Will the FAA will find you through social media and youtube?

[ihavequestions]

And then come after you for flying in a potential no fly zone? I just wonder what they do when they see video that appears to be a drone violation.but might or might not be in reality because I've read instances where they did but it seemed to be years ago.
It seems hard to prove that you broke any rules because some no fly zones are temporary or you might have flown years before they had a no fly zone set or when you're flying over people, its hard to really know the angle because your drone might actually not be over people at all. Or you might not be flying a drone at all. It might have been from a long jib with a gopro attached or maybe video from a helicopter.
These are just some examples that I wonder about and how they would go about finding you, then proving anything wrong and then going forward with anything punitive.

 

[BigAl07]

Usually unless there is an INCIDENT or someone REPORTS you there won't be anything from the FAA. With that being said, it's well known the FAA does (or has) contacted members of our forums about violations posted. It's been documented a few times that I recall over in Phantom Pilots.

Odds are nothing will come of the vast majority of violations without an incident or someone reporting you but all it takes is one phone call or an anonymous online submission and you are on their radar.

 

[old man mavic]

in the UK the CAA have a section on their website where members of the public can complain about someone flying a drone in an inappropriate manner ,whether or not they proceed to investigate the complaint ,would probably depend on where the drone was flying ,and the same would apply to a video ,if it was clear that a violation had taken place

 

[iAMiRONMAN]

As long as nobody was hurt and there was no property damage they likely have more important matters to be worried about. Just don’t press your luck next time. It’s not that hard to get authorization via FAA.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

And then come after you for flying in a potential no fly zone? I just wonder what they do when they see video that appears to be a drone violation.but might or might not be in reality because I've read instances where they did but it seemed to be years ago.
It seems hard to prove that you broke any rules because some no fly zones are temporary or you might have flown years before they had a no fly zone set or when you're flying over people, its hard to really know the angle because your drone might actually not be over people at all. Or you might not be flying a drone at all. It might have been from a long jib with a gopro attached or maybe video from a helicopter.
These are just some examples that I wonder about and how they would go about finding you, then proving anything wrong and then going forward with anything punitive.

They can and they have. Is it likely gonna happen now probably not.
The thing you have to remember about agencies like the IRS and the FAA is that they can issue a fine with little or no evidence to back it up and then it’s up to you to go to court and get it undone.
Even if the local police issue a trespassing citation do you really wanna have to go through the trouble of defending it? This just recently happened.
Having said that the real point is safety you don’t wanna fly in controlled airspace or any other unsafe context.

 

[bottomsup]

They can and they have. Is it likely gonna happen now probably not.
The thing you have to remember about agencies like the IRS and the FAA is that they can issue a fine with little or no evidence to back it up and then it’s up to you to go to court and get it undone.
Even if the local police issue a trespassing citation do you really wanna have to go through the trouble of defending it? This just recently happened.
Having said that the real point is safety you don’t wanna fly in controlled airspace or any other unsafe context.

Where can I read about the trespassing incident?

 

[Deleted member 114292]

Where can I read about the trespassing incident?

Arrested?? This is a bad rap, and we need to help.

This guy got screwed, but we can help. Let's show him support. (Mod Removed Go Fund Me..Guideline 11 )

mavicpilots.com

Also here is a list a long one about various drone cases if you’re interested.

Drone Lawsuits & Litigation Database - Drone Law and Drone Attorney Assistance

Interested in learning about the various drone lawsuits around the country? This article is a database of drone litigation.

jrupprechtlaw.com

 

[hiflyer201]

The FAA is so slow doing anything that one has to think they are too shorthanded to go after minor infractions by drone hobbyist . That being said...don't antagonize them. They are relentless when they do. As anyone who has taken the 107 knows..there seems to be rules against just about everything, but then we learn about the restrictions in other country's and we have to realize that here in the U.S. we are pretty lucky. If we do our best to stay within the boundary's of common sense I'm hoping it will stay that way.

 

[Deleted member 114292]

The FAA is so slow doing anything that one has to think they are too shorthanded to go after minor infractions by drone hobbyist . That being said...don't antagonize them. They are relentless when they do. As anyone who has taken the 107 knows..there seems to be rules against just about everything, but then we learn about the restrictions in other country's and we have to realize that here in the U.S. we are pretty lucky. If we do our best to stay within the boundary's of common sense I'm hoping it will stay that way.

I fear that ship has sailed. Too many of us did not follow the rules. Partly because there was no mandate for recreational flyers to actually learn the rules. And partly because too many of us chose not just to ignore the rules but to flagrantly broadcast their flaunting of the rules.

The fact that the FAA chose to barely enforce them doesn’t help either.

 

[Flycaster]

There was fellow who did get "busted" thru a video he posted on YT. Flying in a N.P., and he got a letter from the Fish and Game stating said fact. The guy at F and G recognized the location, and they traced it back to him. He was told to remove the video. And that was it.
Happened about 2 years ago...

 

[RkyMtnHigh]

I'm retired FAA and I can say with high certainty that the FAA is not sitting in front of a computer watching drone YouTube videos looking for possible violations. If an alleged violation is reported to them then they will look into it. Will anything happen overnight? No, this is a government entity and nothing happens fast. Even within the organization it's very frustrating how slow things can progress. Now I'm not saying that no kind of legal action can happen, but what I am saying is that the FAA has bigger and better things to worry about than investigating whether a drone pilot flew at 500ft in-lieu-of the 400ft limit or if a pilot flew 3000ft away and had VLOS. That's just something that isn't very high on their list.

 

[ihavequestions]

I bet if they have a case against you already though, they'd look and use it against you.

 

[ajkm]

And then come after you for flying in a potential no fly zone? I just wonder what they do when they see video that appears to be a drone violation.but might or might not be in reality because I've read instances where they did but it seemed to be years ago.
It seems hard to prove that you broke any rules because some no fly zones are temporary or you might have flown years before they had a no fly zone set or when you're flying over people, its hard to really know the angle because your drone might actually not be over people at all. Or you might not be flying a drone at all. It might have been from a long jib with a gopro attached or maybe video from a helicopter.
These are just some examples that I wonder about and how they would go about finding you, then proving anything wrong and then going forward with anything punitive.

Why on earth would any of this be a concern, let alone a question to ask in a forum? Unless...

 

[RussOnTheRoad]

And then come after you for flying in a potential no fly zone? I just wonder what they do when they see video that appears to be a drone violation.but might or might not be in reality because I've read instances where they did but it seemed to be years ago.
It seems hard to prove that you broke any rules because some no fly zones are temporary or you might have flown years before they had a no fly zone set or when you're flying over people, its hard to really know the angle because your drone might actually not be over people at all. Or you might not be flying a drone at all. It might have been from a long jib with a gopro attached or maybe video from a helicopter.
These are just some examples that I wonder about and how they would go about finding you, then proving anything wrong and then going forward with anything punitive.

I wonder why somebody would ask this question. It seems a little more than a curiosity for those of us that follow the rules.

 

[ajkm]

I wonder why somebody would ask this question. It seems a little more than a curiosity for those of us that follow the rules.

Isn't that exactly what I said?

 

[RussOnTheRoad]

Isn't that exactly what I said?

Yes, I guess two of us had the same question.