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3 Watch someone breaking the law. Read video comment

Interesting how everyone seems to know the wrong laws about drones and then don't want to hear you tell them the right ones...
 
Maybe I'm missing something. All that I see from the comments is a drone operator that apparently thinks if they are controlling a drone from a public area that nobody else can use that area? it takes a very, very small area to land a drone. Looks like someone trying to make a mountain out of a mole hill to me.
 
You had no area marked off as a drone operation area. Your area of operation was a public road designed for use by ground vehicles. That would be equivalent to me setting up operations on a public highway and expecting everyone to avoid me flying my drone. You are way off base in your interpretation of regulations.

You do have some very nice videos, but this is not a good way to promote your channel.
 
I saw no one break the law, I saw no one prevent you from landing. There was a lot of space all around that you could have landed your drone onto, you did not have to land it right there in front of your feet. You might consider walking a few steps in future and land it on a sidewalk instead of right in the middle of the road of the car park area, as you did. The only person who knew a drone was coming in, to land in that area was you. The truck driver would have absolutely no idea what was above and behind him, as he pulled into that parking area. You're making a fuss about nothing here.
 
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I just love your relaxing drone videos, beautiful countryside, hope you told the fusspot to take a hike!
What possible right would he have to tell the guy to take a hike???? Just like the drone flyer has a right to take photos with his drone, the truck driver has just as much right to take whatever photos he wants as well. I don't understand your thinking.
 
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When I had my Inspire, used to put down orange cones to cordon off a landing area.
 
Palerider was flying his drone over unpopulated areas and from what I guess would be within VLOS guide lines. Isn't that one of the principal purposes why we fly drones in the first place. according to the video, the pickup driver took a picture of Palerider's license plate, I honestly don't see a reason for this unless there was some heavy conversation going on we do not know about. Just saying.........
 
There's always going to be a know-it-all but misinformed Barney Fife.
 
Roads are a poor landing spot. Even the ravens around here watch the traffic lights before venturing out to pick up a discarded McDonalds bag. ;)
 
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I'd say that the video would be much better without the drama of the alleged landing interference. I suspect that someone at the dam concerned with security wanted to document who was flying the drone over the dam.

Whatever the reason, they did it safely and reasonably. The driver pulled into the parking area for about 40 seconds, kept his distance, shot two photos, and never got out of the truck. There was no landing pad or any other identified landing site to block.

Wouldn't that overlook area with the wall around most of it's perimeter have been a better launch/recovery location, rather than a public parking area?
 
I have to agree with the others: you took off and landed from a public road/parking area and at no point did the worker interfere with your flight. What I did see is that from 6:28 in the video, until landing (in the roadway) 24 seconds later, you had no situational awareness (head down so you only saw what we see in the video) - you even support this by stating in your caption 'I thought he left', meanwhile the truck was still there. As pilots it is our job to have that situational awareness at all times for this very reason.

§ 107.31 Visual line of sight aircraft operation.

(a) With vision that is unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, the remote pilot in command, the visual observer (if one is used), and the person manipulating the flight control of the small unmanned aircraft system must be able to see the unmanned aircraft throughout the entire flight in order to:

(1) Know the unmanned aircraft's location;
(2) Determine the unmanned aircraft's attitude, altitude, and direction of flight;
(3) Observe the airspace for other air traffic or hazards; and
(4) Determine that the unmanned aircraft does not endanger the life or property of another.


Not trying to be too critical but since you made the point about rules. . . . .

Tujunga.jpg
 
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I agree with all the other comments. Uncle Bob, I like your videos but I really didn't see any problem here unless you were out of battery and worried the drone would crash, which I doubt. Honestly, when I first started the video I thought the "illegal" activity was flying in a National Forest. That's not allow, right?
 
I agree with all the other comments. Uncle Bob, I like your videos but I really didn't see any problem here unless you were out of battery and worried the drone would crash, which I doubt. Honestly, when I first started the video I thought the "illegal" activity was flying in a National Forest. That's not allow, right?
Unless otherwise posted it is fine to fly in National Forest lands. It is National Parks that are off limits without prior approval from the National Park Service (usually the administrator at the park you want to fly at).
 
Unless otherwise posted it is fine to fly in National Forest lands. It is National Parks that are off limits without prior approval from the National Park Service (usually the administrator at the park you want to fly at).
Also some City Parks have onerous drone/RC rules.
 
Flying drones over federal infrastructure will light up a few alarms. After all, it is something terrorists do. It appears your flight caught the attention of a dam employee who came to investigate and record who you were, but its a no harm, no foul event.

While nothing you did may have been illegal, neither was anything the employee did.

And piling on here, launching, flying, landing in a vista point or simple roadway pull out, even just operating from that location, is in itself dangerous. You don't tell your kids to go play in the street unless you want them to get hurt.

As an aside, there is this FAA ruling about improving infrastructure & property security (doesn't affect Big Tujunga as far as I know, but is an example or what the Feds and FAA are doing to restrict drone over flights of critical infrastructure):
 
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