Drone police

Lionfish said:

Howdy .
It’s not my intent to start heavy discussions , it’s only intended to satisfy my curiosity.

Has anyone reading this been fined by any law enforcement agency for small issues , not flying above military top secret buildings , not flying 5 thousand feet above Cape Canaveral , or flying sport mode through a shopping mall on Christmas Eve .
I’m talking more like small incidents , like not having all your paperwork with you when flying, not having the appropriate alpha numeric nailed on your drone , well you get the picture .

Again let me say I’m just interested in how often pilots get themselves in hot water as a whole .

I do fly responsibly to the best of my ability/knowledge even “analy “according to my wife .
I don’t know anybody in my drone cloud that has had a “ticket” for flying .


Well let me know
Thanks and happy flying to all .

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In every incident that I have witnessed in the last 4 years including my own, a nice verbal warning is given, and the drone pilot is asked to stop .
As long as you simply adhere to commanding presence in front of you , there is no further discussion of any rules , regs or faa involvement as there concern seems to be that of there own.

Sometimes if you ask them is there anywhere near here where I can fly , they will let you know there concern , than you can move on down the road.

A few years back I was recording some kids that were climbing on a cliff , near a light house , I was asked by the sheriff office to stop flying the drone
so they could focus on the climbing as they had no ropes. Made me realize that drones can be simply a distraction where focus is needed ,

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the rain and float on water.

I have only been questioned once, though to be honest i am lucky to mostly fly in private estates. I was flying over a Scottish castle, which has been closed for months, its miles from anywhere, and no one was about, the carpark was empty. After i guess 15 minutes of flying a game keeper stopped next to us and said we were not allowed to fly there, and that there was a sign (obscured due to undergrowth due to lockdown) telling us it was not allowed. We had the footage we wanted, so thanked him for pointing this out and pointed to the drones, which by now were well away from the castle, and explained we were well away from the area of concern, but were happy to stop and move away. We landed and moved away. It was painess for all parties. I think a few lessons were learned. Firstly, that the rules are stupid, this is a semi derelict castle, closed to the public, outwith bird nesting time, miles from anyplace and the car park was empty, so i can think of no problem with being there. I understand all the reasons why flying there could be an issue, but these were all null and void at this time, but also that the keeper was told no one can fly here so he was doing his job, no bother. Secondly, if i wanted footage of a place like this again, i would take off from some place off the area of concern. That way i would be legal, or as legal as possible. Its academic to me, as its not a thing i am interested in, and only did this as the castle in in lockdown, and next door to where i fly, i am really not interested in these things, it was a one off, job done. I thought it would be ok and missed the sign. We did wonder if it was an issue but honestly 2 of us missed it. Anyway, no harm done, and we got some cool footage. It will never be seen on line!

I recently was on flight #2 of a Litchi Mission to take video of a local point of interest. I had just lifted off and was in a 20 foot hover and was approached by a LEO. I was told I had to leave, not because of my flying but because my car was blocking the access to the property I was filming. I was not blocking at all but I did not argue the point. I packed up and left.

Whatever you do and I don’t care if your in the right or wrong comply
with what they tell you and you can hash it out later.
Some might tell you to be argumentative if you think you are
within your rights but it’s not worth the headache .

I have only been told I couldn’t fly once.
I was on National Trust property but thought it was National Park, I don't think the person was an official of any sort but I did land & he was happy with that.
I now know (after some research) National Trust land is a no go.

dirkclod said:

Some might tell you to be argumentative if you think you are
within your rights but it’s not worth the headache .

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I consider myself part of the crowd that would stand my ground. But I'm in sort of an interesting position.

If you do decide to make a case for yourself, make sure you 100% understand the rules. And honestly, if it gets heated, land and leave.

It's also a good idea to have a set of rules, both local and national, printed out and ready to give to the responding person.

... also, I just thought of this.

One such incident where I did my homework and stood my ground ended up getting me a connection with my local FBI agent who is in charge of working with venues and facilities when it comes to drone safety and regulations.

I now have that contact and he's told me to call him if I ever have issue with someone.

dirkclod said:

Whatever you do and I don’t care if your in the right or wrong comply
with what they tell you and you can hash it out later.
Some might tell you to be argumentative if you think you are
within your rights but it’s not worth the headache .

Click to expand...

Yes the immediate answer is to comply with recognized authority. Do understand however that that shouldn’t be the end of it. Drone flying, comparatively speaking is still rare. For example, in suburban Houston the majority of law enforcement officials will tell you that the only appropriate place to fly is a designated RC area, most of which are sponsored by RC clubs. They don’t understand that it’s about the camera, not about the flying itself. They have a stubborn mindset on this and they aren’t about to change.

So unless I am told directly by law enforcement or as a courtesy to a property owner, I fly where the DJI app and safety sense allows me to fly.

Bottom Line: Don’t ask questions of those who like to set boundaries for their own self assurance.

NTCooper said:

Yes the immediate answer is to comply with recognized authority. Do understand however that that shouldn’t be the end of it. Drone flying, comparatively speaking is still rare. For example, in suburban Houston the majority of law enforcement officials will tell you that the only appropriate place to fly is a designated RC area, most of which are sponsored by RC clubs. They don’t understand that it’s about the camera, not about the flying itself. They have a stubborn mindset on this and they aren’t about to change.

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Interesting. This is the exact opposite of what I've experienced while flying in Houston. I never had any issues.

Houston Hobby has some outrageous AGL limits, but the city itself always seemed drone friendly to me. And I've heard the same from others. If an LEO tells you you can't fly there, always ask for the specific ordnance that says that.

NTCooper said:

So unless I am told directly by law enforcement or as a courtesy to a property owner, I fly where the DJI app and safety sense allows me to fly.

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I would add FAA airspace to that list as well. The DJI apps are not tied to the FAA's controlled airspace. Many people get in trouble for assuming if the GO app says they can fly, they can fly. A pilot always needs to check airspace before they fly if there is any question about controlled airspace. The Kittyhawk app is one of the best for this.

I think it is agreed that we all enjoy the flying, but also take seriously the responsibility of adhering to regulation. I've only been confronted once also. Early on during this pandemic the Navy Hospital ship docked in the Port Of Los Angeles and I couldn't wait. I staked out my location and timing to get at least some footage of that ship. I was not in the air 6 minutes before the Port Authority swooped out of nowhere, actually scared me, but the encounter was respectful and instructive at the same time. I was informed that I could not have found a worst spot to attempt as not only does the Port Authority and Long Beach Police monitor the airspace in that area but also the Navy. You know I landed right awa. I thanked the guys and even asked if they minded if I just took some footage of the encounter. They did not agree but, with a wink of they eye, just got back in the vehicles and drove away. I think I have some of the posted on my page.

I’m talking more like small incidents...

Again let me say I’m just interested in how often pilots get themselves in hot water as a whole .

I don’t know anybody in my drone cloud that has had a “ticket” for flying .

From the responses it looks like the short answer is “No” for citations with verbal requests and warnings being the norm. As it should be in my opinion.
I was first drawn to drones after contacting a pilot flying n a Phantom above a state fair. No real rules were in play at the time, but the fair organizers wanted to control professionals shooting video of the event. I was working as a Sgt for a large LE agency and figured out where the pilot was operating from. I had a very interesting, informative and polite conversation with him. After an appropriate time (wink), he packed up. We exchanged cards and I kept in touch with him. I now fly a M2E Dual and assist with small volunteer FD’s in Oklahoma fighting grass or wildfires. They appreciate it.

I have found another way to fly! Don’t never let “them “ see you take off! Just about person saw me take off, bugged me about it! And I’m a responsible Pilot!

I've had near misses and would rather not disclose them, but let me just throw this in there...

If a cop feels like they need to intervene with what you're doing, you can bet you're doing something to make significant contributions to legislation against the hobby. They may be out of their jurisdiction, but they may be acting out of what they perceive to be protecting the public.
With that said, you should take heed of even the input of angry ignorant jerks coming at you.

Even if you have direct line of sight of your drone and are somehow even watching the monitor at the same time, it is way too easy for you have almost zero situational awareness if the drone is even just a few hundred feet away.
You're completely unaware of the disruption caused by the drone.

Interesting to see the comment from The Cyborg regarding National Trust properties. The NT have no authority to prevent you flying over their properties, PROVIDED,
1. You do not take off or land from their land.
2. You strictly observe the regulations regarding flying over/near other people.

In your own interests it is best to avoid any situation where you could cause damage to their property as this can get VERY, VERY expensive.

I worked for nearly 40 years for a contractor undertaking structural work on NT properties and they get very protective over the tiniest detail of their structures and grounds.

If you read their own instructions to their staff regarding drones they are extremely evasive about what is legally correct and they try to give the impression that their authority extends way beyond what is their actual legal position.

At the moment the NT is going through a difficult time with many of their properties closed or partially closed and their main income streams, i,e. entrance fees, cafe and shop income severely curtailed. They have made redundant nearly 1500 permanent staff and closed the doors to many more volunteers.

How do I know this? In addition to managing work on NT properties I have been a NT member for over 50 years.
The NT is going through difficult times. Its a wounded dog and wounded dogs do not always react rationally. Best to stay away from them at the moment however "how much you are in the right".

Vic Moss said:

... also, I just thought of this.

One such incident where I did my homework and stood my ground ended up getting me a connection with my local FBI agent who is in charge of working with venues and facilities when it comes to drone safety and regulations.

I now have that contact and he's told me to call him if I ever have issue with someone.

Click to expand...

Can we all have his number?

Two weeks ago, in Sweden, I was flying a litchi mission. Before I left the house, I checked the maps and, simply because I felt like doing it, I pulled the maps and things on my phone. No flight restrictions, all public property, so within the normal rules, I was legally flying there.

Then someone came up to me, telling me to stop, because I was not allowed to fly/film there. I told him to wait and brought the drone back. Then I took my time and showed him all documents that I had. He then more or less admitted, that it was a filmproduction company that was filming inside one of the objects I flew around, that did not want me to get the footage. The film the make will be released december 21, so...

Now, discussing with the messenger is useless, so I packed my drone and we left.

Back home, I did another check on the legallity and came to no other conclusion that I was completly within my rights. So the next morning, we returned and I flew my flight, got even some better footage then expected

Conclusion: Preparation is everything, make sure that where you want to fly is legal, but stay polite as someone approaches you. Better to return the next day after checking again.

NTCooper said:

Yes the immediate answer is to comply with recognized authority. Do understand however that that shouldn’t be the end of it.

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I did say hash it out later.

Reginald E Johnson said:

I have found another way to fly! Don’t never let “them “ see you take off! Just about person saw me take off, bugged me about it! And I’m a responsible Pilot!

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What like how i fly most of the time. Not that I’m flying to hide but just
how I like to fly ?

Lionfish said:

Howdy .
It’s not my intent to start heavy discussions , it’s only intended to satisfy my curiosity.

Has anyone reading this been fined by any law enforcement agency for small issues , not flying above military top secret buildings , not flying 5 thousand feet above Cape Canaveral , or flying sport mode through a shopping mall on Christmas Eve .
I’m talking more like small incidents , like not having all your paperwork with you when flying, not having the appropriate alpha numeric nailed on your drone , well you get the picture .

Again let me say I’m just interested in how often pilots get themselves in hot water as a whole .

I do fly responsibly to the best of my ability/knowledge even excessively according to my wife .
I don’t know anybody in my drone cloud that has had a “ticket” for flying .


Well let me know
Thanks and happy flying to all .

Click to expand...

Like your LIONFISH you must have a bit of a STING .WOW