2 Controller

Hello all, since my last post I have received my MA2 and have been practicing. Had an issue yesterday I was in my backyard doing figure 8s, just before I was manually landing the drone my German Shepard was chasing a lizard on the ground when she accidentally hit my leg I fell and dropped my...

mavicpilots.com

 

[KAOS Imagery]

It's a dilemma for sure. Locally here in upstate NY I've seen drones flying 20' above crowds of people at winter carnival, over boats and swimmers in the bays on the lake. Almost every day there are posts in the local Facebook groups when the rules have obviously been broken to get a good shot or video. Some of the posters even state things like "I went up to 600' to get a better perspective" and even if they were Part 107, there were no structures for them to fly close to and above to get to that altitude. There's a local boat company that posts aerial shots of boats for sale, I even know who the pilot is and he's not 107. Granted that not knowing the details of each flight there could be ones that are legal, but I don't want to be the "drone police". Those that break the rules just make it worse for those of us who abide by them.

 

[Canyon Mike]

Never?
Only after determining if 107 with permission?**
Context:
from upper story balcony saw Phantom drone hovering
~100 ft over busy traffic light intersection;
thought to call police, then realized might be 107 work,
not waste police time...
next 5 min drone dipped to ~50 ft then ~30 ft over traffic,
then saw pilot on sidewalk double-hand catch;
thru binoculars, saw no lanyard around pilot neck;
**is 107 required to wear lanyard?
saw interaction of pilot with (2) others all checking papers;
thought it could be movie script or city work or developer work;
regardless, they left...
would others done different...?

MYOB

 

[CactusJackSlade]

Personally I would have very nicely contacted the operator and asked him these questions. Depending on his answers I would go from there. I have multiple times talked to other operators to "educate" them and if they are not following the rules I politely ask them not to do what they are doing. Usually goes OK, there are a$$holes out there too. Hard call. It would be nice if people just obeyed the rules...

Also, wearing a lanyard is not req'd for 107... not sure why this matters?

 

[Blade4]

If the pilot is being unsafe. Violating Rules. Creating a Nuisance. All the above. I would do like stated above and see if you can have a conversation. If they are unaware perhaps a little education. Encourage FAA 107, EVEN if they are strictly a hobbyist. For safety reasons. If they give you grief and are a$$hats then turn them over to the FAA. Most of the time the police wont know what to do really unless there is a complaint filed. Even then many are not educated about UAV operations. More and more are. Flight Standards District Office is always looking for rogue UAV pilots so called.

 

[Millersnutz]

Personally I would have very nicely contacted the operator and asked him these questions. Depending on his answers I would go from there. I have multiple times talked to other operators to "educate" them and if they are not following the rules I politely ask them not to do what they are doing. Usually goes OK, there are a$$holes out there too. Hard call. It would be nice if people just obeyed the rules...

Also, wearing a lanyard is not req'd for 107... not sure why this matters?

Sorry, but I would have to tell you it's none of your business what I was doing. Not being a ****, just being honest.

 

[MOBLUE]

Sorry, but I would have to tell you it's none of your business what I was doing. Not being a ****, just being honest.

Wouldn't call the police in that situation unless I saw someone get injured or some property was damaged. If I was close by I might speak with the pilot and try to educate them. If you told me it was none of my business, I might take issue with that since the rules being broke could be considered dangerous and result in something bad happening.

 

[Blade4]

Wouldn't call the police in that situation unless I saw someone get injured or some property was damaged. If I was close by I might speak with the pilot and try to educate them. If you told me it was none of my business, I might take issue with that since the rules being broke could be considered dangerous and result in something bad happening.

Perfect! Exactly.

 

[ribjig]

> Canyon Mike: MYOB

How many mph over speed limit does a
vehicle driver go repeatedly by YOUR residence
before YOU call police...? Still MYOB?

 

[mossphotography]

The FAA asks us to self police and contact them if that doesn't work.

I would have gone up and talked to them about safety. But first I would have filmed them flying so if they did have the attitude of "mind your own business". This is exactly the attitude that the FAA wants to know about. If someone has that attitude, then report then to your local FSDO. If you're not sure where that is, Google "FSDO" and your state.

I'm in a slightly different position than most here. I'm actually one of the people my FSDO (CO,WY) call when they need a drone operator needs some education. I get to meet with them and figure out if it's a knowledge situation or if there needs to be further action taken by the FAA. And operator attitude is the deciding factor in all interactions.

I would not call the police unless it is a situation where someone could get hurt. For instance if I was at a large crowd and someone was flying over them, I would probably look for security and inform them. I would then accompany them to the operator and talk with them. But as I said, I'm in a unique situation where I could be of assistance.

What I also suggest is that you all downland and print out a few of these. I actually carry printed cards in my truck for this very purpose, and work with local LEOs. https://www.faa.gov/uas/public_safety_gov/media/Basic_Law_Enforcement_Response_Drone_Card.pdf

Not only does it help in a situation above, if you're approached by law enforcement, you can give them one of these cards. Odds are in a situation where someone calls the cops on you, you're the most educated person in the conversation. Or at least you should be.

 

[Harleydude]

Never?
Only after determining if 107 with permission?**
Context:
from upper story balcony saw Phantom drone hovering
~100 ft over busy traffic light intersection;
thought to call police, then realized might be 107 work,
not waste police time...
next 5 min drone dipped to ~50 ft then ~30 ft over traffic,
then saw pilot on sidewalk double-hand catch;
thru binoculars, saw no lanyard around pilot neck;
**is 107 required to wear lanyard?
saw interaction of pilot with (2) others all checking papers;
thought it could be movie script or city work or developer work;
regardless, they left...
would others done different...?

Never. It's the code of the road. "What happens in the air, stays in the air."

D