Flying near people and housed

[JayTea26]

I believe you're incorrect but I could be wrong. If someone is working on a production, involved with the shoot(actor/athlete) they would be considered "participating in the drone operation" and flight over them wouldn't be prohibited.

I have seen DJI and other YouTube videos filming actors which don’t look like they are 150’ away!

 

[Corsair415]

I have seen DJI and other YouTube videos filming actors which don’t look like they are 150’ away!

There’s no requirement in America to be 150’ away from people. Just not directly overhead.

 

[dronerdave]

This rule in part probably stems from RC flying in general and has been around for a long time...you're not supposed to directly fly over people with a RC aircraft. I just look at it this way, if I'm directly over someone or not, if the aircraft ends up hitting someone, I was flying over them.

 

[MMPerrish]

No matter how high or far away you are from someone’s house there will always be that 1 paranoid person that has a problem with it..

 

[ninja_geezer]

It is NEVER impossible. All you have to do is alter your flight path NOT to over fly them. That's like saying it is impossible not to run over people while I'm driving because someone may try and cross the road. You don't keep driving at them, you either stop or steer around them.

sorry do not agree ,what if some kids or dog walkers walk under where you are filming you have no chance,yes you can move but for a short while you are above them so please be realistic about this ..... not exactly like driving at them unless you are 5 foot off the floor !!!!

 

[Cymruflyer]

sorry do not agree ,what if some kids or dog walkers walk under where you are filming you have no chance,yes you can move but for a short while you are above them so please be realistic about this ..... not exactly like driving at them unless you are 5 foot off the floor !!!!

Ohh get real... if we start thinking I'm sure we can all think of off the wall scenarios. What is being talked about here, is the simple fact that a drone operator will not willfully go and fly over people, if he know what he is doing and obeying the law.

Anything can happen, of course, but let's not get stupid about what is being discussed. Sure an Alien could land and run underneath your drone as you are capturing a time lapse photo but what is the likelihood of that happening? At least you'd have a camera there to record it all.

If you are filming in a place where lots of people might be walking underneath your stationary drone, then maybe you should rethink your location for launching. That would be more to the point than a silly off the wall scenario that you have suggested. Sorry I might be a little too stern here.

 

[Cymruflyer]

HOW is flying 150 foot in the air and you happen to fly over a person like driving a car at them you must me mental !!! i was filming out with the grand kids a couple of weeks ago in the park and im sure BY MISTAKE i may have flown over a person that was not connected to me Jesus the drone police are out today on the forum......you must fly in a desert buddy.
we in the uk dont have the luxury of wide open space we are a little island with 60 million people on it and i do what i can to be same and within the law.

Well first off, I'm from Wales, so I know all about the UK and the land area per capita. Loads of open places to fly where there are little to no people, so don't try and tell me we have no open spaces in the UK. Secondly I never said driving a car at anybody, I'd suggest you read correctly before responding with an incorrect quote.

The original question was asked about how high should he fly over people or houses and of course the answer would be not to do that at all. Then it was asked how much space to give around people if he was flying at about 150ft AGL. Sure most of us might have accidently flow over someone on the ground at one time or another, the rules say you should not do that at all.

The thing is we just don't do it on purpose and try our best not to do it at all. And if we are flying in an area where people maybe walking under our drones, so much that it is a concern, then that might not be the best place to fly or the best time to fly at that location. The horse is dead, so let's not keep beating it.

The OP is from Tucson which is in Arizona, a state that is very large and has tons of open spaces and dessert area. Therefore, it is easy for the OP to find a space that is devoid of people, should he really want to.

 

[ninja_geezer]

Well first off, I'm from Wales, so I know all about the UK and the land area per capita. Loads of open places to fly where there are little to no people, so don't try and tell me we have no open spaces in the UK. Secondly I never said driving a car at anybody, I'd suggest you read correctly before responding with an incorrect quote.

The original question was asked about how high should he fly over people or houses and of course the answer would be not to do that at all. Then it was asked how much space to give around people if he was flying at about 150ft AGL. Sure most of us might have accidently flow over someone on the ground at one time or another, the rules say you should not do that at all.

The thing is we just don't do it on purpose and try our best not to do it at all. And if we are flying in an area where people maybe walking under our drones, so much that it is a concern, then that might not be the best place to fly or the best time to fly at that location. The horse is dead, so let's not keep beating it.

The OP is from Tucson which is in Arizona, a state that is very large and has tons of open spaces and dessert area. Therefore, it is easy for the OP to find a space that is devoid of people, should he really want to.

plenty of space in wales as well ...dont be **** about it buddy we are all on here to do the same thing im sure we dont need reminding by the DRONE POLICE every five minutes.

 

[Thomas B]

Please take it down a notch folks. Thanks.

 

[maelstrom]

plenty of space in wales as well

Isn’t that what @Cymruflyer said?

 

[pinballwiz86]

Every day you have flying lawn mowers (helicopters) flying over people and buildings. I think what the FAA needs to do is invest THEIR OWN MONEY and come up with a training program for drone pilots. Get a real McCoy license that allows you to fly over people and buildings just like a real aircraft, because you would be a real pilot. You would have to get your drone certified and licensed like other aircraft which...may not be worth the cost to most though.

Also since, let's be honest now, most people would not be flying VLOS, you would need a redundant back-up. Like a secondary video link. All this amounts to $$$.

So, in summation I think not flying over people and buildings should be required for non-pilots. BUT If you pass the FAA certs and certify and register your gear, and have annual inspections, then you should be able to fly like a real aircraft.

 

[maelstrom]

Also since, let's be honest now, most people would not be flying VLOS

I think you might be surprised at how many would. It is the law, after all.

 

[Thomas B]

Every day you have flying lawn mowers (helicopters) flying over people and buildings. I think what the FAA needs to do is invest THEIR OWN MONEY and come up with a training program for drone pilots. Get a real McCoy license that allows you to fly over people and buildings just like a real aircraft, because you would be a real pilot. You would have to get your drone certified and licensed like other aircraft which...may not be worth the cost to most though.

Also since, let's be honest now, most people would not be flying VLOS, you would need a redundant back-up. Like a secondary video link. All this amounts to $$$.

So, in summation I think not flying over people and buildings should be required for non-pilots. BUT If you pass the FAA certs and certify and register your gear, and have annual inspections, then you should be able to fly like a real aircraft.

FAA has no money... they spend our taxes.... and can’t keep up with demand as it exists.

 

[Cymruflyer]

Every day you have flying lawn mowers (helicopters) flying over people and buildings. I think what the FAA needs to do is invest THEIR OWN MONEY and come up with a training program for drone pilots. Get a real McCoy license that allows you to fly over people and buildings just like a real aircraft, because you would be a real pilot. You would have to get your drone certified and licensed like other aircraft which...may not be worth the cost to most though.

Also since, let's be honest now, most people would not be flying VLOS, you would need a redundant back-up. Like a secondary video link. All this amounts to $$$.

So, in summation I think not flying over people and buildings should be required for non-pilots. BUT If you pass the FAA certs and certify and register your gear, and have annual inspections, then you should be able to fly like a real aircraft.

As a real pilot plus a drone flyer, I can tell you that my aircraft (that I sit in and fly) is in my opinion, far more of a reliable build than my drone is. Plus, all flying things that people sit in, can actually glide down should there be an engine failure, though the success of a safe landing depends on the pilot's concern for safe flying practices and ability/amount of recent training in emergency procedures he/she has had.

If my aircraft has an engine failure, I am going down with the craft and will be able to glide it to a safe landing, because I have trained for that and I have trained others many times (I used to be flight instructor) so the reality of an engine out is something that has been covered many, many times in the past. Many pilots think the prop is there just to keep them cool, since the moment it stops a lot of pilots immediately begin to sweat profusely. And I practice safe flight by making sure I always fly over areas that will allow me to glide down to a safe landing spot, should the engine ever fail.

Too many pilots think like car owners, that their engine will never stop and therefore, allow themselves to fly over terrain that would not allow a safe outcome if they had to put it down in an engine out situation. Part of your flight training is to always have a place in mind as you fly, either, ahead or to the side of you and of course not to forget what you just flew over that is now behind you, that you can land your aircraft in, should there ever be an engine out situation.

Flying my drone, if the engine stops, it is just dropping out of the sky. No one flying a drone will have control of it because it is not like a helicopter, so the pilot cannot autorotate to a safe landing. It will just drop and hit what ever it falls to on the ground. Therefore, no amount of training or real pilot ratings will ever make you any better than any other drone flyer, should that engine fail. That is why so many suggest not flying over people, not as drone police, as some have suggested here, but simply as good pilot judgement and safe flying practice.

 

[alopeznj]

This is one of most difficult questions in the USA. the FAA laws are clear but States and counties make their own laws which makes no sense since State law does not override Federal Law. I have been flying Pirot style. That means I use common sense, fly very high so people won't notice and attract as little attention as possible. I flew over New Jersey beaches all summer with no problem as a Pirot Pilot. I am waiting for the Police to show me what law (local) can override Federal.

 

[alopeznj]

As a real pilot plus a drone flyer, I can tell you that my aircraft (that I sit in and fly) is in my opinion, far more of a reliable build than my drone is. Plus, all flying things that people sit in, can actually glide down should there be an engine failure, though the success of a safe landing depends on the pilot's concern for safe flying practices and ability/amount of recent training in emergency procedures he/she has had.

If my aircraft has an engine failure, I am going down with the craft and will be able to glide it to a safe landing, because I have trained for that and I have trained others many times (I used to be flight instructor) so the reality of an engine out is something that has been covered many, many times in the past. Many pilots think the prop is there just to keep them cool, since the moment it stops a lot of pilots immediately begin to sweat profusely. And I practice safe flight by making sure I always fly over areas that will allow me to glide down to a safe landing spot, should the engine ever fail.

Too many pilots think like car owners, that their engine will never stop and therefore, allow themselves to fly over terrain that would not allow a safe outcome if they had to put it down in an engine out situation. Part of your flight training is to always have a place in mind as you fly, either, ahead or to the side of you and of course not to forget what you just flew over that is now behind you, that you can land your aircraft in, should there ever be an engine out situation.

Flying my drone, if the engine stops, it is just dropping out of the sky, no one flying a drone will have control of it because it is not like a helicopter, so the pilot cannot autorotate to a safe landing. It will just drop and hit what ever it falls to on the ground. Therefore, no amount of training or real pilot ratings will ever make you any better than any other drone flyer, should that engine fail. That is why so many suggest not flying over people, not as drone police, as some have suggested here, but simply as good pilot judgement and safe flying practice.

If I have Engine failure, I will look for an Law makers house. Land there.

 

[Cymruflyer]

If I have Engine failure, I will look for an Law makers house. Land there.

If you have an engine failure, you are allowed to land where ever you need to, in order to safely get your aircraft down and stopped, and the FAA will be fine with that, so long as you've exhibited good pilot judgement.

 

[dronerdave]

If you have an engine failure, you are allowed to land where ever you need to, in order to safely get your aircraft down and stopped, and the FAA will be fine with that, so long as you've exhibited good pilot judgement.

Yep.

 

[Tentoes]

Well, with the glide slope of a quadcopter, if you have an engine failure, look down to see where you're landing. Perhaps that's why the "don't fly over people" requirement.

 

[RobW01]

50 metres in altitude in the uk.

In Australia, you’re not supposed to fly over people at all, unless they are directly involved in operation of the drone (spotter, 2nd operator as photog, ect). 30 metres is as close as you can get without having the highest operator level (ReOC) and a waiver. A point about that 30 metre rule: it isn’t a DOME, it’s a CONE that extends all the way up to the max altitude you are allowed to fly, which is 120 metres. Go above that and you’re breaking another regulation.