More idiots flying drones where they shouldn't

[turbodronepilot]

I think there are a ton of bogus reports. Of all of the hundreds and hundreds of reports to the FAA, not one picture of a "near miss" or whatever has been shown. Not even from someones cellphone to prove that it was a UAV.

I know when I'm flying my airplane (private pilot) I sometimes think I saw something out of the corner of my eye. It usually turns out to be eye floaters, which the eye doctor says are those dark spots in your eye ball that move around.

I would be surprised to find out that hobbyist or commercial drone pilots are responsible for flying up to aircraft and flying near airports. .
maybe from time to time you'd hear of a novice pilot making a mistake and flying to close to aircraft but to hear about it on the news almost every day just doesn't make sense. .
people who don't know much about drones know that you shouldn't fly near aircraft. ..

 

[damoncooper]

I would be surprised to find out that hobbyist or commercial drone pilots are responsible for flying up to aircraft and flying near airports. .
maybe from time to time you'd hear of a novice pilot making a mistake and flying to close to aircraft but to hear about it on the news almost every day just doesn't make sense. .
people who don't know much about drones know that you shouldn't fly near aircraft. ..

The FAA sent notice to everyone last year to report drone sightings urgently. Guess what, "sightings" are up.

Everyone! Be in the lookout for UFO's! Guess what. UFO sightings will be up too.

 

[Outta Control]

Recorded this today.

 

[SultanGris]

Recorded this today.

OMG, they had to swerve to avoid an obstacle? How dare anything else be allowed to use the sky!

 

[offshorecl1]

Yesterday before a stupid chicken fly with his drone 200 meters from a landing Airbus A320 of Brussels Airlines in Tel Aviv. You Must be a big calf, and hopefully they beat his drone before his eyes in thousand pieces, and he must pay a fine of a few thousand dollars! The pilot had noticed the drone and was able to swerve even though he was landing. The pilot says that it was a very dangerous situation, because they can not predict how the drone will respond.
******** like these will help our hobby ******
Was in our TV-news 1 hour ago.

Edited by moderator for language.

 

[Gary E]

From another thread. It's about overstating the danger.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/fear-drone...-ado-about-nothing-says-airline-pilot-1515001

 

[turbodronepilot]

Another drone pilot interferes with fire fighting efforts in my neck of the woods...(Madera California )
it's been a month or so and there's been a lot of fires around and until today there hasn't been any reports ..
the news said that the pilot could be facing criminal charges. .
I don't think making more laws will detour pilots like this one who should of heard by now not to fly near fires...
Charge him with reckless endangerment and see if he does it again..lol...

 

[Mike Ellgood]

In the UK a guy was the first to be fined for his dangerous flying and it cost him dear

Nottingham drone pilot fined £1,800 after filming Premier League football games

 

[Scotflieger]

In the UK a guy was the first to be fined for his dangerous flying and it cost him dear

Nottingham drone pilot fined £1,800 after filming Premier League football games

This is the highest fine in the UK (£1800) targeted against a drone pilot described by the judge as the 'height of arrogance in terms of public safety'. Any flying within 150m and over crowds of more 1000 (Premier Football Stadia - 50K+) or in most of central London (Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace) is prohibited and widely publicised. Not only did he do it but he posted on his YouTube page. he has also been banned from his hobby.

Man fined for flying drone at football matches and Buckingham Palace

 

[Outta Control]

And another one with injuries to a child.

Falling drone injures 11-month old near Pasadena City Hall

"A falling drone cut and bruised an 11-month-old girl in a stroller at an event Saturday, according to the Pasadena Police Department.

Police said a 24-year-old man lost control of his DJI Inspire 1, a camera-carrying quadcopter costing nearly $3,000, causing it to crash to the ground outside of City Hall during a movie screening.

“It lost its signal and ultimately crashed on Marengo Avenue and the debris from hitting the ground went out and hurt the child,” said Lt. Mike Ingram, with the department’s air operations. “It could have been much worse.”

The little girl received a quarter-inch cut on her head and a bump on the forehead, police said. She was treated at Huntington Memorial Hospital and then released.

It’s unclear what caused the drone’s descent, but police said the operator flew outside his visual range, losing track of the quadcopter. The operator did not face any charges, but police forwarded the accident to the Federal Aviation Administration’s Field Standards District Office in Van Nuys for review. The FAA could fine the operator if he’s found to have flown recklessly.

He said the Pasadena police department urges drone operators to use “common sense” and to follow the guidelines released so far by the FAA.

“It’s an exciting technology, it just needs to be used appropriately so no one is hurt,” he said.

Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman, said Tuesday that the agency is investigating the report.

“The FAA is concerned with the growing number of reports about unsafe operations and is stepping up both its education and enforcement efforts,” Gregor said. “Anyone who flies carelessly or recklessly can face fines from $1,000 to $25,000, depending on the seriousness of the violation.”

Gregor said the FAA has initiated more than 20 enforcement cases, settled five where the operators paid fines, and has proposed penalties in at least five other cases.

The FAA advises operators to keep drones below 400 feet and away from unprotected people and vehicles. Drones must be operated within line of sight of the pilot and avoid interfering with manned air crafts, Gregor said.

Drone hobbyists in Southern California have attracted a lot of attention this past summer, with the state and local cities eyeing legislation to rein in their use, particularly during wildfires. Drones delayed fire fighting efforts in San Bernardino County earlier this summer, as they present a risk for aircrafts dousing the fires."

<palmface>

 

[SultanGris]

Guess the RTH on signal loss doesn't work for crap.

 

[The Editor]

Guess the RTH on signal loss doesn't work for crap.

But we all know it does so I I would venture pilot stupidity/ignorance of aircraft functions to blame.

 

[richlee]

I've done some stupid things when I first started playing with these things. But now any chance of hurting people always trumps a cool looking shot. If I'm out hunting for shots and there is any sort of crowd or event I'm outta there. Not worth it. Ugh, Hurting a baby with a drone...nightmare...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Chris Ward]

I'm not one to contribute to the stupidity of humanity but I do have several 'New In Box' Inspires For Sale if anyone is interested. $2650 shipped.... These are left overs from a project I was involved with....thanks.

 

[SultanGris]

But we all know it does so I I would venture pilot stupidity/ignorance of aircraft functions to blame.

ive never got the nerve to test mine by shutting off the controller or flying out of range so cant comment on its effectiveness there but it does work when pressing the button on the controller or the smart RTH i think its called when the battery level is low and it activates to make sure there is enough power to return and land at the take off location. I would also guess pilot error however, would like to know more details as ive flown in cities many times without issue up to a mile away even, maybe he had incorrect RTH height and it hit something if he really did lose signal.

I dont believe people when they say they lost signal and it crashed but you hear that excuse all the time, ive been flying for 9 months at distances up to 2 miles away and ive never once lost control signal. Video signal can get spotty at times but if youre semi intelligent you maintain visual of the craft if possible or at the very least you should be aware of the terrain/surroundings where youre flying. I dont know about you guys but the last thing i want to do is crash my $3000 inspire into something and destroy it so i pay close attention when i fly. I fly far away and sometimes out of line of sight but i like to do so safely where i know theres virtually no risk of crashing, lol! Its a very good idea if at the first sign of video signal getting weak and cutting out to turn around and come closer. Increasing height is usually a good idea in these situations as well and often improves video signal if youre flying lower around buildings/trees/whatever.

 

[Scotflieger]

ive never got the nerve to test mine by shutting off the controller or flying out of range so cant comment on its effectiveness there but it does work when pressing the button on the controller or the smart RTH i think its called when the battery level is low and it activates to make sure there is enough power to return and land at the take off location. I would also guess pilot error however, would like to know more details as ive flown in cities many times without issue up to a mile away even, maybe he had incorrect RTH height and it hit something if he really did lose signal.

I can confirm what SultanGris says about the RTH in an emergency. I have tested the Loss of RC Signal RTH a number times and even demonstrated it on my formal Flight Assessment. If you physically switch off your RC or mask the antenna to cause the link between the RC and aircraft to be broken for more than 3 seconds, the Inspire 1 will switch to RTH (white flashing tail light), climb to the user set safe altitude, return and descend to land. It is only the poor accuracy of the RTH in relation to the Home Point that causes me to switch the RC back on. You can switch on the RC at any point and it normally takes a couple of seconds before you have full control and cancel the RTH if required. As mentioned, it is essential that a safe return height is set above all possible obstructions (trees, buildings, power lines). It works as designed.

The Smart RTH also works when the battery reaches the calculated return level (marked by the yellow circle with H) on the battery line. However, one major word of caution. If you fly down wind, the Inspire 1 will not allow for the extra power required to fly against a headwind and may not get back home (unless the critical battery level is set to 15 or 20%). It is the Smart RTH, which can now be switched off in GO app 2.2.0, that has led to a few reported crashes when the pilot has moved to a landing site away from the Home Point.