Someone had a bad day.....
- Thread starter Northwood Mediaworks
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SoccerRef12
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I saw that article. I'm still not clear on the sequence of events that caused the drone to fly to the airport...
Dragonfly Joe
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nilanjan118
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That's sad indeed. To find yourself in a spot like this for just flying a camera drone seems really harsh.
I B Spectre
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I get the impression it's more than "for just flying a camera drone". The guy stated, "I usually fly my drone out really far to capture nice shots". I gather from this he did not have the required VLOS. According to AirMap, Caesar's Palace is near the center of Class B airspace denoted as from the surface. If he wasn't flying under Part 107 with FAA authorization, he was clearly violating the regs. From the southeast corner of Caesar's parking garage to the approach end of McCarran Rwy 19R is right at 3km to the southest. I presume the ferris wheel he wanted to shoot was the High Roller which is 996m almost due east. He was in a very congested metropolitan area with significant vehicular and pedestrian traffic, most likely with a lot of WiFi . I have no idea of the wind situation that day or how long it took his Phantom 3 to drift the 3km, but he can thank his lucky stars it finally landed next to an active runway and not on it. The FAA stated "...this individual did not respond to any of the letters we sent him and did not avail himself of the appeals process so the time to appeal expired without him ever filing one.”, thus compounding his problem.
dap1948
Member
He was illegally flying from the get go. The entire Vegas Strip is a NO FLY ZONE.
How did he get the footage of the initial controlled flight and then the subsequent fly away? It is posted on the news story and quite clear video. Was he able to see the video and download it and still not control the craft? And why did he post the video anywhoo....yeesh.
nilanjan118
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I am not trying to defend him. Also not denying the serious implications such violations can have especially related to safety. I only meant to say that since we all know why these drones are flown (simply to take photos/videos), a penalty of such magnitude seems a bit harsh. But having said that, rules should be followed and the law should be upheld at any cost. A good lesson for all of us to learn.
I B Spectre
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The Feds don't mess around, especially if the person cited shows no interest in addressing the charge after being given multiple opportunities. I'm not suggesting they might not still have fined him, but it might have been reduced...he'll never know. Blatant disregard for safety-based regulations can be expected to incur severe consequences. I agree, we can all benefit from his experience. ?
dap1948
Member
Where he was flying, the Vegas Strip, and the airport being right across the road from casinos filled with thousands, if a plane had hit that drone it could have cost the lives of thousands. $20,000 is a lot of money but in this case I feel he got off easy.
All my flights are recorded onto my phone or tablet, I had 2 flyaways due to power line interference.
NWSpark
Well-Known Member
ANnnnd it's guys like this that wreck the hobby for the rest of us. Uggggh, why don't people pay attention and use some ruddy common sense. No sympathy for that guy!!!!
PhantomFandom
Well-Known Member
The drone was confiscated but then was returned to him intact. The video was off of the SD card in the drone. Why did he post it? Um...because he is an idiot? At that point I guess he really had nothing else to lose since the fine stands either way. They are not going to impose any additional penalty for posting the video online.
PhantomFandom
Well-Known Member
I agree that if the situation were different then the fine seems harsh. If it were truly only an innocent picture taking flight and the drone failed, leading to encroaching controlled airspace then it's a whole different story.
However in this case, he blatantly disregarded controlled airspace, flying over people, flying BVLOS, and most likely did so with the knowledge of what he was doing. For that, he deserves the fine.
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