Wreckhunter
Well-Known Member
All done here ,its apparent you are all in for illegal activity,and probably should look into getting some much needed help.
Drone pilot to plead guilty in collision that grounded aircraft fighting Palisades fire
- Thread starter MiragePro
- Start date
Wreckhunter
Well-Known Member
All my life I've dealt with people who use hyperbole as a method of "debate" in an attempt to discredit them.
Funny thing is, it works on naïve people, those with a low IQ, and immature people.
It doesn't work on me.
I am happy that you are done with me.
Hmm. One might recall your post #4:
"No reason to hang him for it."
"Nobody died so vengeance isn't necessary."
Jokers like that guy risked the lives of people already working in a tense situation. I am ok if they fine and give him a societal time-out.
AMann
Well-Known Member
I work for the USFS and in Aviation on Wildfire assignments…..please, for the love of all things holy, stop flying near wildfires.
Blue Thunder Pilot
Well-Known Member
What is proposed as a plea is a practically a sweetheart deal. So he owes a lot of money. Good luck trying to get that out of him. It's ok till it isn't doesn't sit well with me.
He did something a lot of people are doing but don't get caught. Had he not collided with the tanker but been caught he and his lawyers would have been whining 'Hey nothing bad happened, he was just having fun. But he collided because he was doing something grossly wrong.
I have no problem with courts making an example of him. He doesn't need to be sent to drawn and quartered or even sent to GTMO. A few months in prison would be appropriate. Add in a fine, restitution, a felony conviction, and I'd be ok with that. Slaps on the wrist for what he did, for what could have happened are inappropriate. Send a wakeup call. As he's remanded, the judge should say it could have been worse.
I agree with these guys:
“This defendant recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “This damage caused to the Super Scooper is a stark reminder that flying drones during times of emergency poses an extreme threat to personnel trying to help people and compromises the overall ability of police and fire to conduct operations. As this case demonstrates, we will track down drone operators who violate the law and interfere with the critical work of our first responders.”
“Lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot will not shield you from criminal charges,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Please respect the law, respect the FAA’s rules and respect our firefighters and the residents they are protecting by keeping your drone at home during wildfires.”
He did something a lot of people are doing but don't get caught. Had he not collided with the tanker but been caught he and his lawyers would have been whining 'Hey nothing bad happened, he was just having fun. But he collided because he was doing something grossly wrong.
I have no problem with courts making an example of him. He doesn't need to be sent to drawn and quartered or even sent to GTMO. A few months in prison would be appropriate. Add in a fine, restitution, a felony conviction, and I'd be ok with that. Slaps on the wrist for what he did, for what could have happened are inappropriate. Send a wakeup call. As he's remanded, the judge should say it could have been worse.
I agree with these guys:
“This defendant recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property,” said Acting United States Attorney Joseph T. McNally. “This damage caused to the Super Scooper is a stark reminder that flying drones during times of emergency poses an extreme threat to personnel trying to help people and compromises the overall ability of police and fire to conduct operations. As this case demonstrates, we will track down drone operators who violate the law and interfere with the critical work of our first responders.”
“Lack of common sense and ignorance of your duty as a drone pilot will not shield you from criminal charges,” said Akil Davis, the Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “Please respect the law, respect the FAA’s rules and respect our firefighters and the residents they are protecting by keeping your drone at home during wildfires.”
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Blue Thunder Pilot
Well-Known Member
Yeah maybe Chuck Yeager could have seen it at a mile, but I don't think our hero had a prayer. Maybe he had some 20x70 Oberwerks. No, ok. VLOS is for wimps. /s
Blue Thunder Pilot
Well-Known Member
I'd like to know his financial status and if he is well off. If that were the case then I'd not want to see him basically buy his way out.
The terms of the plea deal have been set and the judge will probably go along with it as both sides are ok with it. I wish the just would say "Really? That's it? I think not." But no, it's not like he did anything really wrong. /s
Just think of plea bargaining for what it really is, more like a constitutional right where a defendant has the right to plea guilty and not be at the mercy of the public, the judges, the prosecutors, the governments, the drone community, and a ton of other people who would rather see someone hang. But I get it, everybody wants to see everybody else swinging on the other end of a rope and it's not just in our community, it's everywhere. Lock em up! Thank goodness there are provisions, like this one, designed to make sure people are absolutely and unequivocally innocent unless proven guilty, they'll get a fair trial, and their punishment is commiserate with this crime. To me personally, there are only about a dozen hardcore crimes that I can think about which are exception.
Otherwise, just take a peek into our brutal past (which I know a lot of people miss and would love to make us great again). We've done this before and it just doesn't work. Locking this guy up is a zero deterrent to flying a drone in restricted airspace; zip. In this case I don't think someone's financial history should play a part in getting equal treatment under the law (with some exceptions of course) since ultimately he's not going to pay this no more than anyone would. The citizens are paying for that broken aircraft, the taxpaying public in the state of California. I refuse to believe most poor people commit crimes and violations thinking they won't have to pay the fines and I refuse to believe most rich people commit crimes and [major/sensible] violations thinking they can just pay for it and they won't be held accountable. If we don't adhere to the principles, we won't have a [free] country. they caught the guy, our job as a community is largely done and besides our personal opinions, we don't have much of a dog in the subsequent legal fight IMHO.
www.law.cornell.edu
Otherwise, just take a peek into our brutal past (which I know a lot of people miss and would love to make us great again). We've done this before and it just doesn't work. Locking this guy up is a zero deterrent to flying a drone in restricted airspace; zip. In this case I don't think someone's financial history should play a part in getting equal treatment under the law (with some exceptions of course) since ultimately he's not going to pay this no more than anyone would. The citizens are paying for that broken aircraft, the taxpaying public in the state of California. I refuse to believe most poor people commit crimes and violations thinking they won't have to pay the fines and I refuse to believe most rich people commit crimes and [major/sensible] violations thinking they can just pay for it and they won't be held accountable. If we don't adhere to the principles, we won't have a [free] country. they caught the guy, our job as a community is largely done and besides our personal opinions, we don't have much of a dog in the subsequent legal fight IMHO.
Plea Bargaining
DarR-T
Well-Known Member
I must say those are interesting questions from both an ethical and legal point of view.
Should the guy convicted of flying in the clouds receive a lessor penalty than the pilot of a drone that hit a manned aircraft? Both are the same until fate decided the outcome. Consequently, does fate have a price attached to it?
Honestly, my opinion I feel this is a slap on the wrist. If you hit and damage a plane and only get 2 weeks in federal detention and 4 weeks of house arrest, you can't possibly get any jail time if you don't hit anything. It just shows you how weak the Federal legislation really is. You get more time in the county lockup for shoplifting a drone from Walmart.
abc7.com
Culver City man who crashed drone into Super Scooper gets 2 weeks in prison, 1 month home detention
A man who admitted operating a drone that crashed into and damaged a Super Scooper firefighting aircraft battling the Palisades Fire was sentenced to a mix of prison and home detention.
abc7.com
He's also required to pay more than $65,000 for repairs to the tanker and do 150 hours of community service. The federal legislation allowed for up to one year in prison. The judge made the sentencing decision.
Can you point to a single case of someone being jailed for two weeks for shoplifting a drone?
He should be banned from flying for 5 years as part of probation.
Why? So we can try to catch him with a drone or drone parts or with someone else who has a drone in the next 5 years so we can put him in jail for another 2 weeks? I think he has learned his lesson. If he hasn't, then such a restriction won't stop him especially with the lack of federal enforcement. I don't think stopping this guy from flying for 5 years (while allowing "others" to fly carelessly) makes the skies safer for rescue aircraft. He and all of us are already banned from flying in TFRs, not such how prohibiting him from flying in class G helps.
And, we know the sentence is not designed to deter others so what's the point? Honestly, unless this was built into some sort of plea arrangement, I don't think such a restriction is within the power of the regulation for hobby flyers who don't have a part 107. Especially if he's not even going to probation (unless I missed that). If there is some sort of federal probation period that comes with all federal sentences then it would not be inappropriate to add "no drones" to those terms while on probation.
I don't know the guy and I'm not trying to protect anyone or make excuses but I'm not a fan of the government handing out punishment and then after the punishment is over, hang ridiculous conditions on the person to keep them under government control forever because we all know where that leads to. People are free in this country, if you are not incarcerated or on probation/parole than you are free and should enjoy all of your rights.
Well, if he were a Part 61 pilot, the FAA could have suspended or pulled his license like they do with other careless pilots. So here goes. Everyone pile on, but there needs to be an end to the 44809 exception. Everyone must be Part 107, then the FAA would have the same course as with Part 61, pull or suspend. Right now, the FAA can't do anything because we have this 44809 carve out that lets any Tom, ****, and Harry in the air. I would have hit him with the felony charges, reckless endangerment, and such. Lock him up for 5 years.
This stupid mindset of I am flying for fun, so nothing matters is a load of crap. I think we need to adopt the UK EU system, where every owner, including parents of a minor, needs to have an Operator ID. 44809 has become "try and find the loophole," so I can get around 107.
Yes, we are all banned from flying in TFR, BUT HE DID it because he was stupid and an ignorant fool. Or had the prevalent mindset of "screw the government, I can fly where I want when I want."
Revolving door until a drone causes a fatal accident. Then it will be "why didn't somebody do something?
True, but wait as second, I thought all that was adjudicated? They didn't talk about all this? Did we just skip all that and instead handed him a light slap on the wrist and call it a day (meaning pushed this down the road) with just a standard plea bargain? If there is a time to "do something" now would have been a good time. I'd rather not later have a "poor" person who made a honest mistake with less damages who can't afford massive fines to have the book thrown at him because he gets tied up in politics and people are now "fed up." This was your guy, this was your chance....and as I predicted, the government took a pass.
Congress gave us 44809, only Congress (and maybe the President now) can taketh away.
The penalties are, and should be, set on a curve.
He damaged a plane through negligence, not a deliberate act.
If you throw the book at someone for damaging property without intent, what penalty do you have left to hand out for someone who disables a plane and causes a crash with intent? (Yeah, I know you could add charges for that but if you're arguing that then you're missing the point)
He damaged a plane through negligence, not a deliberate act.
If you throw the book at someone for damaging property without intent, what penalty do you have left to hand out for someone who disables a plane and causes a crash with intent? (Yeah, I know you could add charges for that but if you're arguing that then you're missing the point)
