Flying during lockdown

[gnirtS]

Rubbish. Quite simply. What is petty is flying drones over people obeying all the rules and investing time and money into editing and uploading it to twitter.
Dont forget this is from a police force with a policy of not attending break-ins unless someone is still inside and dont bother attending reports of drug dealing or gatherings. Skewed priorities.

Enforcing the no groups over two, distancing is fine. But shaming people on the internet that WERE obeying the rules which the cabinet office themselves confirmed in writing WAS within the rules is petty.

Internet portals for reporting neighbours? Really. IS this east germany now?
There's huge overreach here. Maybe some forces are more balanced than Derbyshire but theres a big issue.
Given lockdown is likely to go on for 3 months how on earth do you expect the public to obey it long term if the police lose support by petty actions in week 1 ?

Given the UK has utterly bungled and lose control of the response its likely to remain in lockdown for longer than almost anywhere else in the world. Thats going to be hard to police if public support is eroded by petty overreactions such as Derbyshire.

 

[iglou7]

Lucky you

 

[Rick0504N]

I enjoy using my Mavic as a camera on a 400' tripod, and making different types of panoramas of my neighborhood (from directly over my own house). I've taken some at dawn to catch the Veil of Venus. The Mavic has a bunch of different pano modes, and the free microsoft ICE allows you to merge them into different types of projections.

Same here. Backyard. Straight up just enough to clear trees. Catching sunrises/sunsets.

 

[Pky]

Rubbish. Quite simply. What is petty is flying drones over people obeying all the rules and investing time and money into editing and uploading it to twitter.
Dont forget this is from a police force with a policy of not attending break-ins unless someone is still inside and dont bother attending reports of drug dealing or gatherings. Skewed priorities.

Enforcing the no groups over two, distancing is fine. But shaming people on the internet that WERE obeying the rules which the cabinet office themselves confirmed in writing WAS within the rules is petty.

Internet portals for reporting neighbours? Really. IS this east germany now?
There's huge overreach here. Maybe some forces are more balanced than Derbyshire but theres a big issue.
Given lockdown is likely to go on for 3 months how on earth do you expect the public to obey it long term if the police lose support by petty actions in week 1 ?

Given the UK has utterly bungled and lose control of the response its likely to remain in lockdown for longer than almost anywhere else in the world. Thats going to be hard to police if public support is eroded by petty overreactions such as Derbyshire.

After sleeping on this. I've come to this conclusion. I can safely maintain social distancing and present a probable lower risk of infection then any local dog walker/ cyclist etc. I can do this by not travelling out of my area by car. Even though I can do this, I'm going to choose not to for now. I think this week will see an end to exercise in public places anyway. Even though where I live is deserted, I could now maintain 500 metres apart easily. Everyone is a total hypocrite at some time. With that in mind, I was fed up the week before lockdown having to suffer trippers and caravaners in my local coastal town been everywhere. So stay at home and It's time to be Borg and act as a collective.

To be fair to plod though mate, I've seen them out and about more then I have in years. Give them a friendly wave maybe.

 

[gnirtS]

To be fair to plod though mate, I've seen them out and about more then I have in years. Give them a friendly wave maybe.

Because they have nothing else to do and unlike most of the population are the lucky ones as they ARE allowed out to walk, to drive, to spend time in daylight and get paid.
That and maybe theres less "non criminal hate incidents" to police on twitter lately.

 

[Drgnfli]

We are constantly being told to #StayAtHome but people like yourself think they are okay to just carry on as before, because if you are alone then it's okay?

Are you also alone at the shops? The chemists/pharmacy? The street? Do you touch things at the supermarket? Press buttons at crossings? Open doors? Touch anything else when flying your drone?

We are not in quarantine, yet. We are in lockdown. That means no going outside unless it is ESSENTIAL. (Quarantine would be complete isolation, which some people are doing but is not enforced). Sunbathing in the park is not essential, neither is flying your drone. Arguably flying your drone while you are out 'exercising', whilst not essential could be deemed as part of your exercise, but I'd like to see you justify that to a judge or a few thousand people who might die because you are out of your home. Staying indoors, or at least within the confines of your own home is the best way to make sure you and everybody else is safe.
It's not about YOU, it's about what happens if..you fall and hurt yourself and need medical attention you put others at risk...you come into contact with something that someone with COVID-19 has touched and then go and give it to anyone else you may have contact with at the shops, in the street, your neighbours or anything you touch, cough or sneeze upon.

I'm a key worker, manufacturing medicines for children with leukaemia and adults with sickle cell. The products go worldwide. My safety cannot be guaranteed because of people with your attitude. All you have to do is stay at home. You put me and any of the patients I make medicine for at risk (because they already have weakened immune systems and I could inadvertently pass it on through equipment or contact with their medicine because I have to share a queue with you at the supermarket, or use crossing buttons that you've used, or a bajillion other things you may have touched).

People need to take lockdown seriously. Look at Italy and Spain. Thats the tip of the iceberg if you do not stay indoors. Watch what happens in Africa in a few weeks time. Wait until someone you love becomes infected. Perhaps your lackadaisical approach might change then.

Finally if you don't take me seriously I'll leave you with this one final thought. This all started with one or maybe a handful of Chinese people. 620,000 people worldwide, as of today, are infected and more than 29,000 people to date have lost their lives to COVID-19. Is the message sinking in yet?

According to your figures there is a 4.7% chance of dying in the world. In the USA, the total of sick people is 123,578 with total deaths of 2,220 or a 1.8% death rate. In Arizona, the total sick is 919 with 17 deaths for a 1.8% death rate. In my county, in AZ (we have huge counties) there are four confirmed Covid-19 sick people with zero deaths. While flying my UAV, I have a better chance of being struck by a meteorite than I do of catching the coronavirus... IMHO!...

MY Source: United States Coronavirus: 135,627 Cases and 2,384 Deaths - Worldometer
~

 

[dirkclod]

Ok guys I’ve went over this and seen a lot of bickering
among yourself‘s criticizing lawforcement and political
comments. We have enough to worry about without all
this crap and it stops now. Times are tough and we all
have to be careful and this can go on but if it continues
with a few of the members in this I Will shut it down as well
as those members.
Consider this a Formal Warning.
dc

 

[Dust Monkey]

Police here ( South Wales ) are using Mavic Pro2 Enterprise with speakers to disperse crowds and tell people to go home during lockdown, if they can fly without it breaking law.. get the bird in the air.

 

[lookout]

A drone maybe a good way to see what is going on without being there in person. DJI was spending money on spraying.

 

[gnirtS]

Police here ( South Wales ) are using Mavic Pro2 Enterprise with speakers to disperse crowds and tell people to go home during lockdown, if they can fly without it breaking law.. get the bird in the air.

Its quite amusing, friends of mine (same police force) actually called to report a large 10-20 gathering of youths in a park smoking and drinking.
The police said they couldnt attend and just "noted" it.
Just as in normal times, its FAR easier to go after the low hanging fruit and annoy normal or law abiding people than do actual old school police work and have to attend an incident.

And of course the police can fly, they are flying with exemptions and authorisations for professional and commercial use not the recreational toy authorisation.
They have training, they have risk assessments, they have strict operating criteria, a task plan, insurance and are assessed on their ability to operate.
The CAA exemptions for emergency services drone work just got extended through until june. Documents are all on the CAA skywise portal.

 

[wheelman1uk]

I am lucky in one way in so as I live in a fairly remote rural area and have access to 10 square miles of uninhabited countryside straight from my garden. However as I am a widower and now live alone the lack of human contact at the moment is not so good. However it means I have plenty of time and space to fly my drone. I do have to keep an eye open for helicopters on training flights from an airbase 15 miles away. Although I am outside the "no fly" zone associated with the base my Mavic Pro would be no match for a Lynx.
Because its an unpopulated area (apart from me) it is used for low flight training. Quite a lot of their flying is done at less than 150 ft. How do I know this? Because they regularly fly close to a wind turbine who's blades at top of the arc are at 150 ft. The pilots regularly use the turbine as a marker/target on a circuit.
The weather forecast for this week suggests a couple of good days so some more flying hopefully.
Keep on droning

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

However as I am a widower and now live alone the lack of human contact at the moment is not so good.

Well, do keep in touch with the outside world on the forum here, and other such places online.

Are you on Facebook or other such to keep in touch with more distant family ?
This current situation will be perfect for that sort of platform, you can see what everyone is up to.
Not as good as a visit, but better that it used to be posting letters or phoning.

I couldn't stand FB, on it for a short while once, left it . . . tried it a second time, same thing, deleted again and no going back.
But in this climate it would be a godsend to many.

Keep the spirits up, hopefully a month and it'll be the worst past us all.

 

[Davros007]

Being alone and flying is totally permissible.

Depending on where you are in relation to home. In Australia (and I believe in the UK?) there are other rules about staying local that impact. And rules about only being out for ‘exercise’. Driving to some more remote place (with unnecessary risk you may break down and expose others to helping you) as well as the fact it’s arguably not exercise, may mean that these type of rules make it NOT permissible.

 

[old man mavic]

Depending on where you are in relation to home. In Australia (and I believe in the UK?) there are other rules about staying local that impact. And rules about only being out for ‘exercise’. Driving to some more remote place (with unnecessary risk you may break down and expose others to helping you) as well as the fact it’s arguably not exercise, may mean that these type of rules make it NOT permissible.

you are correct its not the flying alone at a secluded place that is wrong, but the journey to get there i can go 20 mins from home and be isolated to fly but the journey i would have to make is not allowed

 

[gnirtS]

With the current police modelling themselves on 1980s East Germany there's no way in hell you'd be able to fly a drone anywhere outside your house.
Provided you can meet the usual requirements of the ANO you could fly from your garden BUT i have a feeling even then you'd get a visit from them just to check your "thinking" as apparently thats a thing now...

 

[E90RAW]

Has anyone flown during the lockdown? I'm wondering if it's allowed or not frowned upon by the fuzz.

Ah, you are aging yourself...."THE FUZZ". You are bringing back memories of the 70's.

 

[Oneball 1971]

Well, do keep in touch with the outside world on the forum here, and other such places online.

Are you on Facebook or other such to keep in touch with more distant family ?
This current situation will be perfect for that sort of platform, you can see what everyone is up to.
Not as good as a visit, but better that it used to be posting letters or phoning.

I couldn't stand FB, on it for a short while once, left it . . . tried it a second time, same thing, deleted again and no going back.
But in this climate it would be a godsend to many.

Keep the spirits up, hopefully a month and it'll be the worst past us all.

I was going to say the same thing.

 

[Bala]

I'm fortunate enough not to have to travel to fly but haven't been able to with the wind. If it drops any day soon i'll go for it. Stay safe ya'll wherever you are in the world and avoid, at all costs, being picked up by the 'fuzz' !! It's painful! It's really helpful getting the weekly forum thread report now we're in lockdown and isolation. Breaks the monotony and interesting to hear people's views. We have only just had the first report of positives on our island today so for us it's only the beginning.

 

[Bonkshagalistic]

Has anyone flown during the lockdown? I'm wondering if it's allowed or not frowned upon by the fuzz.

It's not essential travel and it's not exercise, unfortunately

 

[Wavecloud]

I don't think the law is too fussed anyway, but even less so at the minute. They have bigger issues.
I've not done more than 4 feet off the ground in my back garden. Only to try the Master Airscrew Props I bought.
I'm gonna get up early tomorrow and go for a bike ride off the beaten track and take my Air with me.

Thats my plan also! Should be still enough to light a candle! Can't wait