DJI Mavic, Air and Mini Drones
Friendly, Helpful & Knowledgeable Community
Join Us Now

Seeking a little clarification about flying over crowds....

JY-tek

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 13, 2018
Messages
77
Reactions
51
Age
74
Location
Burnsville, NC
I keep reading that we should not fly over crowds. Fine, but some definitions would be nice. What exactly constitutes a "crowd"?? And how close can we fly to a "crowd"? And is this rule a suggestion or a law? I'm talking about hobby flying, by the way. Thanks.
 
strictly hobby.
There is no rule (law) that states a hobbyist cannot fly over people. However, you probably should stray away from doing anything that could possibly endanger other people and/or aircraft. If you do cause any type of damage to a person, aircraft, or someone else's property, then you would no doubt be liable.

US law does require you to follow community-based safety guidelines (see more details here). If the guidelines you're following prohibit you from flying over people, then you could be violating those guidelines.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mossiback
That make sense. Locally, we have the largest craft fair in the SouthEast US, and I would like to get some photos. Some areas will have lots of people, and some areas will be very sparse. I would probably be OK with staying to the outside of the people, but I didn't know how far. Sounds like there really aren't too many real "laws" for hobby flying, just guidelines, suggestions, and common decency.
 
you are able to, be prepared to understand clearly and explain the rules as a hobby pilot, and then expected to leave the area no matter what after your encounter.

also be aware of the liability it holds if the drone does fail and hits someone. ive had people who see me filming try to knock it out of the air
 
I would be extremely cautious flying over any group of people, large or small. If you don't have liability/hull insurance for your drone, I'd urge you to investigate getting a policy that may - MAY - protect you and your bird if you fly over a group of people and something happens.

Before you do this, I'd do a recon on the site in question and develop a safety plan asking yourself various "what if" questions. I know that a plan goes to hell when it's implemented, but at least you'll have thought about possible scenarios that could go south.

Murphy's Law is always standing by to take advantage of a lull in a situation. :rolleyes:
 
  • Like
Reactions: Paul2660
The alternative is that we get 50+ laws all restricting flights over and near people. These laws would be made by people 1) don't understand drone flight and 2) don't understand how to make valid laws.

As mentioned, there are no laws for hobby flight that specifically apply to flying over crowds. Only ones that state that you need to fly safely.
 
I keep reading that we should not fly over crowds. Fine, but some definitions would be nice. What exactly constitutes a "crowd"?? And how close can we fly to a "crowd"? And is this rule a suggestion or a law? I'm talking about hobby flying, by the way. Thanks.

Varies massively from country to country. The world is a lot bigger than just the USA.

General common sense safety rule is dont fly over crowds. It simply isnt sensible regardless of the legality.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thwyllo
For reference, a commercial drone pilot is prohibited from flying over any person who is not a member of the flight crew.

Not just crowds of a certain size.

While flying for recreation does not come with the same regulation, it’s still a pretty good rule to follow.

Often you can get a shot of a crowd without actually being over it. For instance, you can fly over the roofs of a block of buildings while filming the people in the street below.
 
For reference, a commercial drone pilot is prohibited from flying over any person who is not a member of the flight crew.

Not just crowds of a certain size.

While flying for recreation does not come with the same regulation, it’s still a pretty good rule to follow.

Often you can get a shot of a crowd without actually being over it. For instance, you can fly over the roofs of a block of buildings while filming the people in the street below.

if rendering in 1080, you can fly a bit further away and crop 4k video, much easier compositing
 
I wouldn't be flying low enough for that to happen.... unless they use a shotgun!:eek:

Naaahh avoid flying in a place that there's a lot of people try to find a great spot where you can fly your drone with no limits.
 
For reference, a commercial drone pilot is prohibited from flying over any person who is not a member of the flight crew.

Not just crowds of a certain size.

While flying for recreation does not come with the same regulation, it’s still a pretty good rule to follow.

Often you can get a shot of a crowd without actually being over it. For instance, you can fly over the roofs of a block of buildings while filming the people in the street below.

Again varies massively by country. Not everywhere is the USA.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Thwyllo
I keep reading that we should not fly over crowds. Fine, but some definitions would be nice. What exactly constitutes a "crowd"?? And how close can we fly to a "crowd"? And is this rule a suggestion or a law? I'm talking about hobby flying, by the way. Thanks.

Just think of all the interference you can pick up with a few hundred people using their cell phones, smart watches and tablets.
 
Lycus Tech Mavic Air 3 Case

DJI Drone Deals

New Threads

Forum statistics

Threads
130,592
Messages
1,554,170
Members
159,596
Latest member
da4o98