Breaking the rules

[dirkclod]

I joined this group to learn and enjoy other people's experience of drone flying not arguments on regulations and behavior. An opinion is just that, when it becomes emotional then that's not good for anyone.

Afraid you are going to have and overlook that here as it’s lots of it.
Ignore it and just read what you need.?‍

 

[Lets Fly]

Tuesday was a nice sunny day and while walking to the beach to fly my drone, I saw a woman in her 20s riding her bicycle on the footpath with no helmet, which is against the law in Australia and very slightly dangerous. Lots of people saw her and no-one was upset, it was absolutely fine.

In contrast, this forum (in every category) has so many posts by people who feel the need to lecture other drone pilots for every minor infringement they see. They behave like the sky is falling and claim that these minor infringements will result in stricter laws and penalties for us all, possibly banning recreational flying all together.

I personally do not believe that the young woman riding her bicycle, who I mentioned earlier, is ruining it for all cyclists, nor will she get all bicycles banned in the world. The same applies for drone pilots.

The moral of this story? Ease up on the lecturing, just chill out and enjoy flying your drone.

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“Any fool can make a rule. And any fool will mind it.” — Henry David Thorea

If it only affected you, that would be great, but, like the masks, it doesn't.

 

[sar104]

Tuesday was a nice sunny day and while walking to the beach to fly my drone, I saw a woman in her 20s riding her bicycle on the footpath with no helmet, which is against the law in Australia and very slightly dangerous. Lots of people saw her and no-one was upset, it was absolutely fine.

In contrast, this forum (in every category) has so many posts by people who feel the need to lecture other drone pilots for every minor infringement they see. They behave like the sky is falling and claim that these minor infringements will result in stricter laws and penalties for us all, possibly banning recreational flying all together.

I personally do not believe that the young woman riding her bicycle, who I mentioned earlier, is ruining it for all cyclists, nor will she get all bicycles banned in the world. The same applies for drone pilots.

The moral of this story? Ease up on the lecturing, just chill out and enjoy flying your drone.

“I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do.” — Robert A. Heinlein

“Any fool can make a rule. And any fool will mind it.” — Henry David Thorea

The problem with your entire premise here is your repeated assertion that it's about "minor infringements". What are those, and who is complaining about them? Most of the discussions and comments about flight legality on this forum are not about minor infringements - they are about pilots flying way beyond VLOS, way above the legal height limit, and in controlled airspace at heights that may cause conflict with manned traffic.

But of course you know that perfectly well, and so your attempt to paint it as nit-picking is just disingenuous nonsense. If what you want is lots of tales of reckless and illegal flying then go back to YouTube and stop whining about the discussions here.

 

[TampaTC]

Ever hear the term
"ignorance is bliss"
Many people will use "I didn't know" till they turn blue.
Rules change, people don't always know the rules as they are, sometimes rules are mis understood. Take the lecturing in good spirit unless it strikes a nerve because you know its wrong.

Going faster than the speed limit could get you pulled over if someone is around to enforce the law. If not maybe bystanders will tell you to slow down or what the speed limit is. Until the law enforcement stops you its up to your Moral Compass to do the right thing. And if you are willing to pay the price one day for your actions or the actions of others then so be it.
I Would rather be an Educator than an enabler.

 

[dirkclod]

Ever heard the term Troll Thread.
That’s what this thread is.
Trolling includes posting controversial and often irrelevant or off-topic messages with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal, harmonious on-topic discussion,
?‍

 

[sar104]

Ever heard the term Troll Thread.
That’s what this thread is.
Trolling includes posting controversial and often irrelevant or off-topic messages with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal, harmonious on-topic discussion,
?‍

Very true. But the nature of the beast is such that unless they get proactively deleted then they will attract responses.

 

[dirkclod]

Very true. But the nature of the beast is such that unless they get proactively deleted then they will attract responses.

I know but if I deleted every one I see being started what
fun would that be not to see some of the responses. ?

 

[sar104]

I know but if I deleted every one I see being started what
fun would that be not to see some of the responses. ?

I like the way you think. Focus on the comedy value.

 

[lookout]

I think the thing that triggers the policing response from other posters, myself included, is that we all get tarred by the same brush and the media's love of sensationalising things.
Your 20 year old riding her bike without her helmet isn't going to make the news unless she goes under a truck etc. and gets squashed and even then her helmet status will probably be ignored. But if an irresponsible, or not, drone pilot had an accident and injured someone whilst breaking the law, or perhaps not, there's a fair chance it will make the six o'clock news.
Plus I bet your 20 year old didn't stick a video of her journey on youtube.

I agree that in some cases the admonishment goes a bit far or on too long but such is life

Maybe she'll be able to show with a video who hit and ran over her if the video didn't get smashed.

Rider + helmet = okay

Rider + helmet + truck = hmm...details details...

 

[Thanev]

I had a bike at over 400 ' AGL and lost VLOS ....squirrel......

 

[TerryToast]

Afraid you are going to have and overlook that here as it’s lots of it.
Ignore it and just read what you need.?‍

Sad but probably true.

Ever heard the term Troll Thread.
That’s what this thread is.
Trolling includes posting controversial and often irrelevant or off-topic messages with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal, harmonious on-topic discussion,
?‍

I disagree. It not off topic, it is about rules and regulations. Furthermore, I genuinely believe that we could reduce comments about “law breaking“ in every area of the forums, the forums would be more harmonious.

 

[dirkclod]

I disagree. It not off topic, it is about rules and regulations. Furthermore, I genuinely believe that we could reduce comments about “law breaking“ in every area of the forums, the forums would be more harmonious.

Well you have that right but the thread is a troll thread. Or was started
as one. Have been seeing them for years in our forums and know one when I see one.
See you read all that I took from our guidelines and what I had highlighted in red was what I meant.
And am getting real close to doing with this one like I do the rest.

 

[lookout]

I had a bike at over 400 ' AGL and lost VLOS ....squirrel......

You mean...

You might be a redneck if you've ever gotten a camaro stuck in the top of a tree.

 

[Mike4884]

Let me put it from a totally different perspective....

I started flying R/C aircraft (now called UAS/Drones) in 1974. Up until about 2012 we had few "rules" and we self regulated because we all had a lot of skin in the game. In order to fly R/C you had to learn to fly, build the aircraft (to some degree) and if you didn't take the time to do both you crashed very quickly. This made it a Self Correcting problem.

Now fast forward to 2013~ and add GPS guidance, Gyro Stabilization, Buy & Fly simplicity and all of a sudden you no longer have the self correcting problem. You can "Fly" a drone with nothing more than a credit card and reading the "Quick Start Guide" and you don't have to fly at a flying field and you can fly ANYWHERE (right or wrong).

All of a sudden my wild and free hobby is now regulated strictly because so many people behave with NO REGARD to anyone else. Flying a drone CAN impact other people (aircraft, people on the ground etc) but the chick riding the bike is ONLY affecting herself and her insurance company.

So I don't see myself taking the advice of " Ease up on the lecturing, just chill out and enjoy flying your drone." because the actions of the inconsiderate have had DRASTIC effects on my hobby and my profession.

Same way i feel and came up along the same lines just not as far back as u i came from being into 3d rc heli's hardcore to flying drones....shoot i can just imagine if some of these guys had to fly the og blade 350 qx? they would be horrified! I could name a few more but man times have changed and just because these things are easier to fly then ever people take advantage of this thinking mostly the drone "won't crash" that drone can see obstacles so im good lets take it up 1500 ft....its just alot of disregard and thats ashame because even tho u hear the one "joe schmo" saying " dude you are the reason rules are getting stricter etc" they are ultimately right and its only a matter of time

 

[BigAl07]

Same way i feel and came up along the same lines just not as far back as u i came from being into 3d rc heli's hardcore to flying drones....shoot i can just imagine if some of these guys had to fly the og blade 350 qx? they would be horrified! I could name a few more but man times have changed and just because these things are easier to fly then ever people take advantage of this thinking mostly the drone "won't crash" that drone can see obstacles so im good lets take it up 1500 ft....its just alot of disregard and thats ashame because even tho u hear the one "joe schmo" saying " dude you are the reason rules are getting stricter etc" they are ultimately right and its only a matter of time

What's funny is I still have a Blade 350QX (it's a 2 modified to the 3's GPS). I went hog wild and added additional "modules" to I could get battery telemetry and altitude. I spent a small fortune adding the things to get the same information that DJI was building into their systems.

Yes today's UAS are a world different than the ones we "learned to fly" on.

I still love flying Heli and Planks (planks are my passion) but the multirotors are where I make my $$.