Privately owned drone shot down in KY?

[Mayhemxpc]

Ron, based on shooting statistics, I wish that the police would exercise similar caution when they shoot. (Please note, that is NOT political or directed at any particular events. It IS however, a specific consideration discussed in the mandatory training in Kentucky to qualify for a concealed carry permit.)

Anyway, I believe that with good legal counsel he can make a good argument that it was not negligent, careless, or reckless based on that he hit what he aimed at and no other damage or injuries are being claimed. I already said that there could be a good argument for "reasonable and necessary," which is a valid defense against prohibitions on discharging a firearm in city limits.

Dropping charges against Meredith would do more to keep UAV operators under control than any revision to the Federal Aviation Regulations.

[TedK]

Dropping charges against Meredith would do more to keep UAV operators under control than any revision to the Federal Aviation Regulations.

Bingo!

[hogflyer]

Being both a pvt pilot and having flown model aircraft for over 40 years, I feel that anybody who thinks that it's OK to shoot down a quadcopter is just plain wrong. The cameras that are carried by these quads are very small, have a very wide angle (120 to 160 deg is pretty much standard depending on the type of camera), and don't have very good resolution, especially at 400' or higher. It's not like the equipment on a gov't drone, or even a DSLR hung out the window of a C-172. Further it is not OK to shoot any aircraft down that isn't directly threatening you with bodily harm. What happens if somebody does this in a typical city subdivision and misses? What goes up must come down - either a bullet or lots of small lead pellets. An Octocopter like I'm working on that will weigh over 16 lbs when flying will do a lot of damage if it's shot down and falls uncontrollably from 400'. LiPo batteries used on quads are very flammable and in dry conditions like in California can easily start a fire (and water only makes them burn hotter and faster).

Discharging a firearm in a reckless manner like this is just pure stupid, dangerous and very negligent. The shooter has confessed to what appears to be two felonies involving a firearm and needs to be prosecuted, even if it requires a change of venue. I don't buy the "reasonable and necessary" defense as Meridith could have called the police and reported it instead of pulling out his gun and shooting the quad down - it's not like the quad was armed and ready to bomb his swimming pool. Dropping charges could also lead to more quads being show down and an an armed confrontation as somebody tries to retrieve their quad, a gun is pulled on them with a threat to shoot them, and they in turn pull a gun in self defense with the end result in somebody being shot and seriously injured or worse. Many people have a CCW and carry all the time. As far as the quad operator, without any evidence of intentional peeping, there's not much they can do as it's just hearsay. It's easy for him to claim the card was blown out of the camera by the shooter when he shot the quad out of the sky and couldn't be found - basically the shooter destroyed the evidence for the quad operator. There has also been no discussion how the FAA will handle this (since the incident has been reported to them) and it will set precedence as to whether radio control aircraft are classified (as the FAA claims) as "Aircraft" or not, and how they'll handle an aircraft being shot down. In the future under part 107 when a quad carries an N-number it'll also be a whole different can of worms since then a registered air vehicle will have been shot down.

To clarify another point, it is perfectly legal to fly a model aircraft over 400'. Per FAA AC 91-57, section 3C: "Do not fly model aircraft higher than 400 feet above the surface. When flying aircraft within 3 miles of an airport, notify the airport operator, or when an air traffic facility is located at the airport, notify the control tower, or flight service station." The AC is only a guideline the FAA recommends be followed, not requires it. I was flying aerotow gliders (sizes range from 3 meter to over 6 meter span, one tow plane weighs in at 42 lbs. w/o fuel) yesterday and didn't release on each flight until at least 1000' AGL. Some flights where over 2600' AGL in thermals. We are flying 30+ miles from Wichita, KS where there is no air traffic around the private flying field we use with all the flights well above 400'.

It there are no specific laws concerning flying a quad at low altitude, and there is no evidence from a video due to the card being "lost", the guy shooting will have no case against the quad operator but the quad operator will have a good civil case against the guy who did the shooting and threatened him at gunpoint. Simple moral to this story: watch where the quad lands, get a license plant number if need be, and call the police. Don't be stupid enough to pull out a firearm shoot down a quad that is not threatening your life.

[rwanttaja]

The best, most legal method to take out an interloping drone is air-to-air...knock it out of the sky using your own drone.

You can build a simple RC airplane for less than a hundred bucks. With an electric motor and a small LiO battery, you can have a better than 1:1 thrust/weight ratio when the battery is fresh. Fly right at the bad guy and try to ram him. If it's over your location and as low as folks claim, you'd have a good chance of hitting him. Even if you miss, you'll probably spook the guy away. "Mission Kill", as the saying goes.

Taking out a $1000 quadcopter with a $100 RC plane is a pretty good deal. You can probably add a simple recovery parachute fairly easily. Even if you don't, the expensive bits are quite possibly going to come through OK for reuse. I've had some tremendous crashes with nearly full re-use of the receiver, motor, and battery.

And if the cops investigate, you were just doing the same thing as the other guy...if *he* claims to have a right to fly a drone at a particular location, it's hard for him to claim that you don't. You were just trying to fly close to let the guy get some neat video.

Ron Wanttaja

[martymayes]

And if the cops investigate, you were just doing the same thing as the other guy...if *he* claims to have a right to fly a drone at a particular location, it's hard for him to claim that you don't. You were just trying to fly close to let the guy get some neat video.

Can always use the motorist/motorcycle excuse: "I didn't see him"

But I agree, we crashed a foamie into a tree, collected all the pieces and was able to put it back together again into flying condition. Actually, I think it gets "better" with each rebuild.

[Candice Lane]

For those who are interested, you can visit noflyzone.org if you would like to register your home as a no fly zone. This program is still in its first phase and does not guarantee that you will have no fly-overs. However, there are several participating large name manufacturers that incorporate the no fly zone data into their drone firmware. It's a first step in the right direction.

[Aaron Novak]

Hey All,
I have flown models for pretty much my whole life, mostly aircraft and starting when you still built your own and FM radios were "New". I flew from parks, from AMA fields and even in my own backyard. I never once had a complaint, and in almost all the cases people would come out to watch for fun. Now enter the "drone" movement. It's an entirely new group of people and an entirely different hobby than model aviation. While aircraft and model rotorcraft are flown for sport, competition or scale, drones are flown for primarily one reason, photography. I tried to be interested in drones, but the more I dealt with them and their owners, the more apparent it became that they were not flying to fly, but instead to spy. As a 25 year AMA member I with they would get shut down if for nothing else than to preserve the image of model aviation for those of us that DONT fly things to spy on our neighbors.
-Aaron

P.S. an effective tool for drone removal is a fishing rod with extra strength line, and golfball, and a good casting arm.

[cub builder]

I can hardly wait for the Amazon Prime drone delivery. It's like Skeet shooting with a prize.

-Cub Builder

[rwanttaja]

I can hardly wait for the Amazon Prime drone delivery. It's like Skeet shooting with a prize.

Actually, that's a VERY good point. There a people now who follow UPS trucks to steal the deliveries. The Amazon zones will probably follow standardized flight paths.... wonder if the 12-year-olds that're developing the Amazon drone software know anything about SAM breaks? :-)

Ron Wanttaja

[hogflyer]

Can always use the motorist/motorcycle excuse: "I didn't see him"

But I agree, we crashed a foamie into a tree, collected all the pieces and was able to put it back together again into flying condition. Actually, I think it gets "better" with each rebuild.

Coroplast like the SPAD's use is much better for combat, or full contact - much more durable and should take down several of those rogue flyers before needing major repair. Coroplast is the material all these political signs are made of that looks like corrugated cardboard made from plastic. We've flown them with .25's and if you line the LE with music wire (or like some guys, clipped razor blades - but be careful handling it) they are almost indestructible. For those who have flown combat - it's not easy to fly full contact and hit another aircraft intentionally, but it could be enough to scare the rogue quad operator away from your area, and much safer than shooting off a firearm in a neighborhood.

Hogflyer