Drone pilots refuse to be grounded by The Villages FL

[Captain Spock]

The The Flying Jib response is laced with emotion, but covers the basics about airspace ownership. HOWEVER, The Villages is a BIG outfit with a LOT of lawyers and it could be that the The Flying Jib has"awakened a sleeping giant."
Drone pilots refuse to be grounded by The Villages

 

[DashSolo]

Stand strong, I've got a lot of friends there and agree.

 

[Cafguy]

They put up a no Drone sign LOL! I have a must pay 100 dollars to pass this sign sign in my yard But people still walk by for free.

 

[Captain Spock]

Don at GoldWingNut Productions does aerial photo missions at The Villages . . .
Nicely done.
Gold Wingnut Productions
More about Don here in the original ban . . .
The Villages orders drone pilots to cease flights over construction sites

 

[chadCO]

Perhaps a carefully arranged demonstration of their lack of authority over airspace might be in order.

 

[spsphotos]

They need better lawyers who actually understand the law. Any lawyer worth their weight would tell them they don't have a leg to stand on.

 

[RangerEd]

They put up a no Drone sign LOL! I have a must pay 100 dollars to pass this sign sign in my yard But people still walk by for free.

 

[chadCO]

They need better lawyers who actually understand the law. Any lawyer worth their weight would tell them they don't have a leg to stand on.

They haven't the slightest regard for the law, if they did they wouldn't have engaged with lawyers.

 

[Army Vet]

They need a New Jersey Drone Show to show them the error of their ways.

 

[SkySteve83]

Unless you are in the business of flying, most average U.S. citizens have no idea about the FAA laws regarding the use of airspace. They only learn when they try to stop us from flying over them. I'm sure most lawyers also only discover FAA airspace regulations when they get a call from a client trying to stop someone from flying over their property (unless they are smart enough to contact an aviation attorney). 51 Drones just had a video about the problem with municipalities trying to ban drones where they have no legal right to do so.

 

[BlueHeeler]

The The Flying Jib response is laced with emotion, but covers the basics about airspace ownership. HOWEVER, The Villages is a BIG outfit with a LOT of lawyers and it could be that the The Flying Jib has"awakened a sleeping giant."
Drone pilots refuse to be grounded by The Villages

Thank You for sharing, I got a kick out of that letter.

 

[Cafguy]

They need better lawyers who actually understand the law. Any lawyer worth their weight would tell them they don't have a leg to stand on.

A stubborn client can be profitable I suppose.

 

[hank970]

Any jurisdiction, including The Villages, can enact and enforce ordinances which restrict or forbid the launching and retrieval of drones within its boundaries. Taking off and landing are ground operations. But The Villages doesn't have jurisdiction over the airspace above, so it should and would remain permissible to launch a drone outside the community's boundaries (assuming that surrounding jurisdictions allow ground operations), fly in that airspace, and land outside.

As always, personal discretion and respect for the rights and interests of others are wise choices.

 

[CadrePilot]

Any jurisdiction, including The Villages, can enact and enforce ordinances which restrict or forbid the launching and retrieval of drones within its boundaries.

It could be argued that any jurisdiction taking something that was legal on private property and making it illegal is guilty of violating the private property rights of the owners.

 

[hank970]

It could be argued that any jurisdiction taking something that was legal on private property and making it illegal is guilty of violating the private property rights of the owners.

That would be a losing argument. Towns may prohibit the discharge of firearms on private property, regulate how many pets an owner can have, forbid accumulations of trash in peoples' yards, dictate what kinds of outdoor lighting are permitted, establish reasonable noise limitations, require that property owners mow their lawns and shovel their walks, and so on. The list is long. There are also unwritten rules or societal norms that most of us willingly respect. Regardless of our religious beliefs or the lack thereof, we all seem to agree that it would be inappropriate to ride motorcycle down church aisles.

Just because someone invents or purchases a new toy, like a drone, for example, shouldn't oblige everyone else to accommodate or tolerate its use.

I don't know much about The Villages, but a neighbor couple rented a place there for a month a few years ago and quickly concluded it wasn't their cup of tea. Too crowded, too much orchestrated "fun," too many oldsters riding garish golf carts willy-nilly, and too many petty (in their view) restrictions -- like an HOA on steroids. For others, such a controlled environment might be ideal. I'd imagine that those who choose to live there are made aware of the covenants and happily accept them before signing on the dotted line. Common courtesy demands that the rest of abide by their rules should we choose to visit.

 

[SkySteve83]

Any jurisdiction, including The Villages, can enact and enforce ordinances which restrict or forbid the launching and retrieval of drones within its boundaries. Taking off and landing are ground operations. But The Villages doesn't have jurisdiction over the airspace above, so it should and would remain permissible to launch a drone outside the community's boundaries (assuming that surrounding jurisdictions allow ground operations), fly in that airspace, and land outside.

As always, personal discretion and respect for the rights and interests of others are wise choices.

This is an important point. How can you fly if you can't take off? Is passing a law against landing and retrieving legal? That would certainly present a problem for us in most locations. If a town can ban launching and retrieving, how can you legally fly?