Drones flying over crowds at Lollapalooza

[bricman12]

Hey everyone!

I'm in Chicago for the week and went to lollapalooza! I noticed they were using fpv and mavic drones to fly over crowds of 20,000+ people at night with no strobes next to police choppers. My question is: can you actually get exemptions from the FAA for all of those things or are they likely playing very fast and loose with the rules?

 

[Barbara]

Not entirely familiar with the FAA regs, but at night without strobes, I doubt they were legal.

 

[dirkclod]

Hey everyone!

I'm in Chicago for the week and went to lollapalooza! I noticed they were using fpv and mavic drones to fly over crowds of 20,000+ people at night with no strobes next to police choppers. My question is: can you actually get exemptions from the FAA for all of those things or are they likely playing very fast and loose with the rules?

Most likely the latter. Am curious how you saw them flying next
to LE choppers at night. Were the choppers that low where you could see all this. Like I said just curious.

 

[bricman12]

Most likely the latter. Am curious how you saw them flying next
to LE choppers at night. Were the choppers that low where you could see all this. Like I said just curious.

I had a birds eye view from the roof of my friends apartment next to the park. The next day I was in the crowd. I could see the drones doing filming maneuvers over the crowd with both types of drones for live view for the concert.

So I would estimate the choppers at 4-600 feet. I don't think the drones were flying that high, maybe 300 or something. That being said, they were all flying in the same square mile. I could see there being coordination between LE and operations.

I'm more curious about how they got the clear to fly over 20k+ people in a crowd.

 

[bricman12]

Not entirely familiar with the FAA regs, but at night without strobes, I doubt they were legal.

I actually think this is one of the things you might be able to apply for exemption for actually! (for videography purposes to excluded a strobe effect in the video)

 

[dirkclod]

I had a birds eye view from the roof of my friends apartment next to the park. The next day I was in the crowd. I could see the drones doing filming maneuvers over the crowd with both types of drones for live view for the concert.

So I would estimate the choppers at 4-600 feet. I don't think the drones were flying that high, maybe 300 or something. That being said, they were all flying in the same square mile. I could see there being coordination between LE and operations.

I'm more curious about how they got the clear to fly over 20k+ people in a crowd.

Thanks like I said I was just curious.

 

[DARKSeifer]

I'm more curious about how they got the clear to fly over 20k+ people in a crowd.

They didn't, drones are mostly a hit&run hobby... worldwide. The less exposed, the less noise and the less time you spend on the same location, the better.

People that fly at night won't use lights, will turn them off or will put electric tape on them if they can't be turned off, and the main reason, apart from not luring undesired attention, is lasers. No matter where you are flying your christmas tree, there will always be an idiot pointing the green laser to it.

On the other hand flying close to people, on a festival... you are just asking for it.

 

[bricman12]

They didn't, drones are mostly a hit&run hobby... worldwide. The less exposed, the less noise and the less time you spend on the same location, the better.

People that fly at night won't use lights, will turn them off or will put electric tape on them if they can't be turned off, and the main reason, apart from not luring undesired attention, is lasers. No matter where you are flying your christmas tree, there will always be an idiot pointing the green laser to it.

On the other hand flying close to people, on a festival... you are just asking for it.

There's definitely this aspect - but the drones I'm talking about were actually taking video that was broadcast live to the large screen in the stage as a part of the performance.

 

[Barbara]

There's definitely this aspect - but the drones I'm talking about were actually taking video that was broadcast live to the large screen in the stage as a part of the performance.

Ahh, okay, didn't catch that part in the original post. Makes a difference.

 

[FLDave]

Did you actually see the drones flying over people or did you just see the screen projections?
How do you know they were doing FPV?

 

[bricman12]

Did you actually see the drones flying over people or did you just see the screen projections?
How do you know they were doing FPV?

I saw the drone directly above me - and I saw a mavic and an fpv. The fpv was about 20ft above the crowd - they were using that for the display as well. I saw it for almost every performance there multiple days.

 

[D-Wreck BXNY]

Let's see a video of this! We are all land drones with camera phones. Someone shot it. If it happened.

 

[bricman12]

Let's see a video of this! We are all land drones with camera phones. Someone shot it. If it happened.

Here is a reel on Instagram posted by a music company with drone and fpv footage directly over the crowd. This is from lollapalooza 2022 that just happened this past weekend.

Login • Instagram

Welcome back to Instagram. Sign in to check out what your friends, family & interests have been capturing & sharing around the world.

www.instagram.com

 

[Kmgcmk]

I wonder if part of the conditions for attending the event is that you agree to allow drones to fly over you. Could be in the small print. If you give permission for a drone to fly over you, I believe it is allowed. If everyone agrees to these conditions (you agree by simply attending), they may be allowed to.

 

[Xitor]

Curious, did they have prop guards? I remember a few years ago, 14,000 of us were lined up for the HH100 bike rally before start and DJI phantom slowly flew over us from the start line all the way back to the last person waiting.

 

[SethB]

I wonder if part of the conditions for attending the event is that you agree to allow drones to fly over you. Could be in the small print. If you give permission for a drone to fly over you, I believe it is allowed. If everyone agrees to these conditions (you agree by simply attending), they may be allowed to.

That is 100% incorrect. Congress and FAA have made clear that any such agreements or implied agreements don’t excuse the Pilot in Command from following laws and regs regarding flights over people, in this case flights over large assemblies.

I don’t mean to be harsh, but do mean to be critical of posts that suggest things that directly contradict regs and safe practices. There are lots of novices on this site looking for guidance, it’s important that the guidance be accurate. As staff and moderators provide. I’m neither, but this is something every pilot learns in either the recreational TRUST training, or in preparing for the Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate Exam.

As of April 2021 there are new provisions for Operations Over People, which include 4 weight-based categories of drones and what an operator must do to prevent injury to non-crew members on the ground. Possibly an operator of video drones at a high profile event like Lollapalooza may be legal by including parachutes to limit the kinetic impact of a drone falling on a person from 300’ or more, and some means to prevent spinning props from lacerating people.

 

[bricman12]

I wonder if part of the conditions for attending the event is that you agree to allow drones to fly over you. Could be in the small print. If you give permission for a drone to fly over you, I believe it is allowed. If everyone agrees to these conditions (you agree by simply attending), they may be allowed to.

I think this could be the best answer to how they do it!

 

[MS Coast]

I think this could be the best answer to how they do it!

No. See post #16.

 

[dwebb944t]

That is 100% incorrect. Congress and FAA have made clear that any such agreements or implied agreements don’t excuse the Pilot in Command from following laws and regs regarding flights over people, in this case flights over large assemblies.

I don’t mean to be harsh, but do mean to be critical of posts that suggest things that directly contradict regs and safe practices. There are lots of novices on this site looking for guidance, it’s important that the guidance be accurate. As staff and moderators provide. I’m neither, but this is something every pilot learns in either the recreational TRUST training, or in preparing for the Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate Exam.

As of April 2021 there are new provisions for Operations Over People, which include 4 weight-based categories of drones and what an operator must do to prevent injury to non-crew members on the ground. Possibly an operator of video drones at a high profile event like Lollapalooza may be legal by including parachutes to limit the kinetic impact of a drone falling on a person from 300’ or more, and some means to prevent spinning props from lacerating people.

Thank you. I’m tired of being the “drone police” in other forums. It’s hard enough to fly drones for a living without all the hobbyist out there breaking the law and then posting on the internet misinformation this encouraging more bad behavior. I would guess in this situation (or hope) that they had authorization as a Type 1 drone (it would have to be custom or modifies etc).

 

[jencarta]

Part 107 licensed pilots can apply for waivers to be able to fly at night without anti-collision lighting (107.29) as well as waivers to fly over a large assembly (107.39). FAA publishes all approved waivers here: https://www.faa.gov/uas/commercial_operators/part_107_waivers/waivers_issued/