VULTURE Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 Hi had an interesting question asked me today, what's the deal with these quadrocopter drone things with the cameras on that seems to be buzzing around, if one buzzes you while you are mooching about your permission and you can't see the operator anywhere and a quick call to the farmer confirms that it's not him or his family and has not given permission for anyone to use one on his land. Where do you stand with this,would you shoot the thing,report it to the police or ignore it? Cheers. Vulture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southeastpete Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 Shooting it would be very tempting, but they would soon figure out who it was and I doubt it would end well. How fast do they fly? Could you follow it to it's owner and then talk to them, and report them if necessary? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulJC Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 (edited) One of my other hobbies is RC Aircraft and i own a multicopter or 3, used to be well in to RC helis but then got a bug for these instead... The owner should not be far away, battery life is pretty limited, but some of the newer ones will easily fly 20 minutes and be able to fly 3 or 4 k out and back in that time... There was a recent case in the US where someone shot down a 'drone' (really don't know why they are called that, hardly any of them do automated flight), he was found guilty with the court stating that even though he owned the land he did not own the air space above it. Edited July 4, 2015 by PaulJC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grrclark Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 If it was just someone flying it over open farmland then they are causing no harm. Different if they are pestering livestock by flying it too low or if they are flying around dwellings or such like which is an invasion of privacy. I guess if it had landed in crops that were damaged when being retrieved then that would be an issue too, but by and large why should anybody bother? I think if you shot it then you would be liable for criminal damage and rightly so in my book. Do farmers own the airspace above their fields too? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFC Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 If you shoot it then you have no idea where it would land so a very dangerous thing to do. Also, some police forces are using them now because, for some jobs, they're much cheaper than a full size heli. I don't think they'd be too impressed if it turned out to be one of theirs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rovercoupe Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 Amber hill has shot one! http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/news/series-20-episode-10-jason-vs-marksman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger-Mouse Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 Amber hill has shot one! http://gadgetshow.channel5.com/news/series-20-episode-10-jason-vs-marksman Cheers, enjoyed that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted July 4, 2015 Report Share Posted July 4, 2015 I think you'll find your right to privacy is over ridden by someone elses right to see what you are up to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbiep Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 I think you'll find your right to privacy is over ridden by someone elses right to see what you are up to I think you'll find that the right to privacy is rather limited if in the middle of a field. In your back garden might be a different matter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 I used to fly RC & CL and I would have been well hacked off if some bright spark had thought it amusing to shoot down one of my toys. I would have been on to the law in regards to criminal damage & the landowners in regards to the incident and their liability in regard to what this bright spark might do next. On the other hand if the drone was actively being used as a tool for harassment and to spoil your sport then I suggest that you go and have a word with them about it. But I still wouldn't shoot it down as it would only have a limited range and duration of battery power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VULTURE Posted July 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 Hi some good points raised there but I must point out that it was just a question somebody asked me and he isn't a shooter but flies one one of these contraptions and I think he's after somewhere to fly it. Cheers. Vulture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest stevo Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 If it was over my shoot . It would end up in the wheele bin In bits . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KFC Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 Hi some good points raised there but I must point out that it was just a question somebody asked me and he isn't a shooter but flies one one of these contraptions and I think he's after somewhere to fly it. Cheers. Vulture If it's a case of somewhere to fly it the he needs a landowner to give him permission. There's plenty of model clubs around. He should seriously consider joining this association so he has third party insurance. https://bmfa.org/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulJC Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 When you also think of the implications of the cost (Some of these things easily cost £2k, a professional filming rig can easily get in to the 10's of thousands) that the 3rd party may try to reclaim and the probable loss of SGC/FAC in the following investigation, it's not worth shooting it down... There have also been cases of people knocking them out of the sky, mostly in the US, they have also been found guilty and charged, which ever way it gets looked at it is damage to someone else's property... If someone accidentally drove down a farm lane after a wrong turn, would it be acceptable to put a few holes in the side of their car as a deterrent? Bit of a twist on similar circumstances really... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bala Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 I bet the antis have them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fortune Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 if the drone was actively being used as a tool for harassment and to spoil your sport then I suggest that you go and have a word with them about it. But I still wouldn't shoot it down as it would only have a limited range and duration of battery power. most of these things are just toys and the operator would have to be reasonably close (in the same field) and within visual range to be able to control it and as such you would know where they are and then go and have a word with them. we aren't exactly talking about the US. Military or the CIA here Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milo Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 If you choose to shoot, be prepared to justify your actions in court. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rodp Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 You have to admit though, if you were well hidden the thought would cross your mind The possible consequences would stop me, but I'd still think about it ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danger-Mouse Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 You have to admit though, if you were well hidden the thought would cross your mind The possible consequences would stop me, but I'd still think about it ... lol indeed Some friends of mine have shot a remote control aeroplane and a r.c. boat. They did belong to them though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepasty Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 Theres still regulation for flying RC vehicles, they're not allowed to be flown within a certain distance of people, buildings, vehicles etc, something like 50 meters springs to mind, if it got closer to any of these you could say you shot it on the grounds of safety and or fear of damage. I used to fly these things commercially over farmland to assess crop needs (using UV light spectrum etc) altho apart from take off and landing they were automated and we had to be very careful to stay within the regs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted July 5, 2015 Report Share Posted July 5, 2015 Why would you want to shoot it ? Personally wouldn't waste a shell unless it was carrying a sammich or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeadWasp Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 I bet the antis have them They are definitely starting to use them and on a local group level too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mentalmac Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Why would you want to shoot it ? Personally wouldn't waste a shell unless it was carrying a sammich or something. Hahahah :-) It would be more fun to put up a few shots near to it so that the operator gets the feeling of being in a dog fight... may actually quite enjoy the adrenaline rush of it. They do some RC aeroplane shooting in the US - saw some video's on youtube, looks fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salop Matt Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Surely if someone was flying one as an anti to film you and harrass you, you would be able to shoot it ? I would imagin it would be seen as tresspassing and the property is at the owners risk, with no one else liable as they dont have permition to be there in any capacity. Am sure a case will come up in the UK at some point being used by anti`s ! ATB Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy. Posted July 6, 2015 Report Share Posted July 6, 2015 Flying within 50m of any person or object which the pilot of the RPA has no control over is illegal. You are within your rights to contact the CAA who will take action. I doubt the police will do much. If you shot one, you could well be shooting a registered aircraft, which will bring a whole host of problems for you. If it's flying over your land, but at least 50m away from you and not in restricted/classified airspace, the pilot is not breaking the law. Furthermore, shooting one will probably cause a serious fire and potentially injure someone. Your best bet is to follow it back to base (it wont be hard to follow) and ask the pilot if they were aware that they were flying too close to you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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