Drone operators in trouble with the law?

[SquawkVFR]

I see a lot of information on being legal and not breaking the law on here. Where is this rash of drone operators getting trouble or arrested? I can’t find any news on this.

 

[Starz]

Needle in a haystack. They are out there, but most are not prosecuted to full extent of the law simply for cost reasons.

 

[Drone Master]

You may also see some post in our news section in regards to illegal drone flights and news articles.

 

[dronerdave]

I’ve been into drones since 2016 and only know of a few of the worst-case scenarios. I’d guess a large portion of illegal drone operations go undetected because nothing bad happened to put a spotlight on the flight. It seems only a handful of sport fliers purposely intend to blatantly break the strictest FAA rules and even when they do, most don’t get caught. Then there are the truly ignorant people who don’t have a clue which I was when I first bought a drone. And I wouldn’t be surprised if there are a few 107 operators that may push outside the rules to get a job done. I personally know a guy who used his drone for an ag operation when irrigating his crops who didn’t have his 107 qualification and got a nasty letter from the FAA. But no fine and no arrest. I just think it takes a bad event to capture the FAA & media’s eye. But there are a few that stick out in my mind. Some were aircraft strikes or airport intrusions, disrupting forest fire and police operations, environmental incidents, and the brainiac prison drops. I’d also assume that issues with privacy are usually panned out by LE before there is a need to arrest someone.

FAA Has Busted Multiple Drone Flyers. Here Are The Expensive Results.

 

[BigAl07]

I see a lot of information on being legal and not breaking the law on here. Where is this rash of drone operators getting trouble or arrested? I can’t find any news on this.

Let's break this down in a simple list:

• 1) You don't hear about the vast majority of FAA/UAS interaction. Some are just a simple discussion and done. Some are under investigation.
• 2) The FAA is about EDUCATION first and unless their is a significant incident or the UAS operator is grossly negligent, there is a discussion. If more is needed a Certified Letter is sent. Then could be Instruction, and then if the issue continues or there is an incident there could be ENFORCEMENT. It all begins with several levels of EDUCATION way before any other actions are taken in 99.9% of all FAA/UAS interactions.

Just because you don't see it making the headlines doesn't mean actions aren't being taken each and every day. Some of us are aware of several (at this moment) that are under investigation.

 

[BlairAir]

I see a lot of information on being legal and not breaking the law on here. Where is this rash of drone operators getting trouble or arrested? I can’t find any news on this.

I think the concept is about being proactive vs reactive, with the side effect of media infatuation with drone operators getting in trouble.

Ken Heron had a segment of a Town Board meeting where one of the members was advocating for a broad, full town no-fly zone. Asked if there were complaints, incidents and issues with law enforcement, he was quick to admit there were none. NONE. Yet they were ready to proactively shut down drone use before any issue existed, using boilerplate text from another city or town.

With that kind of attitude out there, it makes sense to not feed the paranoia of the general public with material reasons to make more senseless restrictions.

I agree with you that it's largely not a problem at present, but more about trying to keep it that way. A negative story today could have knock-on effects in unpredictable ways in the near future, and onward, as the FAA, Law Enforcement and incredibly uneducated "local officials" act out of ignorance, fear and bad impulses.

This is how I interpret the drone community's desire to stay out of the spotlight.

Others may see it differently.

 

[SquawkVFR]

Let's break this down in a simple list:

• 1) You don't hear about the vast majority of FAA/UAS interaction. Some are just a simple discussion and done. Some are under investigation.
• 2) The FAA is about EDUCATION first and unless their is a significant incident or the UAS operator is grossly negligent, there is a discussion. If more is needed a Certified Letter is sent. Then could be Instruction, and then if the issue continues or there is an incident there could be ENFORCEMENT. It all begins with several levels of EDUCATION way before any other actions are taken in 99.9% of all FAA/UAS interactions.

Just because you don't see it making the headlines doesn't mean actions aren't being taken each and every day. Some of us are aware of several (at this moment) that are under investigation.

What exactly is being investigated? What was the operator(s) doing wrong or not doing right? I can’t imagine the FAA or NTSB getting remotely involved in anything RC related unless it involves flying in class B,C & D airspace.

 

[BlairAir]

Also…and I’ve seen this all over here. People getting mad because someone is floating a drone over them….yet when I fly my plane over people they wave and dance and ****. That cracks me up.

That is exactly what we deal with. As soon as "drone" enters the conversation, all bets are off. I truly wonder about folks who think their beer drinking, barbecue burger burning, bug scratching backyard life is SO interesting that people just HAVE TO BE spying on them.

 

[Gagey52]

I saw the other day that there had been 2000 airport incursions. That was homeland security reporting to congress, I think. Of the 2000 only 60 odd went to court. Now I haven’t heard of anywhere near that amount being reported in the media. I believe they are pushing for more funds or legislation to control drone operators. My thoughts.
Regards

 

[SquawkVFR]

What I did find is some clowns shooting at or shooting down drones, both which are felonies! One dude shot at one with a pellet rifle...off to jail he went!

If someone were to shoot my drone with a pellet rifle at even a hundred feet, my first thought would be, wow…that’s dayum good shot!

 

[BigAl07]

What exactly is being investigated? What was the operator(s) doing wrong or not doing right? I can’t imagine the FAA or NTSB getting remotely involved in anything RC related unless it involves flying in class B,C & D airspace.

Since it's being investigated I can't give details.... One involved a Police Helo and a UAS... you want to know more you'll need to spend the time to RESEARCH more incidents.

 

[SquawkVFR]

I saw the other day that there had been 2000 airport incursions. That was homeland security reporting to congress, I think. Of the 2000 only 60 odd went to court. Now I haven’t heard of anywhere near that amount being reported in the media. I believe they are pushing for more funds or legislation to control drone operators. My thoughts.
Regards

I just read where a drone brought down a Blackhawk. Upon further reading *ahem* it struck the aircraft causing a little damage, which is still not ok, but the chopper landed, fixed something and kept on flying… it didn’t say what happened to the operator. Hopefully he was sent a bill. Lol

 

[BigAl07]

I just read where a drone brought down a Blackhawk. Upon further reading *ahem* it struck the aircraft causing a little damage, which is still not ok, but the chopper landed, fixed something and kept on flying… it didn’t say what happened to the operator. Hopefully he was sent a bill. Lol

Fixed something? The US did a complete ROTOR replacement out of the abundance of caution.

He was "Educated" in flying a UAS legally and safely in the USA.

 

[Cymruflyer]

What exactly is being investigated? What was the operator(s) doing wrong or not doing right? I can’t imagine the FAA or NTSB getting remotely involved in anything RC related unless it involves flying in class B,C & D airspace.

There was a foreign tourist a few years back, that was fines either $20,000 or $50,000 when his drone crashed into a sky scraper in New York City and was asking to retrieve it. Just a few weeks back in the UK, there were several drone owners flying right by an Airshow, on the beach and the police came and confiscated their drones.

 

[MARK (LI)]

I used to be a fairly active participant on this forum...I just "dropped out" and stopped paying to be on it because of all the videos of illegal activities that were being posted on here ...to me this forum became an incubator for people with ideas of how to fly without regard for the regulations, ...people looking for ways to jump through loop holes and just outright disregarding the rules deserve to be dealt with harshly

 

[spsphotos]

Think of it like getting a speeding ticket. You don't hear about those either unless you know the person. Just because you don't hear about it does not mean it does not happen. But same thing goes. People speed all the time and get away with it. Does not mean some don't get caught nor does it mean you should speed simply because the odds of getting caught are low.

 

[spsphotos]

And if you want to see people who break the rules...just look for all the "distance" tests that uncaring drone pilots do. Even though it's a VLOS violation people seem to think it's "OK" and post about them all the time. FAA is simply understaffed IMHO.

 

[SladeSteele]

I see a lot of information on being legal and not breaking the law on here. Where is this rash of drone operators getting trouble or arrested? I can’t find any news on this.

I've been flying quads since 2010 (we used to build our own) and have had a few interactions with law enforcement, but none ended poorly. Most of the time, it was good cops doing their job by responding to a citizen inquiry or complaint. I have learned that acquiescence is the better part of valor. I think that one of my primary goals is to be an ambassador to the quad community. I see it as a long-term strategy for community support. But just my opinion.

 

[RonRob]

I see a lot of information on being legal and not breaking the law on here. Where is this rash of drone operators getting trouble or arrested? I can’t find any news on this.

This is a recent story from Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. My guess is these are drones being flown by people that are not certified drone pilots and have no idea the activity is illegal. Still no excuse for stupidity when water bombers are being grounded to prevent collisions with drones while they are trying to put out forest fires.

'Unsafe and irresponsible' drone usage in Jasper temporarily grounds fire-fighting helicopters

Two more people will face charges after flying drones during the firefight in Jasper National Park, authorities say.

edmonton.ctvnews.ca

 

[thispilothere]

All of my run ins are the result of police trying to enforce their opinion instead of the law.

It's strange, I legally fly to the side of a distillery and police immediately show up trying to intimidate me into leaving. A guy flies into a football stadium during a game and nothing happens.