Remote Controlled Multicopters

[Hoss]

OK, here's some more footage I've taken with the GoPro over the last couple of weeks.

At a park down the street from my brother..at dusk.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TVlmnwrNjBs

Taken at the unclub (41st/Garnett) back on July 25th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQU86zXb60g

This final one is the vehicle fully autonomous.  IOW, I created waypoints, uploaded to the copter, threw the throttle up to start the 'mission', and it flew on its own completely.  From start to finish.  Not a long flight, but first one I've done sofar.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95gRUf7Jf-M

[DolfanBob]

Of course something like this was going to take place sooner or later.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/04/drone-drug-delivery-ohio-prison-fight-heroin-marijuana-tobacco

[Hoss]

Of course something like this was going to take place sooner or later.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/aug/04/drone-drug-delivery-ohio-prison-fight-heroin-marijuana-tobacco

It's actually happened more than you'd think.

[DolfanBob]

It's actually happened more than you'd think.

I'll bet. Criminals are pretty clever.....well until they get caught. 

[dbacksfan 2.0]

The last thing your drone sees when it enters and eagles territory.

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/drone360/2015/08/10/video-australian-eagle-takes-out-drone-in-midair/#.Vct8zSZViko

[patric]

The problem with these reports is they dont distinguish between a hobbyists copter and a government drone.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/aerospace/faa-pilot-reports-of-drone-sightings-more-than-double/article_f39d397c-4741-5316-a169-3d2547b8a745.html

There have been a handful that do mention when they are fixed-wing craft, but not as a rule.  Homeland Security routinely loans Predator drones to local governments like county sheriffs, and they dont exactly file flight plans when they fly them.

http://www.governing.com/gov-data/safety-justice/drones-state-local-law-enforcement-agencies-license-list.html

[Hoss]

The problem with these reports is they dont distinguish between a hobbyists copter and a government drone.

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/aerospace/faa-pilot-reports-of-drone-sightings-more-than-double/article_f39d397c-4741-5316-a169-3d2547b8a745.html

There have been a handful that do mention when they are fixed-wing craft, but not as a rule.  Homeland Security routinely loans Predator drones to local governments like county sheriffs, and they dont exactly file flight plans when they fly them.

http://www.governing.com/gov-data/safety-justice/drones-state-local-law-enforcement-agencies-license-list.html

An airline pilot actually wrote a post about the freak-out media is currently pushing...

https://jethead.wordpress.com/2015/08/08/airliners-vs-drones-calm-down/

[patric]

The FAA OK's use for news and weather operations:
http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/channel-2-action-news-becomes-first-local-tv/vDbWMb/

...while the Coast Guard practices downing them with helicopter wash:
http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/weather/drone-dunked-by-downdraft-from-coast-guard/vCqBQ7/

[saintnicster]

The FAA OK's use for news and weather operations:
http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/news/channel-2-action-news-becomes-first-local-tv/vDbWMb/

...while the Coast Guard practices downing them with helicopter wash:
http://www.wsbtv.com/videos/weather/drone-dunked-by-downdraft-from-coast-guard/vCqBQ7/

That footage is from August 2014 http://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-chopper-takes-out-drone/2015/01/05/
I'd hope that the operator learned something about "situational awareness"

[patric]

Since the FAA hasnt made much progress in rule-making for multicopters, they are just kind of making it up as they go along as far as granting exceptions (like requiring them to be registered and marked like regular aircraft, and piloted by licensed pilots).

[patric]

Got to love how these people treat hobbyists like they were planting bombs.


A Raleigh man was charged with flying a drone over the N.C. State Fair on Wednesday night, and Wake County sheriff's investigators have obtained search warrants to cull through the video images the man made with the machine, according to Sheriff Donnie Harrison.

Matthew Allen Kenning, 38, was charged with one count of misdemeanor regulation of an unmanned aircraft system. "He did not have permission to fly the drone on state property," Harrison said Thursday.

A background check revealed that Kenning is a registered sex offender. Harrison said that information prompted the sheriff's office to obtain the search warrant to review the video data the drone collected at the Fair.

"He said he was collecting video to sell on YouTube to help pay for the drone," Harrison said. "We want to see what was captured by the drone and consult with the district attorney. He said he wanted to sell aerial video of the fair. Right now, we don't know what his intent was. It might have been lights, sounds and the Ferris wheel."

A Trooper with the N.C. State Highway Patrol spotted the unmanned craft hovering above the Fair at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday. A sheriff's deputy followed the direction that the drone was traveling and saw a man with some type of device around his neck bring the aircraft to the ground.

"We wanted to find the person controlling it pretty quickly because if it had crashed it could have hurt a lot of people," Harrison said.

While talking with Kenning, the deputies discovered that he had Adderall used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other "unlabled pills," Harrison said.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/crime/article41043300.html

[rebound]

I don't really see an issue with this one.  

- Guy at fair with drone.
- Someone gets nervous,  alerts cops.
- Cops question.
- Guy does not have permission or approval to fly drone at fair.
- During questioning (which seems reasonable given the circumstances),  cops find out he has various pills on him, and he's a registered sex offender.
- Cops ask "why are you taking pics at the fair".  Guy "I plan on selling the footage to pay for the drone".
- Cops,  "well, you don't have permission.  Let us see the footage you took, and we'll decide from there."
- Guy "NO"
- Cops "Dude, you are a registered sex offender taking unauthorized drone pics at a fair.  Given the circumstances, we have to have a look at those pics."
- Guy "NO".
- Cops "Well, OK then.  You are coming with us, and we are confiscating the drone."

I have no idea what is on the camera, but once the situation came down as it did, the dude should have let the cops see the footage.  No harm, no foul, and they probably just tell him to leave the fair and don't come back with the drone without approval.   Unless of course there's a bunch of tight shots of little girls, and then there's a problem.

[Hoss]

I don't really see an issue with this one.  

- Guy at fair with drone.
- Someone gets nervous,  alerts cops.
- Cops question.
- Guy does not have permission or approval to fly drone at fair.
- During questioning (which seems reasonable given the circumstances),  cops find out he has various pills on him, and he's a registered sex offender.
- Cops ask "why are you taking pics at the fair".  Guy "I plan on selling the footage to pay for the drone".
- Cops,  "well, you don't have permission.  Let us see the footage you took, and we'll decide from there."
- Guy "NO"
- Cops "Dude, you are a registered sex offender taking unauthorized drone pics at a fair.  Given the circumstances, we have to have a look at those pics."
- Guy "NO".
- Cops "Well, OK then.  You are coming with us, and we are confiscating the drone."

I have no idea what is on the camera, but once the situation came down as it did, the dude should have let the cops see the footage.  No harm, no foul, and they probably just tell him to leave the fair and don't come back with the drone without approval.   Unless of course there's a bunch of tight shots of little girls, and then there's a problem.

Same here.  I would NEVER fly mine near a large group of people (usually a big park that is virtually empty or a field).  These are the kinds of people (sex offender status aside) that are forcing the FAA/DOT to start looking at making registration mandatory.  That's just going to be a large charlie foxtrot to get that rolled out.  Maybe it will roll out in 2020, given the speed with which the government works.

[patric]

I don't really see an issue with this one.  

- Guy at fair with drone.
- Someone gets nervous,  alerts cops.
- Cops question.
- Guy does not have permission or approval to fly drone at fair.
- During questioning (which seems reasonable given the circumstances),  cops find out he has various pills on him, and he's a registered sex offender.
- Cops ask "why are you taking pics at the fair".  Guy "I plan on selling the footage to pay for the drone".
- Cops,  "well, you don't have permission.  Let us see the footage you took, and we'll decide from there."
- Guy "NO"
- Cops "Dude, you are a registered sex offender taking unauthorized drone pics at a fair.  Given the circumstances, we have to have a look at those pics."
- Guy "NO".
- Cops "Well, OK then.  You are coming with us, and we are confiscating the drone."

I have no idea what is on the camera, but once the situation came down as it did, the dude should have let the cops see the footage.  No harm, no foul, and they probably just tell him to leave the fair and don't come back with the drone without approval.   Unless of course there's a bunch of tight shots of little girls, and then there's a problem.

None of the other news accounts match your made-up dialog, as he apparently had been cooperating with the police.
But was he endangering people?

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said Kenning was operating the drone outside the fairgrounds while on a shoulder of Hillsborough Street.
http://wncn.com/2015/10/22/raleigh-man-charged-with-flying-drone-over-nc-state-fair/ 

As far as your "tight shots of little girls," how close would you have to get with a GoPro to do that?

Im not going to defend an idiot being reckless with a copter, but that really doesnt seem to be the case here.

[rebound]

None of the other news accounts match your made-up dialog, as he apparently had been cooperating with the police.
But was he endangering people?

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said Kenning was operating the drone outside the fairgrounds while on a shoulder of Hillsborough Street.
http://wncn.com/2015/10/22/raleigh-man-charged-with-flying-drone-over-nc-state-fair/ 

As far as your "tight shots of little girls," how close would you have to get with a GoPro to do that?

Im not going to defend an idiot being reckless with a copter, but that really doesnt seem to be the case here.

Well I wasn't really trying to be specific to the case, just putting together a general string of events/scenario. 

There is a general level of argument here related to flying drones that I don't have a firm opinion on.  But as far as the first contact by officers goes in this case, it appears that while he may have been outside the fair grounds, the drone itself flew over the grounds.  Does a drone cause a danger to the crowd?  I suppose there is some danger if it crashes, etc., but that is arguable.  But regardless, that appears to be the first contact reason. 

And let's give the guy leeway and accept that he his being polite, etc, with the police.  But during questioning they discover his sex offender charge.  I don't see any other option for them at the time than to want to see the video to make sure the footage is innocent, etc.  If it is, then they can figure out whether they need to fine him, or let him go, or whatever.

But at the point he says NO, this raises (unnecessary, if the video is innocent enough) doubt in the officers' minds.  I am not in any way suggesting he did anything wrong, but there are certain ways to handle certain situations,  and in this case he (to me) intentionally raised doubt in the officers' minds when he did not have to do this.   And generally, that is not a winning situation.