Railfan Technology > Operators of low-flying drones, beware!

Operators of low-flying drones, beware!
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Judge rules man had right to shoot down drone over his house
C/Net
October 28, 2015

> It was a case that gripped the nation. Or at least Kentucky.
>
> Should it have temporarily escaped your pressured memory, William
> Merideth in July said he saw a drone flying above his property in
> Hillview, Kentucky.
>
> He believed it was spying on his 16-year-old daughter who was
> sunbathing in the garden. So he took out his shotgun and blasted the
> drone out of the sky. He was arrested for wanton endangerment and
> criminal mischief.
>
> Now a Kentucky court has declared Merideth an innocent man. Bullitt
> County District Court Judge Rebecca Ward on Monday dismissed all
> charges against Merideth, reported local TV station WDRB-TV.
>
> The drone's owner, David Boggs, had produced flight data that
> insisted his machine had been flying higher than Merideth had
> claimed.
>
> The judge, however, seems not a fan of big data. She's a woman of the
> people. She declared that two human witnesses saw the drone below the
> tree line. This evidence was, to her, conclusive. To her, this was an
> invasion of Merideth's privacy.

Story:

Judge rules man had right to shoot down drone over his house

The FAA will have a civil complaint against the shooter next.  They take a dim view of anyone shooting down any aircraft.  They've already warned towns that their "permits to hunt drones" will result in civil penalties from the FAA.  No different than firing a 30-06 at a low flying airplane in their view.

Warning

High flying drones were in the news in NY this week as a British Airways pilot reported a drone nearby on his approach into JFK airport.  2,500 foot elevation.

The only violation I can think of is discharging a weapon in a residential neighborhood.  Otherwise, good shooting.
 

Locally the shooter is known as "The Drone Slayer."  The owner of the drone produced data that showed he was not as low as the Drone Slayer said he was.  That area is about 600' above mean sea level.  I think the data said he was at 700'.  I don't know if that was 700' AMSL or 700' above the ground.  That could make a big difference.  At 700' above the ground the shotgun is going to be spreading out quite a bit.  The drone was pretty well beat up.  The Drone Slayer said the drone flew under a canopy just before he shot it down.

Something tells me he was less than 100' above the ground where it would be in range of just about any shotgun. The Drone Slayer was charged with discharging a firearm inside the city limits but the arresting officer said he agreed with his action.  Hillview is a 4th class city, a residential area just a few miles south of Louisville, Ky.

John

wa4umr Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Locally the shooter is known as "The Drone
> Slayer."  The owner of the drone produced data
> that showed he was not as low as the Drone Slayer
> said he was.  That area is about 600' above mean
> sea level.  I think the data said he was at 700'.
>  I don't know if that was 700' AMSL or 700' above
> the ground.  That could make a big difference.
>  At 700' above the ground the shotgun is going to
> be spreading out quite a bit.  The drone was
> pretty well beat up.  The Drone Slayer said the
> drone flew under a canopy just before he shot it
> down.
>
> Something tells me he was less than 100' above the
> ground where it would be in range of just about
> any shotgun. The Drone Slayer was charged with
> discharging a firearm inside the city limits but
> the arresting officer said he agreed with his
> action.  Hillview is a 4th class city, a
> residential area just a few miles south of
> Louisville, Ky.
>
> John

If the drone was 700' then the operator is in trouble for exceeding the 400' above the ground limit.  And for a shotgun to bring this thing down 100' above the ground seems much more likely.

"Bullitt County" a coincidence? 

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If the drone was 700' then the operator is in
> trouble for exceeding the 400' above the ground
> limit.  And for a shotgun to bring this thing
> down 100' above the ground seems much more likely.

Yup. We have a future management candidate in the guy flew the drone, by his manipulation of data to build his case. Unlike the "Drone Slayer" though, many people don't have access to a sympathetic judge to get justice in their lives.

cchan006 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
--- snip ---.
>
> Yup. We have a future management candidate in the
> guy[who]  flew the drone, by his manipulation of data to
> build his case. Unlike the "Drone Slayer" though,
> many people don't have access to a sympathetic
> judge to get justice in their lives.

Charlie -- SO true, SO true, and SO sad.....

The only problem with shooting these awful things
down is --- what happens to the debris?  That stuff
is completely out of control, and might land on people
or things, damagine both.  I absolutely loathe these
drones, and am in complete sympathy with the "Drone
Slayer", but --- he never thought what the debris he
created might do.

I really wish there were some way that people could
make all these drones land carefuylly somewhere where
landing would not hurt people or property, and, right
after landing, be made completely unusable.

There is simply NO way to ever be always able to fly
these things safely and responsibly.  None.

Drones were created by a technology which has openined
a Pandora's box which most of us will  eventually wish was
never opened.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/15 21:54 by Margaret_SP_fan.

Maybe a good response would be to send up your own drone and arrange for a "collision" to take place.

Best drone attack ever!!!

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

 

If I had a drone flying over my area down low, I would get one of the fishing rods that are about 3-feet long or less and a reel with weight and try and catch it and pull it down/ reel it in.
Might be fun to try anyone and not illegal.

Pat
South Austin, TX

I can't condemn drones across the board.  There are a couple members on Trainorders that have demonstrated responsible use of the drones and have provided some really wonderful video.  There are some great pictures along the California coastline, or the very rural hills a bit further inland.  The area is so remote that if you look real hard you might see the drone operator or maybe a road going through the area but they sure are not in a place where they would hurt anyone if the fell out of the air.  You can use them or mis-use them, just like you can with a car, a sound system at your subdivision backyard swim party, or a cellphone in a theater.  They are not bad things until you use them wrong.

John
 

RFandPFan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Best drone attack ever!!!
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhDG_WBIQgc

We have a new winner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC89KRV7l9M

johnacraft Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>
> We have a new
> winner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC89KRV7l
> 9M

OMG! That's some good pumpkin marksmanship!

Or:
"Great shot kid! That was one in a million!"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/03/15 10:39 by kevink.

johnacraft Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> We have a new
> winner: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HC89KRV7l
> 9M

That is TOO funny!!!

Look out there drones , if a shotgun blast or a fishing gear doesn't bring 'em down, the hawks sure will !

A responsible drone operator doesn't put his drone in harms way, period end of statement.