Drone nearly hits police officer

[firstbase]

Here is a close up of the drone in question. Best I can do.

 

[Xray64]

Years ago when I lived in the city I wanted a RC airplane or helicopter. I never bought one because I knew you cant really fly around the city because of the population/people and stuff.

After moving to the country I bought a drone because we have plenty of space to fly. I dont see why they simply just dont make a law that prohibits all remote control aircraft from flying in any city limits. If caught you go to jail plain and simple.

If the area you are in doesn't look like this, then you dont fly.

View attachment 93262

I'm from Australia and find your comment a little outrageous. USA is country people are allowed to carry in some States (maybe many, I'm not really sure) yet you want to create laws that stop people flying drones in the city with jail time being the punishment! I think that simply doesn't make sense. There are many, many safe ways to fly a drone in the city area.

 

[firstbase]

I'm going to cut xspwhite a little slack and say that his comment was simply an example of standard American hyperbole. When we REALLY don't like something we will say things like "go to jail, plain and simple" or another favorite "Mandatory 10 years jail time, no chance of parole". Besides, people aren't given jail time for crimes far worse than flying a drone somewhere. I think xsp was just hyperbolating (new word, just made it up).

Either that or he works for one of the contractors that run some of our prisons. Trying to drum up new business.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Draw a line straight down from the drone and it's clearly over the sidewalk.

Lol, depends if you stop drawing the line where it hits the footpath, or continue it down to the bitumen (asphalt, or whatever it's referred to there).
My last comment / input on the drone location . . .

Look at this photo, I mean REALLY look at it . . .

Compare the size of the cars in the backgrounds, or the officers MC mirror, to that of the drone.
If that drone is over the footpath, then it's car size.
The footpath is probably behind the cars near the buildings, yes ?

I don't want this to get personal, but if you say "Your depth perception is lacking." to others, and can't see the above, then it is probably the other way around.

Let's hope this might satisfy your mind when you really look at the image again.

As far as comments about the drone moving towards the officers, or being stationary in hover.
It COULD be hovering, I'd pay that . . . either way this is a bad news item for drone enthusiasts, it'll probably end up on some near miss list somewhere or other.

 

[Deleted member 93449]

Lol, depends if you stop drawing the line where it hits the footpath, or continue it down to the bitumen (asphalt, or whatever it's referred to there).
My last comment / input on the drone location . . .

Look at this photo, I mean REALLY look at it . . .

Compare the size of the cars in the backgrounds, or the officers MC mirror, to that of the drone.
If that drone is over the footpath, then it's car size.
The footpath is probably behind the cars near the buildings, yes ?

I don't want this to get personal, but if you say "Your depth perception is lacking." to others, and can't see the above, then it is probably the other way around.

Let's hope this might satisfy your mind when you really look at the image again.

As far as comments about the drone moving towards the officers, or being stationary in hover.
It COULD be hovering, I'd pay that . . . either way this is a bad news item for drone enthusiasts, it'll probably end up on some near miss list somewhere or other.

I've looked at the photo and the video really good and I don't see what you claim to see.

Depth perception is literal in the eyes of the beholder.

The media could make the sun rising in the morning a bad news story. If we create laws based on how the media can spin an evident we give them power that have proven over and over again they don't rightly desire.

 

[Xray64]

I'm going to cut xspwhite a little slack and say that his comment was simply an example of standard American hyperbole. When we REALLY don't like something we will say things like "go to jail, plain and simple" or another favorite "Mandatory 10 years jail time, no chance of parole". Besides, people aren't given jail time for crimes far worse than flying a drone somewhere. I think xsp was just hyperbolating (new word, just made it up).

Either that or he works for one of the contractors that run some of our prisons. Trying to drum up new business.

Maybe I just don't understand the USA culture well enough to judge throw away comments so maybe took the comment too literally. No, not that I believed he meant jail time literally but a serious enough penalty to comply.
Got to tell you guys that here in Australia a drone needs to be under 100gms to be considered a toy. We are about to have compulsory registration for all drone pilots and we need to get a proper license if we wish to make any money from the hobby. Cost of getting a license is in the vicinity of $5K. So it's hard enough as it is to enjoy oneself with any drone in suburban areas already. The usual about staying away from people but also away from private property with many parks also out of bounds due to local council by-laws. So the last thing we need is more rules with a hefty penalty attached. Current penalties is already a $10K fine for non compliance. Jail time is a real possibility if it causes a threat to airline.

 

[Diletanten]

Thats how a lot of US sites dealt with European privacy law, they just block Europe entirely.

Easily bypassed with a VPN, which one should always use if privacy is a concern.

 

[Diletanten]

It looked to me like it was hovering and they rode past it.

It looks like that to me too.
I think it is stupid to almost ride into a hovering drone, shows lack of awareness.

 

[dirkclod]

.I think it is stupid to almost ride into a hovering drone, shows lack of awareness.

​

 

[steve_lyt]

Years ago when I lived in the city I wanted a RC airplane or helicopter. I never bought one because I knew you cant really fly around the city because of the population/people and stuff.

After moving to the country I bought a drone because we have plenty of space to fly. I dont see why they simply just dont make a law that prohibits all remote control aircraft from flying in any city limits. If caught you go to jail plain and simple.

If the area you are in doesn't look like this, then you dont fly.

View attachment 93262

but you would still have to look out for the public walking on the path

 

[xspwhite]

I don't thing so.

There are plenty of legitimate reasons to fly over and near both sidewalks and public roadways, I do both frequently. It's virtually impossible not to if you're flying in an urban environment. And no one should be forced to fly at an AMA field. Not only does it cost money, many do not like drones.

If there isn't room in someone's yard, fly at a park or a school. I just got back from flying at a school.

Your absolute statement about "a drone should never be operated on a sidewalk or public roadway" isn't a practical solution. Situational awareness is the answer.

I think you mis-understood my post. When I said low altitude flying I was referring to the drone only being 5-feet from the ground.

To whiz up and down a city street or sidewalk flying at such a low altitude with a big drone is simply obsured. Even if the guy was just taking off or landing, that didn't look like a good place to do it. Who knows, maybe the battery was dying and the drone was in auto landing mode?

 

[xspwhite]

I'm from Australia and find your comment a little outrageous. USA is country people are allowed to carry in some States (maybe many, I'm not really sure) yet you want to create laws that stop people flying drones in the city with jail time being the punishment! I think that simply doesn't make sense. There are many, many safe ways to fly a drone in the city area.

A few years ago I bought a metal detector. I was very excited to get down to my local park to find some coins or maybe even a ring. The next day after work I stopped by OUR city park.

As I was scanning the ground and digging little plugs and finding nichols, dimes and quarters, I noticed that people were giving very strange looks.

When I got back to the parking lot I noticed a sign that read something to the affect that metal detecting was not allowed in the park.

Apparently, someone else metal detected the park and failed to fill in their holes. So the city council decided to make metal detecting in the park against the law.

On another note. If you drive down the road and your tire falls off your car and kills someone do you face jail time?

 

[Drgnfli]

This video repeats so it's a little easier to see the "swerve"

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Don't agree with the officer "swerved" to avoid it. Looks like a normal MC keeping balance. Tempe Police Dept are blowing this up to more than it was just to be on their officers "side" of the debate!... IMHO!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Got to tell you guys that here in Australia a drone needs to be under 100gms to be considered a toy.

No, we have the sub 250g rule too, anything 250g and above is going to be under the new registration etc.

RePL is coming down fast.
It was around $5k to do it when I first started flying a few years ago, now it can be had for half that at least . . .
First one If ound with pricing .. .. ..

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Lots out there have pricing, google search a bit more and you can possibly find them for even less cost.

We've had almost NIL confirmed drone incidents here, relative indeed to population of other countries too.
Sydney Harbour bridge Phantom crash would be the most infamous.

Looking at youtube Aussie vids though, it could only be a matter of time before a bad incident occurs, most likely it'll be a vehicle or human impact the way some are flying in busy places.

 

[Donnie Frank]

The stupidity of some people is astounding.

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www.azfamily.com

Ummmm...I saw the video. The title should be, "Officer nearly hits drone." Not the other way around. Let's not sensationalize, shall we?

D

 

[sar104]

Ummmm...I saw the video. The title should be, "Officer nearly hits drone." Not the other way around. Let's not sensationalize, shall we?

D

Let's not deflect, shall we? One of them shouldn't have been there, and it wasn't the officer.

 

[Donnie Frank]

Let's not deflect, shall we? One of them shouldn't have been there, and it wasn't the officer.

Ummmm....excuse me....The officer was CLEARLY in the drone's air space. I'm reasonably sure in the air space hierarchy, a motorcycle is at the very bottom of the list. Also, the drone was just sitting there minding its own dang business. The cop hit the drone, not the other way around.

Let's see how you react when a car plows into you while you're just sitting in traffic. The defendant blaming you for the accident citing "You hit him" would be a tough sale. Just sayin'....

Discuss.

D

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Well, I have to say, the FAA drone rules on their OWN site, don't mention traffic etc.
Common sense dictates a drone should NOT be flying anywhere near traffic, or even over busy roads, but, nothing in the official FAA rules with a search.

Recreational Flyers & Modeler Community-Based Organizations

www.faa.gov

Flying over people isn't mentioned there either, just crowds, but I am sure the US rules says no direct flight over even one person is allowed.

I know they shouldn't have to rule out EVERY little thing drones shouldn't do, but buildings, people, traffic / roads etc, SHOULD be in there.

 

[dirkclod]

Ummmm....excuse me....The officer was CLEARLY in the drone's air space. I'm reasonably sure in the air space hierarchy, a motorcycle is at the very bottom of the list. Also, the drone was just sitting there minding its own dang business. The cop hit the drone, not the other way around.
Let's see how you react when a car plows into you while you're just sitting in traffic. The defendant blaming you for the accident citing "You hit him" would be a tough sale. Just sayin'....

Discuss.

D

Thanks for that Donnie you just clarified to me what this thread has became. I have already closed this thread one time and changed my mind and deleted my post and reopened this to see if it continued with such nonsense.
And it has so really all this is really not going no where or
productive about the issue of the article in the OP.

Guys this is just going round and round but the wheel just
stopped. .
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