sunyata Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Just in case you missed it, a couple of guys wanted to fly around the Washington Bridge with a Phantom 2, only problem was that they forgot NYPD is not too crazy about unknown aircraft flying over their city. http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-nyc-drone-nypd-helicopter-20140708-story.html The NYPD claimed the drone almost ran into their chopper (that was chasing it), and that it was flying at 2,000 feet! But regardless, that was seriously batshit stupid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted July 9, 2014 Administrators Share Posted July 9, 2014 Flying it within sight of a police helicopter is seriously stupid. Not sure if the police overreacted or not though. Attach a string, call it a kite, then see if they overreact to that ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleepyWill Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 Given the law in the US, it would seem that they acted appropriately, unless they flat out lied about having to change course to avoid getting too close to it. That these guys are getting felony charges instead of a slap on the wrist and a leaflet detailing their local airspace rules is the over-reaction, but that's on the DA's office, not the police themselves. Presumably it wants to make an example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Andrew Reid Posted July 9, 2014 Administrators Share Posted July 9, 2014 They didn't lie.... Does the Phantom even go to 2000ft? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SleepyWill Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 They didn't lie.... Does the Phantom even go to 2000ft? I mean, we all mod our kit - that it can't out of the factory doesn't mean that it didn't and, presumably the police have to provide evidence that what they say happened did in fact happen - those helicopters have cameras and they are very good at pointing it in the direction of trouble so if there is no footage, I would be very suspicious - but then if there was no footage, any half decent lawyer is going to run circles around the prosecution. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HurtinMinorKey Posted July 9, 2014 Share Posted July 9, 2014 I mean, we all mod our kit - that it can't out of the factory doesn't mean that it didn't and, presumably the police have to provide evidence that what they say happened did in fact happen - those helicopters have cameras and they are very good at pointing it in the direction of trouble so if there is no footage, I would be very suspicious - but then if there was no footage, any half decent lawyer is going to run circles around the prosecution. Assuming you can afford the $10-20K to get said "half-decent lawyer" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunyata Posted July 10, 2014 Author Share Posted July 10, 2014 Earlier in NYC: Quite possibly the most nauseating drone footage I've seen. Crank up the audio and go full-screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quirky Posted July 10, 2014 Share Posted July 10, 2014 presumably the police have to provide evidence that what they say happened did in fact happen so if there is no footage, I would be very suspicious - but then if there was no footage, any half decent lawyer is going to run circles around the prosecution. During the previous century, maybe, but in the brave new world of today, dream on. On the other hand, regardless of the antics of the NYPD, surely it was obvious ever since the first commercially available drones came available that the proverbial shit is going to hit the fan. It's bound to happen when any moron can buy a remote controlled aircraft and fly it almost anywhere. Which is exactly what morons with no aviation skills will end up doing, eventually. I'm openly against creating a police state (which would/will no doubt ban drones and then use them to monitor and herd the citizens), but when it comes to aviation, certain basic skills, along with some rules and regulations make perfect sense. Not every moron with enough dough need to be allowed to fly one anywhere, any time. A smart drone pilot is not likely get entangled with the law&enforcement in the first place, unless bad luck was involved. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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