Pile on and Tell Me Why I am Wrong

[High_Order1]

Long story longer.

I am still trying to get my stuff together. When my brighter tablet arrives, I look forward to getting more time in.

Meanwhile, there is a guy where I live. He has every form of social media that I know about; probably more. On them, he puts up some kind of impressive imagery:
His signature clip is his drone apparently flying up, up through a cloud bank (he calls it 'fog'), and panning around.
He has a clip essentially called a morning over our local dam. One that we used to be able to drive over until the TVA decided that was a Bad Idea and started enforcing some boundaries.
There's some footage of him apparently flying around one of our state parks (I'll save you the google, not lawful unless the Park Manager gives him permission).
He has footage of him flying over some schools, and flying around a school football game.

I had a couple of my friends poking me and telling me, man why aren't you doing that? So, it bugged me.

This week, I saw in our local facebook parks and rec group them fellating him over his coverage of the annual Christmas parade. His video apparently shows him operating above the parade route and where people are standing on the sidewalks.

(I know none of you are reading this far, so I'm just venting at this point).

I simply asked in the forum, how much trouble it was for him to get his waiver. He gave me a thumbs up... then blocked me. So I went and looked, he doesn't have any FAA waivers under the names I would expect. He doesn't have his dba name registered with the state, but he has had his 107 for about six months.

I am not going to snitch him out to the authorities, which is why I am not naming him here. Tell me why I am wrongly salty for him doing things I'd like to do, and he just does them. Not my business, right? (I ran across the Christmas stuff when my wife asked me why I wasn't doing things like that. That and a couple of friends mentioned seeing his drone at the parade).

 

[MS Coast]

This week, I saw in our local facebook parks and rec group them fellating him over his coverage of the annual Christmas parade.

Are you sure that's the verb you wanted? If so, they must have been very impressed with the video.

 

[Jim Martin]

We live in a society where our most successful members flagrantly break the rules.
You are pissed because someone is getting accolades for breaking the rules while you get sidelined for obeying them.

 

[Cafguy]

Tell me why I am wrongly salty for him doing things I'd like to do, and he just does them. Not my business, right? (I ran across the Christmas stuff when my wife asked me why I wasn't doing things like that.

The guy is the very reason for all of these tighter regulations of Drones. I am not saying you should "snitch" but as long as reckless pilots are out there flying, Governments will keep on piling up regulations,and a disproportionate amount of bystanders will be injured. You may want to steer this pilot towards some kind of responsible training and research before he ends up hurting himself or others!

 

[High_Order1]

We live in a society where our most successful members flagrantly break the rules.
You are pissed because someone is getting accolades for breaking the rules while you get sidelined for obeying them.

succinct.
That's a much better summary. Thanks

 

[jaja6009]

Your feelings are normal. Some of us actually take pride in taking part in the aviation safety culture that unfortunately, a lot of drone pilots do not care about. Some of us try our best to learn the rules and follow them.

Then there are the cowboys.

Don't feel too bad, I work in Public Safety and we also have our cowboys. It is a battle to attempt to keep them flying compiantly too.

 

[High_Order1]

The guy is the very reason for all of these tighter regulations of Drones. I am not saying you should "snitch" but as long as reckless pilots are out there flying, Governments will keep on piling up regulations,and a disproportionate amount of bystanders will be injured. You may want to steer this pilot towards some kind of responsible training and research before he ends up hurting himself or others!

I had hopes by the way I phrased my question, there might be some discussion.

He's legally a 107 pilot, I looked him up. He should know more than I.

Guess he is just the living embodiment of fortune favoring the bold; but I'm telling you, first time I tried any of this, there would be several entities up my butt immediately.

And, that would be just being circumspect about it, not literally sharing it with the world!

 

[jaja6009]

OP, the funny thing about the parade image is he could of legally got an image that would of looked almost exactly the same hovering over the buildings to the side.

 

[Cafguy]

If the Pilot is part 107 then Sorry but I would report them to the nearest Flight standards District office. If his work has not gotten him noticed already.

 

[High_Order1]

OP, the funny thing about the parade image is he could of legally got an image that would of looked almost exactly the same hovering over the buildings to the side.

There's a local guy that does great 'here's what this looks like' videos. He was there with a camera on a tall painters pole.

Almost the same, 0 FAA worries lol.

He could have politely asked to shoot from one of the second story building windows, too.

None of that though is the same as a slow truck or dolly overhead though, I have to agree with him there. If I can afford to jump through all the hoops and coordination with the parade equities, maybe one year I can do it as well.

 

[Riptide]

If the Pilot is part 107 then Sorry but I would report them to the nearest Flight standards District office. If his work has not gotten him noticed already.

I agree.
If they weren't flying over large gatherings of people (or had a parachute equipped) I probably wouldn't say anything, but since they're putting people in danger I'd report. If they're posting all these things on social media then it's as simple as forwarding them a link.

 

[High_Order1]

If the Pilot is part 107 then Sorry but I would report them to the nearest Flight standards District office. If his work has not gotten him noticed already.

Why can I not shake the idea that this would be a **** move though?

 

[High_Order1]

I agree.
If they weren't flying over large gatherings of people (or had a parachute equipped) I probably wouldn't say anything, but since they're putting people in danger I'd report. If they're posting all these things on social media then it's as simple as forwarding them a link.

He may indeed have a parachute, or one of the few carveouts that don't need the waiver.

I can't say.

Hell, if I didn't have people that literally saw him, he may have even strung a wire between poles. I don't know what I don't know.

 

[High_Order1]

Your feelings are normal. Some of us actually take pride in taking part in the aviation safety culture that unfortunately, a lot of drone pilots do not care about. Some of us try our best to learn the rules and follow them.

Then there are the cowboys.

Don't feel too bad, I work in Public Safety and we also have our cowboys. It is a battle to attempt to keep them flying compiantly too.

I have some familiarity with the PS world myself.

Compliance with regulations that aren't in the criminal code are... looked at as suggestions many times. Especially with regards to commercial drivers' licenses and other regulations lol

 

[hank970]

A state may legally prohibit launching, landing, and operating drones in its parks, but a state lacks the jurisdiction to regulate use of the nation's airspace above those parks. That's solely the FAA's responsibility. Thus, it should be permissible to fly over a state park if the drone is launched, operated, and landed outside park boundaries and if it doesn't otherwise violate specific FAA prohibitions regarding flights over roadways and people, etc. That said, while flying over a park might not violate the letter of the law, it would certainly violate the spirit of the law.

Does the FAA make a distinction between a ground-hugging fog and free-floating clouds? An interesting question, since there are established limitations in 107.51 for flight below clouds (no closer than 500') and to the side of clouds (no closer than 2000'), but nothing regarding clearances above clouds, and no mention at all of fog. I certainly wouldn't expect civil or commercial flight activity in a ground-hugging fog, so there'd be little chance of a conflict if operating a drone in that realm. But if there is a distinction, maintaining VLOS might be a problem, and flying through such a moisture-rich environment in search of a photo opportunity in clear air above might be injurious to a drone.

 

[High_Order1]

the guy was launching and landing from where he was staying at a cabin in the park.

Far as the 'fog', he has other versions of his video that demonstrate him flying up through the layer. Unless he was on the side of a mountain where he could observe horizontally, he was operating beyond visual and in an area where he could have met up with a small commuter aircraft flying IFR due to being caught up in a fast moving weather pattern like we have here in East Tennessee.

He did not launch through ground fog.

 

[qadsan]

A state may legally prohibit launching, landing, and operating drones in its parks, but a state lacks the jurisdiction to regulate use of the nation's airspace above those parks. That's solely the FAA's responsibility. Thus, it should be permissible to fly over a state park if the drone is launched, operated, and landed outside park boundaries

But, even if drone takes off and lands from outside the park (making a flyover legal), the park rangers can still issue fines if they deem the drone disturbing any wildlife of any type.

 

[jaja6009]

DSP and Vic Moss have a nice article on flying and clouds.

May we fly our drones over the clouds? - Drone Service Providers Alliance

According to a recent exchange with the FAA UAS Support Center ([email protected]), the answer is yes… … and the answer is no. Surprised? Yeah, we’re not either… So, when can we, and what can we not, fly our drones over the clouds? There is a lot to unwrap here, so let’s dive in. Obviously, there […]

dspalliance.org

 

[Jim Martin]

Why can I not shake the idea that this would be a **** move though?

Because you have negative feeling about this person, and you know that it would be a **** move if the only reason you were to report him was personal animus. However, this person is engaging in unsafe behavior that could put others at risk and damage our collective reputations. Reporting him is 100% appropriate.

You are suffering from a conscience. That's a good thing

 

[AnzacJack]

A state may legally prohibit launching, landing, and operating drones in its parks, but a state lacks the jurisdiction to regulate use of the nation's airspace above those parks. That's solely the FAA's responsibility. Thus, it should be permissible to fly over a state park if the drone is launched, operated, and landed outside park boundaries and if it doesn't otherwise violate specific FAA prohibitions regarding flights over roadways and people, etc. That said, while flying over a park might not violate the letter of the law, it would certainly violate the spirit of the law.

Does the FAA make a distinction between a ground-hugging fog and free-floating clouds? An interesting question, since there are established limitations in 107.51 for flight below clouds (no closer than 500') and to the side of clouds (no closer than 2000'), but nothing regarding clearances above clouds, and no mention at all of fog. I certainly wouldn't expect civil or commercial flight activity in a ground-hugging fog, so there'd be little chance of a conflict if operating a drone in that realm. But if there is a distinction, maintaining VLOS might be a problem, and flying through such a moisture-rich environment in search of a photo opportunity in clear air above might be injurious to a drone.

Our rules in Australia state VMC conditions as well as VLOS.