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FAA FINES PHILADELPHIA DRONE PILOT

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In this video

( Mod removed video)

He is discussing his FAA fines.

He can't even hang on to his phone.

For flying something that is less than half a pound.
45 minutes of meaningless drivel. Same old stuff. Keeps talking about what he did or didn't do but refuses to show what the FAA is actually accusing him of.
 
Ok here’s the deal guys. This is the third video I have removed
this morning with one slipped in the photo section.
We do not post videos with foul Langage and you are doing nothing but promoting his channel. No more. It’s easy enough
to find without it being posted.
dc
 
45 minutes of meaningless drivel. Same old stuff. Keeps talking about what he did or didn't do but refuses to show what the FAA is actually accusing him of.
I haven't gotten to the part where it states how many of the notices he got from the FAA were all at once or weeks at a time (maybe this isn't even the right video). But anyhow the nervous part where he can't even hang on to his phone seems to indicate he can't concentrate enough to be doing the video in the first place. Maybe he's nervous when he's at the RC?
 
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I haven't gotten to the part where it states how many of the notices he got from the FAA were all at once or weeks at a time (maybe this isn't even the right video). But anyhow the nervous part where he can't even hang on to his phone seems to indicate he can't concentrate enough to be doing the video in the first place. Maybe he's nervous when he's at the RC?
It was covered on a live stream between YouTube Vlogger "OriginaldoBo" when he had a 3 way conversation, and interviewed him. I believe said named pulled that video and now he has a break down of the whole thing with some guy who seems to be a "expert" on the whole thing. You will have no problem finding that video. ;)

As mentioned it's best to let the actual channels that support our hobby discuss it then give the "Defendant" the time of day, for those that don't follow the "XJet" channel, give it a peek, I am sure he will have a video on the whole thing in a few days if not sooner. Bruce is the best thing we have for a person who fights for our rights..He has and is taking on his governing body (CAA), and calls out the FAA routinely. He got them for stealing and using his content on one of their promotional/training videos. He is one of the good guys and a great spokesman on our behalf. :)
 
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Bruce is the best thing we have for a person who fights for our rights
Bruce is a legend and worthy of respect in my eyes. He takes no prisoners but approaches these things with his eyes open and in the right manner. I'll be very interested in his comments.
 
It was covered on a live stream between YouTube Vlogger "OriginaldoBo" when he had a 3 way conversation, and interviewed him. I believe said named pulled that video and now he has a break down of the whole thing with some guy who seems to be a "expert" on the whole thing. You will have no problem finding that video. ;)

As mentioned it's best to let the actual channels that support our hobby discuss it then give the "Defendant" the time of day, for those that don't follow the "XJet" channel, give it a peek, I am sure he will have a video on the whole thing in a few days if not sooner. Bruce is the best thing we have for a person who fights for our rights..He has and is taking on his governing body (CAA), and calls out the FAA routinely. He got them for stealing and using his content on one of their promotional/training videos. He is one of the good guys and a great spokesman on our behalf. :)
Looks like OriginaldoBo has a video posted just a couple days ago discussing it, but this is only two people not three. That's probably the one you're talking about.

In the comments:

xjet

The irony is that if he'd flown that drone in Canada the only rules that would apply would be "don't endanger people, don't endanger property" so he'd have almost certainly not been fined. Even the Canadians realize that a 249g drone represents a very small risk to anyone. Compare the fine that the FAA is proposing for Boeing in respect to the Max8 fiasco (a mere $5.4 million) to the scale of that disaster (hundreds of lives) -- then ask why a "toy drone" that injured nobody and damaged nothing qualifies for a $182,000 fine. Crazy!

With the little part of the PhillyDroneLife video I watched he was essentially saying the same thing. The other argument was that he was potentially endangering lives and property.

xjet

The problem with the YouTube situation is that non-partners who don't monetize their content but who end up with ads on those videos are still operating "in furtherance of a business" -- albeit that business is YouTube. The regulations appear to be written so that it doesn't have to be the flier's business that benefits -- it can be any business. That effectively means that everyone who posts flying vids to YT in the USA will require a part 107 to do so without risk of prosecution.

Just because money exchanged hands with somebody. They aren't paying attention who.

They must figure that he [PhillyDroneLife] has gotten $200,000 from monetized Youtube by posting those videos, so the fines would be justified. Youtube might be collecting on those, not the person uploading the video. Maybe Youtube needs to get a part 107!

He also says in his video about the link between drugs and FPV, he notes how youtube has monetized that video because they think he is pushing for drug usage. And how the observer requirement is like an out of date law. Bruce seems to have a good handle on it.

One of his videos is talking about no Remote ID required below 300ft, why not 400ft? Almost effectively removing Remote ID for most practical purposes for the typical flier. Because that is the collision zone between drones and low flying helicopters. Which might be just a requirement to help me track my Amazon delivery via drone. We tried to tell the FAA that Remote ID was a bad idea. But that is another topic.
 
Ok here’s the deal guys. This is the third video I have removed
this morning with one slipped in the photo section.
We do not post videos with foul Langage and you are doing nothing but promoting his channel. No more. It’s easy enough
to find without it being posted.
dc
Thanks for publicly sharing that the video link was removed because of language content. I wouldn't have thought of that and could have posted it myself for not realizing it was removed because of language.
 
Thanks for publicly sharing that the video link was removed because of language content. I wouldn't have thought of that and could have posted it myself for not realizing it was removed because of language.
Does he even have a video he doesn’t have a foul mouth .
The one posted in the video section concerning his actions
on all this was bad.
Guys I have a mouth on me but it does not carry over in these forums or videos that are posted.
Enough on that.
 
I've always found him humorous, but IMO why he has to go to using swear words is beyond me. He then isn't so funny.
 
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He was an entertainer egged on by his fans. He made the mistake of arguing with those who warned him which ironically where probably those who were looking out for him the most. Those who cheered him on most likely didn't care what would happen to him, they only wanted to see more unbelievable shots of Philadelphia. So he continued flying over 400ft (can't do that as a hobbyist, even over a structure), flew in the fog, over people, highways, went out of VLOS range and even lost FPV connection while flying close to the tops of skyscrapers. I know his channel was important to him, but apparently not important enough to get educated and possibly his Part 107. It's a shame, I think the FAA can be pretty accommodating for those who are proactive in learning and using the rules in their favor. (e.g., Ken Heron) I hope he doesn't have to pay the full fine, but I hope he learns something from all of this.
 
Novice here. Don’t kill me.

I understand most of the violations he’s made. Especially flying out of VLOS, etc.

Only one I’m slightly confused about. Assuming he wasn’t in controlled air space (which it seems he obviously was), isn’t it 400 feet above above ground, 400 feet above buildings, a 400 feet above a building within a radius of 400 feet?

I don’t know the area the person in the video is flying and what types of flight restrictions are there. But if the limit in the area of the sky scrapers is 400 feet, and one of the buildings is 500 foot tall, couldn’t he fly as high as 900 feet legally if he theorically maintains line of sight and the proper distance to the building?
Yes but must also stay 400' below clouds as well. He ignores that.
 
Interesting read...

The onus of proof is on the FAA to prove the drone videos were taken by the Mikey, in the US, at a date after the drone laws were introduced.

That’s why the FAA has targetted Mikey’s live streaming. It’s easy to prove all of the above.

If Mickey has also been ignoring FAA warnings sent directly to him (as other posters have said), then he was asking for trouble.

Idiot.
 
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Ok here’s the deal guys. The guy got busted and we all
have our own opinions on this. Want to discuss it fine.
Seeing repetitive post gets old reading so let’s not just jump in
without reading this whole thread. Also the continued name calling stops here. I closed the thread in another forum for it and will here.
I don’t have the time to edit nonstop post in one thread.
If you have something to add to this thread please do other than
that please refrain from just posting something that’s been said already after you read the OP.
Thanks.
 
I have spoken with the FAA several times and I can tell you that they are not really out to get anyone, but that they do have an agenda to get people to get there 107 so they can fly stress free.

Had this guy just responded to the Warning Letter , he might not have gotten any infractions at all.

There first and only concern was he was flying within a 5 mile distance next to the Air Port with all most all of his flights.

Despite this Negative in his life, he weighed 600 pounds , was on heroin for 20 years and the drone for what ever reason saved his life by getting him to loose weight and get off drugs . He likely never gave those warnings a second thought.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly you Mavic in the Rain and Float on Water
Doesn’t anyone on here have just a little compassion? Is there not even a simple sense of benevolence towards your fellow man? This guy has admittedly had a very difficult life, suffering through addictions, and overcoming them. He has stated that his family is currently on welfare. He certainly cannot afford these ridiculous fines. I won’t even address these outrageous FAA fines. However, during this Christmas season, I would expect to see some kind of brotherly love. But I guess that’s an outdated feeling in our current environment! I have enjoyed all the information I’ve read on this forum, but I will not associate myself with all these “haters” any longer. I hope no one else has to deal with similar situations. Happy holidays and merry Christmas to each and every one of you!
 
I do think most here (though there are always exceptions) have nothing personal against this gentleman and wish him no true ill. That said, actions have consequences, and having had a rough life does not give you a limitless free pass for future missteps.

In the end, the highest likelihood is that justice will be served; some (much lesser) penalty will be assessed and hopefully lessons will have been learned. The biggest obstacle to this outcome, unfortunately, continues to be the belligerent and confrontational attitude of the accused.
 
He certainly cannot afford these ridiculous fines.
But it was entirely within his power to avoid them. He was apparently given numerous warnings by the FAA but seems to have almost taunted them by continuing to break the rules. I think we could all feel compassion for him and offer our support if this had been an accidental transgression, but that doesn’t appear to be the case. Most people here are far from being ”haters” - it’s just difficult to have sympathy for someone who has so blatantly, and so frequently, broken the rules without appearing to show any remorse.
 
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There's a lot of misinformation online and on these forums. As I understand, he got the infraction letters all at once - not warnings, but actual notice of infractions with fines - and requested him to respond.

I think a lot of people fail to realize they are breaking some rule(s) when flying "recreationally" or even commercially. Anybody can be a subject of FAA investigation - even if one has a part 107 certificate.

Just because a person has part 107 doesn't mean they know the rules / regulations and/or they follow them. I'd imagine most don't, but also that most with part 107 feel they "know it all" and it's on them to police others or call others out when under investigation.

Getting a part 107 certificate is easy. You study, take an exam, and if you pass, get a certificate. A person can pass the exam without even knowing how to fly a UAS/drone. It is not a license, i.e. pilot license, drivers license where both knowledge of rules/laws and skills are tested.

So, to all of us in the community - realize you could be under investigation even if you did nothing wrong - perhaps because a pissed off neighbor called the FAA.

And, rather than kick somebody when they're down and spread misinformation and attack them as a person - take a step back and ask yourself, would you want to be treated this way if you are in this situation - regardless of whether or not you actually committed the accused infractions?

The UAS community is growing and it's on all of us to help spread knowledge, information, and support the community as a whole.
 
There's a lot of misinformation online and on these forums. As I understand, he got the infraction letters all at once - not warnings, but actual notice of infractions with fines - and requested him to respond.

I think a lot of people fail to realize they are breaking some rule(s) when flying "recreationally" or even commercially. Anybody can be a subject of FAA investigation - even if one has a part 107 certificate.

Just because a person has part 107 doesn't mean they know the rules / regulations and/or they follow them. I'd imagine most don't, but also that most with part 107 feel they "know it all" and it's on them to police others or call others out when under investigation.

Getting a part 107 certificate is easy. You study, take an exam, and if you pass, get a certificate. A person can pass the exam without even knowing how to fly a UAS/drone. It is not a license, i.e. pilot license, drivers license where both knowledge of rules/laws and skills are tested.

So, to all of us in the community - realize you could be under investigation even if you did nothing wrong - perhaps because a pissed off neighbor called the FAA.

And, rather than kick somebody when they're down and spread misinformation and attack them as a person - take a step back and ask yourself, would you want to be treated this way if you are in this situation - regardless of whether or not you actually committed the accused infractions?

The UAS community is growing and it's on all of us to help spread knowledge, information, and support the community as a whole.
That's the question I asked back up a few posts.

Did he get them all at once or over a few times.

So the fact that he got them all at once is a different situation than progressive warnings/citations/notices.
 
So the fact that he got them all at once is a different situation than progressive warnings/citations/notices.
If he did indeed get them all at once, it does help his position. On the other hand, it doesn't change the fact that he quite clearly acknowledged in his videos that he knew the rules but was willfully ignoring them. Nor the fact that he seems to prefer deliberate belligerence rather than attempting to defuse and negotiate since this all came down.
 
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