Hello Fellow Yuneec Pilot!
Join our free Yuneec community and remove this annoying banner!
Sign up

Hassled by the man

Joined
May 28, 2016
Messages
290
Reaction score
130
Age
55
While out at my favorite flying location last night, who pulls up to harass me but the local rent-a-cop. He couldn't have been over 18 years old. I've been flying here for years. It's a business park but no one is there in the evenings and the fields are wide open and of curse zipping around with the drones is not hurting or bothering anyone. He first asked me "are you controlling that thing?", I really didn't know how to respond, but I stayed calm and respectful. It was downhill from there. He said the field I was hovering in was sold two days ago so I can't fly there anymore. I asked who it sold to and he said the local medical testing facility that has always been there. I went back and forth for a bit in a calm manner but was no longer having fun so I told him I'd be leave after I finish running out my battery in about 15 minutes. He said I could have 5 minutes. Needless to say I stayed 20+ minutes. Funny thing is the "real" cops always drive up and watch and are very friendly and never give me a hard time. Anyway, I intend to contact the management of the development, I don't think they will have a problem with me doing a few flights in the late afternoons from time to time. It's just too bad punks like him think they have a little power and have to behave like that. I think I may have to form a protest group for drone flyers, would "Drone Lives Matter" offend anyone? lol.
 
Had a situation 2 weeks ago when I went to fly at a public water park on the shores of a river. The port authority had granted me permission to fly there a bit over a year ago. One of the grounds people walked up while I was preparing to fly and informed me multirotors had been banned at the water park due to reckless activities by others. I informed him of my earlier permission with the names of those granting it and he let me get in a short flight but no more. A trip to the port authority last week to check on things and guess what, there were no restrictions.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Subtle Shots
He was power tripping. Just looking for a chance to tell someone "no". It's almost to the point where you have to hide and fly from a secure location like a roof top. lol. Fly that thing when you launch so that you are not discovered and when you land...get the H out of Dodge. lol
 
  • Like
Reactions: Subtle Shots
Wow, hard to keep the old Temper in check under those circumstances.
It really is. Especially with a punk kid. I could easily go park a half mile away and fly the H over that field all I want and he'd never know where I was. He'd have to shoot it down. In fact.... okay I'll try to control myself, lol.
 
  • Like
Reactions: TopFlightTexas
Start following him around with the TH... :p
"It was just too fast . . . Too nimble . . . I thought I was bein' chased by one o dem top secret military crafts . . . It just whizzed by while I was puttin' another dip in . . . Scared the southern baptist right outta me!!!"
 
As far as I'm aware, here in the U.K. it is not illegal to fly over private property so long as it's not intrusive and as long as you've taken off from 'public right of way' land or from somewhere you do have permission to take off from...unless it's restricted land like a nuclear power station, around a prison, or the likes of Buckingham Palace, say.

I've found that most people are accommodating when it comes to permissions. Some like to see a bit of insurance, some don't. In my experience so long as you follow the rules most folk are pretty easy about it BUT NOT ALL.

I was flying a Phantom 2 Vision (typhoon H is having a rest) this morning over land owned by the Water Board (a reservoir ***) and they knew I was there and let me get on with it even waiting for me to finish and pack up so they could mow the grass...No problem, no sweat.
 
Overflights in the uk are not specifically covered by a piece of legislation but if the civil aviation agency wanted to take you to court they could easily under various articles. Worth knowing the law so you can keep ahead of over keen security guards. Check out articals 138, 166 & 167 which cover most of the relevent laws:

Unmanned Aircraft | UK Civil Aviation Authority
 
It really is. Especially with a punk kid. I could easily go park a half mile away and fly the H over that field all I want and he'd never know where I was. He'd have to shoot it down. In fact.... okay I'll try to control myself, lol.

That sounds like a good idea actually. Let him shoot it down. Now he's facing a really heavy fine by the FAA and/or a prison sentence for shooting down a registered aircraft. There's always a way to equalize those on power & ego trips. :D:D
 
That sounds like a good idea actually. Let him shoot it down. Now he's facing a really heavy fine by the FAA and/or a prison sentence for shooting down a registered aircraft. There's always a way to equalize those on power & ego trips. :D:D


Don't jump to conclusions just yet. The first case has not come to a definitive conclusion and seems likely to go to the Supreme Court (Attorney for “Drone Slayer” says federal lawsuit should be dismissed). The current edition of the Drone Law Podcast has a discussion with the Drone flyers attorney that makes some interesting points (Government Drones! Public UAS and Drone Litigation with James Mackler & Justin Robinson).
 

New Posts

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
20,955
Messages
241,598
Members
27,286
Latest member
lahorelaptop