Man knocks drone (quadcopter) down.

[Randy Cuberly]

Just saw a video on Fox News of a man knocking down a drone (Quadcopter) flying low on a street.  He told the two men flying the thing to stop flying it there in the street but they persisted so he took off his shirt, walked up to the "drone" and knocked it down with the shirt then walked away.  He was obviously a very big tough looking guy with a full beard and the two flying the drone did not challenge him other than to say "Hey, What the Hell!".  He walked away and didn't look back.  It'll be interesting to see what happens.  Apparently he's claiming invasion of privacy.

Randy Cuberly

[Steve Helmick]

 

[Motorman]

If he was on a public street he had no expectation of privacy but he could easily claim it was endangering people.


MM

[Tim Wescott]

So if someone rougher and tougher than you said they were offended by your car and destroyed it, would you be OK with that?

[Ward Van Duzer]

Saw a news story on AOL where some dude was filming a fire company putting out a house fire and one of the firemen turned the hose on the drone! Yipppy!

w.

[FLOYD CARTER]

With all the 'drone' stories, (and there will be many more), hows about a separate tab called "Drone Stories".  All these are getting somewhat tedious.

F.C.

[jim gilmore]

Too bad they did not see him coming and fly the drone towards the street.
If he followed it and was struck by a car whom would be to blame ?

[Randy Cuberly]

So if someone rougher and tougher than you said they were offended by your car and destroyed it, would you be OK with that?

Hi Tim,
I didn't say I was OK with it, I just reported the facts as I saw them in the video.  Personally I have a lot of mixed feelings about the incident.  I seriously doubt that the destruction of a 1400 dollar machine will be smiled upon by any court.  Technically it's an act of violence but not against a person.  I don't know all the details about the incident.  It's possible the guy lives on that street and the drone camera was looking into his windows, in which case he might have a case.  Huh!??? 
I do think people are going to be very upset about these things flying around their neighborhoods and I seriously doubt that this is the last or even the first of many such incidents!

The most problematic issue about these incidents for us as modelers is that we could all get lumped into one pot and severe regulations could be forced on all modeling, in spite of the fact that these things are not even truly models in the current vernacular, but are associated with model airplanes through advertising and some similarity in operation.

Also having every quack and 11 year old kid operating one in the vicinity of houses, automobiles, and pedestrians doesn't seem like a good idea to me.  The fact that they could easily be used as "peeping devices" probably doesn't set to lightly with folks of the tender gender either!  That most definitely is an invasion of privacy!

Randy Cuberly

[Phil Bare]

I just don't get WTF is wrong with idiots that think it is cool to destroy some one else's property.
If you do not like quad copters, do not buy one. Real simple, huh? Seems like there is a lot of a holes in the world who just can not bear to see other people enjoying their hobby.

Phil Bare

[Phil Bare]

Saw a news story on AOL where some dude was filming a fire company putting out a house fire and one of the firemen turned the hose on the drone! Yipppy!

w.

There are a holes every where, even in the fire department.

[Mike Scholtes]

I am a lot more concerned about the use of these things by people that DO know what they are doing, like militarized local "police" and spooks of every kind using them to create a surveillance state. And I am an avowed lefty-progressive. I personally don't want ANYBODY flying a surveillance machine outside my window or over my yard. The snoopers tend to take the Orwellian view that you have nothing to fear unless you are breaking the law.

On a more mundane level Randy makes good points about the legal implications of intentional destruction in a public space of someone else's property. Even if someone thinks his/her privacy was invaded they are not entitled to pursue a machine and destroy it, or assault the operator. That is why we have police and courts rather than committees of vigilance. This is going to evolve into a very interesting mix of civil liberties and property rights versus the right to privacy.

[Randy Cuberly]

There are a holes every where, even in the fire department.

Yes, there are even some on this forum Phil!!!  Might you take a look in the mirror!  

I don't think anyone said it was "Cool" to destroy other peoples property.  But it is also not cool to do whatever you want at the expense of others safety and privacy!  I'm waiting for one of these things to get sucked into the intake of a commercial jet on take off.  Hmmmm...Not so cool huh!

Randy Cuberly

[Phil Bare]

Randy, if I look into a mirror, it is your face that I would see. 
All the fretting about what MIGHT happen with a drone is ridiculous.
Wait for the mishaps and then make an assessment.
Condemning other means  of enjoying the hobby of flight differing from your own is pretty narrow minded in my opinion.

Phil Bare

[Dennis Leonhardi]

Randy, if I look into a mirror, it is your face that I would see.
All the fretting about what MIGHT happen with a drone is ridiculous.
Wait for the mishaps and then make an assessment.
Condemning other means  of enjoying the hobby of flight differing from your own is pretty narrow minded in my opinion.

Phil Bare

Phil, I've several times stated on internet forums that it's crazy to criticize folks who pursue a different way "of enjoying the hobby of flight" (as you put it).  And "drones" in various forms are being put to constructive use in many ways - the county I live in, for example, is currently saving time and money by contracting with a "drone" flyer to complete agricultural surveys.

But it's also undeniable that idiots - well, you would refer to them as a holes -  are putting these to use in destructive ways.  Not necessarily by design, but by their lack of ability/judgement/knowledge/common sense - take your pick.

I recently reported that a radio station announcer in this area purchased a $1700 quadcopter and, on his second flight, managed to hit a power line with it.  And knock out power in that area for many residents.  Were I to live in that area and see him make another attempt to fly one, I'd feel quite justified in pulling out a shotgun and making an attempt to destroy his "property".

The reality is we don’t have to ”Wait for the mishaps” - they are all around us on a regular basis.  I really hope to see some serious regulation soon, before the possibilities "of enjoying the hobby of flight" - in all forms - are seriously diminished for all of us.


Dennis
 

“Helicopters can’t really fly - they’re just so ugly that the earth immediately repels them.”

[Perry Rose]

It's entirely possible the quadcopter didn't cost $1400.00. More like $59.99 which includes a mounted 2 MP HD camera with 2 MB SD card and card reader. Not to mention a self leveling 6 axis gyroscope.  And it's on sale, reduced from $79.99. That ad is in a sale flyer I got from Benny's this morning. There's no stopping them at those prices.

[john e. holliday]

I just read this and am thinking about the RC flyers who used to fly in a big vacant field.   The was a farmer lived next to the property and warned them about flying over his property.  There was plenty of room to fly without going past the fence line.   After about three warnings the guys are doing their usual flying antics when one of their fellow guys said something about being warned.   Have you ever seen an RC plane hit with a full choke 12 gauge.  Needless to say they did not try to retrieve what was left.   Nobody flew out that far again. 

But, the guy that used his shirt to down a drone should have to replace it.   He could have called the authorities.  I know here in Shawnee we have restrictions for flying remote control craft.

[Wayne Collier]

So, was the operator behaving in an offensive manner?  Reckless manner?  Shirt whacking may not be an appropriate response but some of the owners of these things should really think about common decency.  Many people do not want to be photographed against their wishes with any kind of device flying or not. 

Time for me to put on my tinfoil sleeping cap and go to bed 

[Fredvon4]

Years ago my son needed a father son project to keep him away from a crowd of kids I did not like.

Bought a RC 10 electric race car/buggy, (kit with about a 1000 pieces), upgraded motor for later, batteries, charger, and Futaba RC gear. Around $350.

We spent the winter months assembling the car...He learned a lot about electrics, soldering, suspension, servo travel etc. Using my airplane painting airbrushes he ruined two bodies before he finally got a great looking finish on the inside of the lexan.... learned skills and was super proud of his efforts

The RC track was some distance away and we went several times to watch and learn.

Our quiet neighbor hood had very little traffic and I would supervise his learning to drive the thing on the street ( yards were too small)

If some grouchy old man had stomped his car there would have been serious trouble. I like to think I would just call the police--- but I remember those days and I probably would have threatened to beat his ass

I did not see the Fox news on this incident but suspect the fellows with the toy quad were just out having a good time

I remember when mini bikes were popular..... seems the grouchy old men had the same attitude

[john e. holliday]

We grouchy old men are like that.   Working in the back yard I kept hearing an engine going up and down the street.  Seems neighbor kid had gotten an RC car fuel powered and was learning to run it.  I went out to see what was going on.   He was having trouble with keeping the engine running.  A few minutes showing him how to adjust it and then it was fun watching him go fast, stop and come back without having to go get it, except when he ran it out of fuel.   Yes it was noisy, but we had other neighbors watching him have fun.

[Randy Cuberly]

Years ago my son needed a father son project to keep him away from a crowd of kids I did not like.

Bought a RC 10 electric race car/buggy, (kit with about a 1000 pieces), upgraded motor for later, batteries, charger, and Futaba RC gear. Around $350.

We spent the winter months assembling the car...He learned a lot about electrics, soldering, suspension, servo travel etc. Using my airplane painting airbrushes he ruined two bodies before he finally got a great looking finish on the inside of the lexan.... learned skills and was super proud of his efforts

The RC track was some distance away and we went several times to watch and learn.

Our quiet neighbor hood had very little traffic and I would supervise his learning to drive the thing on the street ( yards were too small)

If some grouchy old man had stomped his car there would have been serious trouble. I like to think I would just call the police--- but I remember those days and I probably would have threatened to beat his ass

I did not see the Fox news on this incident but suspect the fellows with the toy quad were just out having a good time

I remember when mini bikes were popular..... seems the grouchy old men had the same attitude

Nice story. Sounds like you and your son had fun.

However I see very little comparison between a model car on the street and a quad copter flying around the neighborhood, either in nuisance factor or risk of injury!

Apples are apples an Oranges are oranges!

Randy Cuberly

[Fredvon4]

Perhaps apples to oranges, I submit we really never know. I find almost ALL so called news reporting never has enough "Both sides" information for me to make any INFORMED opinion.