Be Prepared for Uninformed Police..

TacAir42 · Mar 25, 2017

Kate said:
Word to the wise, Police dont like smartasses m8

Or just don't like to be educated perhaps. You don't threaten people unless you have a **** good cause for it and know the law, which most don't.

andy966 · Mar 25, 2017

dbsanders said:
I live and fly in Irvine too. I haven't yet been hassled by police, although I'm sure people have called them. To be prepared for this, I emailed the Special Assistant to the Chief of Police, Dan Jung, and asked about drones in the city. I printed his response, and I carry it in a binder with my other drone docs so I can show anyone that questions me. Here was his response:

I have that same exact email. I got it after the incident.

Five-O · Mar 25, 2017

Look for trouble and you will find it.

erkme73 · Mar 25, 2017

This is one of my favorite quotes when it comes to police and civil liberties:

"The freedom of individuals verbally to oppose or challenge police action without thereby risking arrest is one of the principal characteristics by which we distinguish a free nation from a police state." -- The U.S. SupremeCourt, June 15, 1987

Jeffhvac · Mar 25, 2017

I applaud all Law enforcement and military for puttin on the uniform each day and walking into a hornets nest......... we DONT give them enough credit for all the GOOD they do...... as far as I am concerned its the DOJ that is more corupt and political these days......and the courts let to many bad rotten apples go for the wrong reasons..... enough said.......

Jeffhvac · Mar 25, 2017

sorry about that

RobertD · Mar 25, 2017

I'll start off by saying I live in Thailand and Quads are still something relatively new and unregulated. I drove to a local reservoir/park to video a bit with my Mavic. The park is nowhere near an airport or military base. It is not inside the Bangkok city limits. The park is not a national park, but managed by a local municipality. As we were entering the park area, my wife stopped to ask [in Thai] the guard if it was okay to take videos from a drone. [I told her to NOT ask for permission.] The guard said he did not know but pointed us to his supervisor. The supervisor immediately said, NO! I showed him my registration and Thai driver's license. I asked to see the regulations prohibiting drones. He hadn't any. I showed him my Mavic and he said, "Oh! that is okay!"

Jeffhvac · Mar 26, 2017

Very good Robert...... By you showing him respect and explaining respectfully...... you got a favorable response......

Drones do get a bad rap........

jpbluzharp · Mar 26, 2017

Static8 said:
Well I wish it would be that easy for us in Canada now with new law in place, hoping it won't be permanent coming this June. We basically can't fly anywhere , if this was same situation in Canada, because its a structure with passing vehicles , I would have to be 75 meters away from it and any animals , so as soon as a bird flies by , I broke the law, or car or...you see how ridiculous it sounds but its the law now in Canada and why I have a petition of almost 1500 Canadians signed up...Here it is again for you all to sign which will be awesome., more the merrier!! Marc Garneau: Immediate HALT of Transport Canada New Safety Rules for Recreational Drone use in Canada

Resistance works. Writing works. Calls work. Good luck and keep up the fight.

_milo_ · Mar 26, 2017

RobertD said:
I'll start off by saying I live in Thailand and Quads are still something relatively new and unregulated. I drove to a local reservoir/park to video a bit with my Mavic. The park is nowhere near an airport or military base. It is not inside the Bangkok city limits. The park is not a national park, but managed by a local municipality. As we were entering the park area, my wife stopped to ask [in Thai] the guard if it was okay to take videos from a drone. [I told her to NOT ask for permission.] The guard said he did not know but pointed us to his supervisor. The supervisor immediately said, NO! I showed him my registration and Thai driver's license. I asked to see the regulations prohibiting drones. He hadn't any. I showed him my Mavic and he said, "Oh! that is okay!"

Check out "ABMNS Productions" on YouTube, really nice guy and will fly with a group of other fliers sometimes, if you live close by, would be a great guy to do some flying with.

aringhof · Mar 26, 2017

jpbluzharp said:
Had a local EPA cop roll up on me this morning while shooting a bridge over the local reservoir. He asked me to shut down my drone and to give him my driver's license etc.. He said it was illegal to fly there.

Fortunately, I was prepared with a whole lot more than that. I informed him that I was flying in class G airspace and that I could show him on the VFR sectionals on my smart phone that there were no restrictions in that area. I acknowledged that he probably didn't know about any of that kind of stuff because drones are "so new" and that I understood his dilemma. He made some calls after checking my credentials then told me to carry on.

For us to continue flying effectively, safely, and keep our skies free.. I'd encourage everyone to always carry your UAS license. Make sure your registration number is displayed prominently on your drone. And lastly, save a picture on your smart phone or iPad of the VFR sectional depicting the area of your flight as proof of your right to fly in a particular area. If you're professional, polite, and charming... as I'm sure all Mavic Pilots are.. you'll be back shooting in no time at all, with perhaps a new ally in law enforcement.

Fly safe.. let's teach people how much fun they can have!

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UAE license? That's not required for recreational use is it's. I registered mine and got an N number.

yoantny · Mar 27, 2017

kneeL said:
I have a question I had registered with my first drone, how can I update my license to include new drones/serial numbers?

This depends on if you are flying for hobby, or if you've got your Part 107 certificate. If you're only going to use the sUAS for hobby, then yes, you are registering yourself and all of your sUAS get the same registration number. If you're going to fly commercially, however, (Part 107), then you must register each drone separately.

jpbluzharp · Mar 30, 2017

aringhof said:
UAE license? That's not required for recreational use is it's. I registered mine and got an N number.

A license isn't required for hobbyists. But, if you're planning to shoot in a wide assortment of locations it sure helps to prove that you're serious and safe when confronted by the "local authorities" who may not have a single clue as to your right to fly.

Wow them with knowledge, charts, and a smile!

MEBound · Mar 30, 2017

jpbluzharp said:
For anyone interested.. here's the footage I was shooting when the DEP officer showed up... 24fps shutter speed 50 using a Polar Pro 16nd Polarizing filter

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That's a nice video and a great little bridge. Thanks for sharing!