Operations Over People - What would you do (if you could)?

[SethB]

There are a few obstacles before we get to legal operations over people. Category 1 drones (under .55 lbs, don’t lacerate skin) are difficult to come by in a useful form, and Category 2 and 3 drones won’t be with us until manufacturers apply to FAA and Remote ID is up.

(See Pilot Institute’s page for an excellent snapshot and summary.)

What would you do in your operations if you had access to a Cat 1, 2 or 3 drone and could legally fly over people? Hypothetically speaking? Where would you fly? What have you been wanting to do? What images? What video? What places?

Please let’s skip the regulatory challenges - see the above linked page if you’re interested. We all should know that this isn’t quite legally accessible yet.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I think maybe given permission for People and Cars and streets I might try to order and pick up pizza by drone. I would have to have some impeccable timing and may miss it with the first battery and go back for a second time but nail it none the less. Nothing satisfies more then a guey pizza picked up by your drone , take that tesla.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain and Capture the Pizza.

 

[Gagey52]

Flying over people doesn’t interest me. The only thing it would help with is perhaps mapping construction sites. But this would cause issues, I think with stitching the shots together. I would really like to access the national parks without having to make an application every time you want to fly.
Regards

 

[spamgnome]

In my non-droning life, I'm an avid runner. Would be fun to be able to film marathons and other local races.

 

[tlswift58]

There are a few obstacles before we get to legal operations over people. Category 1 drones (under .55 lbs, don’t lacerate skin) are difficult to come by in a useful form, and Category 2 and 3 drones won’t be with us until manufacturers apply to FAA and Remote ID is up.

(See Pilot Institute’s page for an excellent snapshot and summary.)

What would you do in your operations if you had access to a Cat 1, 2 or 3 drone and could legally fly over people? Hypothetically speaking? Where would you fly? What have you been wanting to do? What images? What video? What places?

Please let’s skip the regulatory challenges - see the above linked page if you’re interested. We all should know that this isn’t quite legally accessible yet.

I don't like to fly / hover over people. Tends to freak them out if they see the drone. You know - that "spying" thing.

So, I avoid hovering around groups of people and shoot my vids / pics from a safe distance. I will fly around other drone pilots who are with me and none of us have issues with that - since we typically are looking / spotting for each other any way.

Whether the FAA ever clears the skies above groups of people / etc - won't affect my flying much if at all. I have a 99.999% chance my drone will never malfunction or go crazy and try to crash; but there is that one time that it could and so why risk it. Again, simply me. Some 107 pilots may need to get much closer for a job; but would hope they would let those in the area know they are flying and why - if not already known. The better job we do as drone pilots to make people aware / feel safe - the better our flying environments may possibly get. Reckless / rogue flyers always get the attention and make the rest of us suffer when harsher rules are implemented.

 

[tlswift58]

Flying over people doesn’t interest me. The only thing it would help with is perhaps mapping construction sites. But this would cause issues, I think with stitching the shots together. I would really like to access the national parks without having to make an application every time you want to fly.
Regards

I get the NP issue. Same reason why we have as many restrictions as we already have. Would be nice to have a simpler / easier way of getting permission - which is typically never given, esp in well know / visited parks. Same goes for state / local parks that forbid drone take-off / landings. Yet, identifying a "special use" permit would be needed as other drone pilots would simply see someone flying and think they can and not go thru the process. Maybe a badge and wearing a yellow safety vest would work.

I personally think restrictions over wilderness areas that are under Forest Service perview should also have same "special permitting." Again, I do understand the reasons for the restrictions; yet in my area most wilderness is heavily forested and would require flight in the 100+ft category to stay clear.

More drone pilot (good pilots) input needs to be done across the board - from local / state / and federal when these agencies make policies that directly affect us with little to no input from the actual community that flies drones. All most of these bureaucrats hear is the bad one / two time issues (typically rogue pilots) and they make a sweeping policy based on that. We rarely get to make any input and we know the hobby / professional side of it way better than most of them or the "irritated / scared" citizen who thinks something is amiss when a drone flies overhead.

 

[SethB]

I feel we see plenty on regulations all over this forum. There’s a sub-forum for it. Operations Over People regs have nothing to do with flying in National Parks or USFS-managed Wilderness Areas.

I’m hopeful we can get to the kinds of opportunities Operations Over People may offer.

Pizza Delivery - check!
Better coverage of mass starts of road races - check!
Mapping construction sites - check!
Don’t want to do it, ever - check!

At some point we will have sustained operations over open air assemblies of people; the regs are in place for Category 1 and 2 drones. As I read it this will become possible.

What else might we do with this?

 

[Deleted member 103366]

"Operations over people ......if you could"
I wouldn't over uninvolved people .........full stop.
Simply because
1) I don't want to annoy them and
2) What happens if the drone comes down on them, it's asking for a civil suit.

 

[SethB]

"Operations over people ......if you could"
I wouldn't over uninvolved people .........full stop.
Simply because
1) I don't want to annoy them and
2) What happens if the drone comes down on them, it's asking for a civil suit.

Are there OOPs you would do over involved people?

Note on current US regs - outside of the new OOP regs, one may fly any sUAS *only* over flight crew - the remote pilot, person manipulating the controls, visual observers. Not actors, not athletes, not the lucky couple, etc.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

are there OOPs you would do over involved people?

The only people I have intentionally flown over or near are those who were interested to see themselves on the phone's screen or are interested in the drone itself. I avoid populated areas in general as I am not interested in those sorts of shots, landscapes are more my thing. If I spot a walker etc. under the drone I fly it away from them.

 

[SethB]

Only over “involved” people, those who have opted in, interested in selfies or drones - check!

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I don't understand your point but I think I have made it clear that I would avoid flying over people even if it was allowed unless they wanted the drone there and even then I have only done it twice. Given the tighten of regulations I suspect I will not do it again.

 

[DoomMeister]

I can see using the transient flight allowances for normal operations. Operating near crowds would not be my cup of tea so to speak. One reason to go ahead and get 107 certified.

 

[SethB]

I don't understand your point but I think I have made it clear that I would avoid flying over people even if it was allowed unless they wanted the drone there and even then I have only done it twice. Given the tighten of regulations I suspect I will not do it again.

I don’t really have a point. I’ve started this thread to try to understand pilot’s attitudes towards OOP and how it might be useful. I appreciate what you’ve shared.

I can see using the transient flight allowances for normal operations. Operating near crowds would not be my cup of tea so to speak. One reason to go ahead and get 107 certified.

If one has an OOP drone, the inadvertent transitions over people or vehicles would be of less concern to Pt. 107 pilots - check!