I fly a drone for a news station as part of my job and we've had these issues come up with our legal team since often there are people who don't want us flying where we're flying, and I have to say you're absolutely correct according to our lawyers. People can restrict your activity of taking off, landing, or flying your drone from the ground, but only the FAA can restrict what airspace you're allowed to fly through. Some important notes/distinctions that have come up for our station: 1. Pilots are required by law to comply with instructions or request of law enforcement or emergency personnel, provided it does not interfere with safe operation of the aircraft - Meaning if a police officer tells you not to fly over a car crash, fire, etc. You have to safely land your drone and comply with their request, to this end they are also allowed to request to see your certifications, flight logs, or replay your video to make sure you weren't engaging in illegal voyeurisms. Another important cavate to this is that if you're flying over say a fire and a fire chief asks you to fly to a specific area to give them a better view of a situation you are required to do this so long as it doesn't put your drone or any bystanders at risk. (your safety responsibilities as Pilot in Command supersede these request) so essentially you and your drone can be commandeered for public good. 2. Any space internal to the structure of a property is considered private, so you can't fly into someone's garage, under their awnings, or even below the confines of a closed in fence, which is pretty darn low and cheeky anyway. 3. Your responsibilities to fly your drone safely as PIC are federal and supersede ALL local ordinances or restrictions on where you are allowed to operate your drone from the ground. So for example if you're flying a drone and the wind picks up forcing you to make an emergency landing in a nearby park that has restrictions on drone flying/operations, you can move into the park while controlling the drone in order to maintain visual line of sight and land it safely. Another example of this might be if you have to make an emergency landing in a restricted space and have to violate that space to retrieve the drone, you are allowed to do that, provided you don't have to violate any physical barriers (fences etc.) to do so, as breaking and entering is still a crime.

I am a recreational flyer and I live in a rural area in NW Pa. 95% of my flights are out of my yard. An incident occurred on September 3, 2023 and the PA State police now have my Air 2S. I was filming a hyper lapse video of the sunset when I received a critical battery error (my own stupidity) and the drone made an emergency landing about 400 meters from home. I could see that it had landed on a neighbors property and waited until the next morning to go there and ask permission to search. When I did they told me that they had found it and called the police who came and took the drone. I was happy to hear that it was found and figured that all I needed to do was call, explain what happened, and go retrieve it from them. I made that call on September 4 and was told that the officer involved would have to call me back. I waited a few days without hearing a word then he finally contacted me. He informed me that I wouldn't be getting the drone back soon if at all because there had been other complaints, about drone flyers in my neighborhood. I explained that I could easily prove that there was no malicious intent on my part by showing him the flight logs. I also told him that everything I filmed would be on the memory card in the drone and, if he removed the battery, he would find a sticker with my name, address and phone number on it. He didn't want to hear that though and was very arrogant and downright rude when he told me that he was gathering everyone in the area who had complained and they were taking me to court. When I inquired about a timeline he said that he couldn't even start the 'investigation' until he gets off of 3rd shift. Its been a month and he still has not started the investigation. Since then I've done some research and found that civil forfeiture laws exist that allow them to keep property indefinitely even if there are never any charges or arrests made.

24 years as a LEO. This guy is spot on. We cannot regulate airspace. Now... what we can do and have done is look to see if the activity being complained about violates one of the following laws: Harrassment, Stalking, or Peeping Tom statutes. These statutes cover most if not all of the complaints folks make on drones that actually have MERIT. A drone buzzing overhead at 40mph on its way somewhere isnt going to violate any of those laws. Constant hovering over certain areas like swimming pools or using it to look in windows, or hovering over people to harass them is already covered under these laws. The fact a drone is being used to violate the law is irrelevant as it doesnt matter HOW the law is being violated it only matters THAT it is being violated, and no additional laws on drone flying are needed in most communities and as most states already have these 3 laws on the books. Now we could also report illegal drone use to the FAA such as not using remote ID or other violations. Im a drone flier myself and keep up with the laws and I do my best to educate citizens who call in complaints without merit.

I worked at FAA Flight Standards as an inspector for 31 years. Excellent video and are right on with the info.

The rules are simple: As a drone pilot, behave just like you would expect others to behave. My play set: - Respect private properties and think about noise abatement. -If you are on a job and you need to fly over or around a private property for a longer period of time, maybe consider informing the owners beforehand and kindly inform them about what you are doing and the legal situation. Involve them, do not fight them. - Try to understand how uninformed individuals feel about drone operations, especially over private grounds or crowded spaces. There is a huge difference between a drone flying over a property briefly or a drone hovering low level for 15 minutes at or over your premises. - Do not operate close to people and if so, behave like a pro. Doing crazy FPV practice in crowded parks is a no-go and an annoyance to others. If you want to practice, go somewhere less populated and avoid confrontations. - Inform people about drones, safety and rules,, do not fight them - Do not film individual people, assets or properties without permission -Act like an adult and always be friendly and professional. Do not act like a Drone-Caren... Aviation in general is and should be a thing for humble, professional and honest people, not a place for harzadeurs and reckless personalities. Do it professionally and resonsively. Tell others to act accordingly.

Thank you Russ for this intelligent discussion! When we know better we do better, thanks for bringing this information to everyone’s attention. I am working on my part 107 certification and I watch all your videos to increase my knowledge and understanding for flying a drone as a business. Many thanks and keep up the good work!

I absolutely love your channel. As a part 107 pilot, I get a lot of great information from you. Thanks

This is such a thorough and informative video from the beginning all the way to the end (Yes! Even the sponsoring part because it is a very useful tool.) Thank you so much for sharing all of the research you did and your knowledge with the public. Liked and subscribed. 🙌

Great information. Thanks! You reaffirmed some points I’ve read about and brought some really valuable details I didn’t know. Love your channel.

As a drone pilot myself I really appreciate you making this video.

Probably the best explanation of private airspace to date.. Well done man.. I have my 107 and I found this very useful..

Had someone fly a drone really low in my backyard, right outside my back porch door. The drone was literally watching me, I saw it, stepped out the door and the drone flew away. It was at night and there was no way for me to know who it belonged to. I don't think they should be legally allowed to fly beneath your roof or privacy fence. That's 100% an invasion of privacy and should not be okay.

Howdy Russ, thank you for your excellent knowledge in the reporting of these rules and regulations. As always, you do your research, and as you stated, state when you’ve been wrong. Well done, and look forward to you future reporting on this very touchy subject! 🙏🙏

Thanks Russ, that answered many questions.. & concerns I had about flying around in my neighborhood.

Great video! I was just having this conversation with my son-in-law as he does home inspections and uses his drone to inspect roofs. Sure is a lot safer than climbing on steeply pitched roofs. I also checked into drone laws in New Zealand as I have a daughter that lives there. According to what I read you need permission to fly over someone’s house unlike the USA.

It depends upon what the drone is doing. For instance a Peeping Tom was using a drone to peek into a young girls bedroom. It was only about 5-6' off the ground and was below the top of the picket fence. The father used a fishing net to bring it down. The local police were not able to positively identify the owner/operator. When contacted the FAA was totally uninterested. The FAA said call them back when the owner/operator was arrested.

I'm in UK. I always doing my best to follow the rules. Never even point the camera at people. I also keep my flight records in case someone want to challenge me. Thanks for sharing.

Russ, thank you for this video. You channel is always informative!

The problem is there’s people who automatically believe every drone is watching them regardless of the actual intent .

Wow! This is only the second video I’ve seen of yours, and so far The Best Yet for information about flying rules, and info! I just started back flying after a long time away, and of course tech improvements into satellite equipped! Awesome! Appreciate the new info, as because before I got back into them, I had initial offense feelings when a drone flew over me! Go figure! Now I know more about the rules! Thank you! Great job!🇺🇸

A while back my next door neighbor's dogs, which were tethered together, we're stolen. Without the behest of my neighbor I got up at 5:00 in the morning to fly my drone with this thought in mind. I fed my dogs early and then they went out to do their business. With this thought in mind I flew over the backyards at a high altitude with the gimbal straight down and on the second day I found the dogs. As I thought they weren't too far away and this person that took the dogs thought that they were being mistreated by being tethered together. So I flew over many properties at a pretty good altitude at Dawns light. I replayed the video clip for my neighbor and he got the dogs back. Lucky for me nobody filed a lawsuit or anything like that. Flyboy K85

The thing with Easments on private property is they are intendted for transit, not for extended loitering. So yes you can fly over or 'through' 'private' airspace but it is gerneally a good idea not to loiter for too long above that private property just ot be safe as a pilot. < just a good rule of thumb

You can actually sell the airspace above your property just like mineral rights - this goes on the deed/title of the land. I sold the airspace above my house to the FAA because I’m in the approach way of an airport, so I couldn’t actually use it anyway and the FAA provided soundproofing for my home as consideration for the deed modification.

I ENJOYED this video so much that I just SUBSCRIBED to your channel. I especially liked the part about the air space above property. I leaned quite a few things today. See U on your next Educational video. Cheers !! 😎😎😎

Hey Russ, very informative video! I'm a Part 107 card carrier and I've found when I'm at a job site to shoot (poor wood choice) aerial photography, I wear an orange and black highly reflective jacket that states I'm a Certified FAA UAS pilot. This jacket has saved me from many conflicts and actually has enticed the curious to ask me questions and create many great conversations. Just my two cents. Thanks for your diligent research.

This will become the go-to video on this thorny topic. Well done, Russ! I am most interested in reading viewers' comments on whether airspace usage regs/laws should ultimately be decided at the state or federal level. There are reasonable arguments for both. Despite being a big fan of federalism and 10A/states' rights, count me among the viewers who believe this falls among the few issues which over which the federal government should have the final say. I'm always game for civil discourse on topics like this and will be following this discussion closely. Thanks again, Russ, for a great video!

That was super informative Russ, thank you. I just got my part 107 and starting to get into drone work here in CA. I'm 100% positive I will encounter this situation in the near future and it's nice to already have a head start when explaining drone laws regarding private property and air space. Thanks.

Great video, thank you very much for clarifying that information!

A nasty example of how this can go WRONG is a local neighborhood home owner's association now has a drone and they fly it over each house to get to areas that are not visible from outside the property. So they can charge you with "violations" that are totally invisible other than from a drone flying overhead!

Certainly a touchy subject. Drones transitioning through a navigable airspace is one thing…like a commercial airliner flying overhead. I’m sure what most folks get hostile about is the possibility of drone-based voyeurism occurring while you and your family are out in the backyard at the pool or wherever…the paparazzi-effect.

Great video and very timely as during the summer there are so many drones in the air. Questions continually come up about flying OVER someones house. Thanks for the clear information, much of which was already known but also presenting a lot that was not.

As you said initially... Until it interferes with the normal use and enjoyment of your property which is a totally different set of laws than the FAA.

Thank you for clearing this up it's always good to hear facts

Yea, Arkansas limits filming a bunch of infrastructure (including police stations and court houses) as opposed to flying in the airspace. I use the top of the trees/roofs as a minimum altitude, but I like getting permission too! Great vid.

Why don’t people go after google for the satellite view?🤔

Very well explained!! I had a debate with someone about this. I ended it with “have you ever heard about owning beachfront property, and how people are allowed to walk along the beach ‘on your property’?”. He agreed, adding that it was considered a public easement. I said ya, thats why you cant prevent aircrafts from flying in ‘your airspace’, because its a public easement for aircrafts… He promised me I was wrong 🤣

I really appreciate videos like this. The laws seem to be changing all the time, many times for the better, but it's difficult to keep up with. Thanks.

This video was very helpful. I have my Part 107 license but this topic has always been the one that I struggle with because people tend to assume the worst when it comes to drones. This gave me a better understanding. Thanks!

Very much appreciate this well researched info. Gives me more confidence in my ability to fly near and around private property. Thank you!🙏🏻

I bought a drone a few months ago and every time that I fly it, I get those laser eys from all around. I flew it over the harbor to take some video of my boat after Hurricane Ian and was told that I had to land immediately, was called all kinds of names and was told I would hear from their lawyer. I did not hear from anyone, but this seems the general reaction I have had. People hate drones when it is not theirs.

Great job on this tricky topic! I'm keeping this video bookmarked. As a 107 certified commercial drone operator, this is something I have to explain on a regular basis. Just to expand on local laws, drone operators do need to understand just because they are legally allowed to fly over private property, they are not able to commit a crime or violate local ordinances by doing so. This means they can still be charged not only with voyeurism and spying but harassment, damage to property, public endangerment, and more. Also, many local governments (mine included) have illegal, federally pre-empted drone laws on the books, and LE can still enforce these laws, leaving it up to the pilot to take the case to court. I spent several months trying to have such laws reversed and was finally told that these laws will stand until they are tested in court. Finally, it's usually better to avoid conflict in the first place, and deescalate by moving to another location or taking the time to explain what you are doing and why. I know a lot of operators who just quote the laws without actually addressing someone's concerns. Thanks again!

Great job explaining the rules! I’m sure if I decide to take off and land in my neighbors property that could be considered trespassing. I know I’ve been careful to take off and land in a public area. I’ve had a few run ins with people asking me if I’m allowed to fly…which I am. Also I’ve noticed the more I look official (safety vest, clipboard, etc) the less likely I’ll be stopped. 😊

As screwed up as it would be (and is) I think we are far better off with Federal regulations than a new set of rules whenever we enter a new town or cross state line, that would just be chaos.

Excellent Topic! So very important to a lot of people. I have found that if you can talk to people about what you're doing it really helps. I live out in the country and when a neighbor who was a little agitated with me flying around while he was deer hunting found out I can locate a deer for him that he can't find and offered to do it for free he warmed up a bit. When I told him I can find and film poachers and trespassers, a true friendship was formed. Some people make everything all about themselves and their rights. Be a good ambassador to your community. Show people the good of what you're doing, offer to help try to find a lost pet. If you fly over someone's house, make sure you're wide open on the throttle, DO NOT HOVER OVER SOMEONES PERSONAL SPACE! Simply be a good person, there's a shortage of that in general. Russ, I have to have one of those hoodies!!! I keep telling myself that lie way too often!!!

It surprises me how many people want to threaten to shoot down drones for whatever reason. Whenever I hear that, I attempt to educate them, but in today's "know it all" nature, they refuse to listen. So I wish them well when they get hit with a felony. Meanwhile... a couple weeks ago I was in central Utah riding the Paiute Trail on my ATV. I came across some very old NO TRESPASSING signs at the start of a trail. I checked the map (a recent map) and nothing was mentioned about any private property. Curious, I launched my drone and from about 150-200' up (where you can neither see nor hear it), I followed the trail for a while and determined there were no structures/residences or anything else. No idea why those signs are there. But this was easier than potentially trespassing and having somebody shooting at you.

Very informative video, funny just the other day my wife and I discussed the issue of privacy. My wife was a magistrate in the state court system and had heard of cases/complaints about drones. She said it was a gray area, neither judges, lawyers or litigants were never quite clear on the state/federal laws. Your video should be required viewing for law students.

Slightly different, but relatable to your topic. Before drones, the rule for admissible photographic evidence (without a warrant) collected from manned aircraft used to be: •500’ above the property •Photograph/video not zoomed/enhanced

Great video and as an owner of a couple of Ecoflow River Pro's they are brilliant.

Clyde: “I thought it was a hawk after my chickens!”

I was in a really nice neighborhood shooting drone photos of a house recently. While getting a couple of my shots (and just after the realtor had left) I needed to fly above the property across the street to get one of the angles. This guy comes running out of his house waving a rifle around screaming like crazy. I was almost done anyways so I just kept it moving. Then someone I know in that neighborhood sent me screenshots from their fb group and he's on there ranting about how somebody was flying a drone outside his window of his office where he had HIPPA protected private documents laid out across the desk. And let me clarify; even when I was above his house I was at least about 25' above the top of the structure and as a policy whenever I have to make a maneuver like that to get a shot I always get in and out as quickly as possible and take care to never point the camera directly at the home to be respectful. I get that people value their privacy but it would've been so easy to just walk outside, flag me down, and ask me why I was flying above his home. Luckily I've never had a situation go further than that but it definitely made me aware of the possibility of things going sideways and getting out of hand just because I'm out here doing my job.

Great info, thanks for researching and sharing.

One of my favorite photos is one of a bald eagle taking out a drone.

According to the faa the national airspace starts at the grass. I would never do this. But if its within line of sight, flying head height directly over someone’s property is legal. Again I would never do this…

I think some important words in the subject are TRANSIT and NAVIGATE. If a UAV is intentionally dwelling over another persons property then other laws can apply.

Thanks a lot for this video. It's very kind of you

Very informative. Thank you for posting.

Unfortunately, the average person is not aware of the actual laws. On the Neighbors platform, a bunch of people did the usual "Imma shoot it down if it comes near my prop'ty". I was roundly mocked for pointing out how the FAA views drones, and that it could be law enforcement flying by. Some folks just don't want to be confused by the facts.

I have my Part 107, and I can understand why airspace needs to be "shared" but when in relation to private property and flying over I think it should be illegal/remain illegal to record or "spy" on private property because it does remove the feeling of having a safe space on your own property.

Russ, have you seen Florida's Blue SUAS List? And what are your thoughts on the NO DRONES signs that places put up? If you are taking off and landing beyond these areas, but the areas are beautiful and worthy of videoing, are they able to do anything about it? Great videos by the way, always watching 👍👏

Something to consider, also, is my dad flew a hot air balloon in the Denver area. Some of the launch sites used were north of Denver in more rural areas. There were definitely farms who made it clear they didn't appreciate hot air balloons flying over their property and these were noted on the local club flight maps. It would be good manners to contact other flight groups - hot air balloon clubs, RC plane clubs, rocket clubs, etc. to share "no fly zones", then just avoid them. Farmers and ranchers are concerned for their livestock being spooked by noises and flying things interpreted by the animals as predators, or just scary things. Plus, farmers and ranchers are generally wary of strangers showing up at their place. Emergencies are exceptions, of course. And it is just common sense to stay away from emergency situations unless you've been asked to assist. Here in Idaho, several critical fire operations had to be suspended due to unauthorized drones interfering with safe operation of fire fighting and rescue aircraft. Regardless of what is allowed by law, I think consideration and common sense goes a long way to maintaining the ability to fly a drone relatively regulation free. Pushing those limits will only result in tighter restrictions. That's guaranteed.

Great video. I always thought you didn’t own your airspace, and it was a MAJOR grey area. I also heard that the FAA was trying to create a rule that states you ONLY own your airspace 1” above your land, because of drone delivery and police operations. This would clearly define these boundaries.

I fly several times a day 6 days a week, and I can count on one hand how many times I had some local person give me a problem. If I see neighbors or concerned citizens I inform them of the operation. I have had many occasions where the neighboring home owner pops out to ask why that drone was over their property. I tell them, offer to show them images captured, and that generally stops any further issues. In fact, many of them are just taken by the imagery I have on the monitors. More issues can possibly develop during missions where the drone is repetitively flying the same routes. Again I think those having the proper professional looking vests, communication with residents are a remedy for any action or concerns of private citizens. On the other hand I have seen many in plain clothes uAS operators get the attention and a more heated concern or confrontation from residents. I too have on rare occasion had a homeowner warn me about shooting down our drones, but I quickly remind them of the FAA laws prohibiting them to do so. They usually walk away afterward.

Thanks for the update

I plan to use this video as backup hopefully i never need to but thank you for making a concise confident video as such

very informative!! Thanks for always keeping us informed.

Great information as always! I really appreciate this. My story: I was flying my drone at my house neighborhood like I always do.( my drones are registered with FAA, I'm trust certified, I follow all the rules) one of my neighbors, came out the other day, and he told me do not fly your drone over my house. I said, " no problem " because I didn't want to start something with my neighbor, but clearly he hates drones, do not know the law, or its hiding something. Lol

Great video as always! Thanks for the information.

Apart from the law itself, there is just neighborly consideration, or even just being a thoughtful human, and compassion and understanding. Yes, I know, it's probably too much to ask of many people. My only experience with this topic was shortly after Christmas a few years back I heard a buzzing like a swarm of bees over my back yard. I was honestly perplexed this being my first encounter with a drone. I looked up, saw the thing hovering about 30 feet up over my property, waved my arm like "Get the hell out of here." and it left. So, I appreciated their good sense.

Great job, Russ. Concise and accurate information. Everyone, even Clyde, needs to watch this video.

This will be a good power station to charge my drones since it has 256Wh of capacity.

That was a good informative video. Thanks !

Thanks for the info I have been thinking of getting a drone but wasn't sure about the air space part.i would think going straight up you could see alot

You know what I've found to be a great deterrent against know-it-alls? I bright yellow reflective vest that says in big bold letters: "Part 107 Drone Pilot: Do Not Approach" along with my 107 license on display in the clear chest pocket.

I try to keep updated with the rules, but if a local police or Karen harasses me and I'm not flying as a part 107 for a job. I would just move on. It's bad enough that some pilots don't know all the rules, and no clue for the average person. All I could say is don't Spy or do foolish things and spoil it for the rest of us.

I was gone skip the ad till you said don’t skip 😂

Spying or stalking is a offence and idiots like that should be dealt with in my eyes. Just flying over a property should not be classified as invasion.

Good video. I found in my experience that courtesy goes a long way when flying over private property. I keep a minimum altitude of about 150-200 ft and try to stay clear of people who may be in their yard or whatever. No one has shot me down yet.

Hi Russ, I totally agree with you and that no property owner, State, County, City or Municipality can restrict the navigable national airspace of the USA with FAA registered aircraft. Two years ago the City Council in my city in southern California was going to come up with their own drone regulations. I sent a very detailed email directly to the Mayor informing her that the FAA already has all of the necessary laws that regulate drone flight the navigable airspace over the city. I also informed her that the city can regulate the takeoff and landing locations that are on city property and this would be the only regulation that the city has the authority to control. I mentioned that a drone pilot could takeoff and land on public property adjacent to city property and then fly over that city property anyway so making city drone regulations that are not enforceable may not be in the best interest of the city. She totally agreed with my points and the City Council agreed as well.

As a private property owner who has had a UAV over his property in an act of “casing” my place I am concerned about drone laws. I know they were casing because 1) they hurriedly retrieved the UAV when they were discovered and 2) they have engaged in criminal activity in the past. They were ID’d at the deployment site and we knew their home address. Police are too busy to do any investigation on these kind of incidents, but I still feel my privacy violated.

Unless you are flying under Part 107 regs for a commercial enterprise, recreational flyers are generally restricted to no higher than 400 feet by FAA Regs Section 44809. Titled "Exception for limited recreational operations of unmanned aircraft." Four hundred feet will be low enough for most of us to see the drone and feel it is intruding on our privacy. If the pilot is following the FAA rules, under subparagraph (c)(2)(A) and (B) the drone should NOT FLY OVER occupied buildings or people, even if only transiting my airspace. It reads "(A) the unmanned aircraft complies with standards and limitations developed by a community-based organization and approved by the Administrator; and (B) the aircraft is operated from a fixed site as described in paragraph (1)."

We had a new neighbor move in that would routinely fly his drone around the neighborhood at below-rooftop altitudes. It was like he was taking a virtual walk through the neighborhood. After finding it hovering well inside my front yard below our roofline, I finally figured out who it was and had a talk with the gentlemen. I think enough people confronted him that he realized he wasn't being a good neighbor in that respect. We talked to the local PD just to gather info and they said they didn't have much recourse. I have my own drones, RC planes, and RC helis, so I understand the desire to have a place to fly, but at some point, a drone just hovering very near my house when I have no idea who is operating it seems sketchy. I think in most cases, common sense and being a good neighbor work fine. It does seem like there should be some protections for private property in the fringe cases.

Great vid. I did hours of research on FAA laws before I flew my new drone. While flying one day, a man approached me and asked if I had permission to fly over peoples homes. I tried to explain to him that I didn't need permission and it only made him upset. So , I guess, drone operators need some degree of patience when explaining these laws to people not familiar with them.

As a pilot and a part 107 remote pilot (not a lawyer but I play one on TV), I think there could be a happy medium nobody has spoken about. I propose the following: "A homeowner's/landowner's property includes the airspace along and inside their property boundary up to the height of said house/building inside that property. A pilot of an unmanned aircraft or other types of aircraft may not repeatedly fly into said property without consent from homeowner/landowner". People want their privacy and are most concerned about the cameras that are on drones. If someone was flying their RC plane instead of a drone, would the homeowner/landowner be as upset? Not likely.

Very interesting and informative, thank you

I've been harassed and recorded repeatedly on my own property. Once while i was washing my car, it was literally 2ft. Behind me and about 3 ft. From the ground. It would also hover just out of reach above me while i was in my backyard. There is not a worse feeling for a woman to feel like she can't even go into her own backyard without being recorded. It's a nightmare. Especially when law enforcement can't do anything either. I understand that for most drone flyers ppl who don't want you to pass over their property is an annoying nuisance, but put yourself in my shoes not feeling comfortable to even go outside on my own property. Us homeowners have a right to peace too

Notably absent on drones are restrictions over private property hovering intruding on one’s private property. Also a malfunction over private property may harm someone or damage private property.

I have a neighbor that is an undercover narcotics officer for the Alaska state troopers, He does not like a disabled veteran that I am allowing to live on my land. This neighbor obtained use of a state trooper drone and has flown the drone over my land, with the rotors making contact with the cables to video camera systems, knocking 4 of 8 cameras offline, with subsequent entry on foot, now not recorded, with sabotage of vehicles, pissing into 5 gallon water jugs, stealing tools, opening valves on propane tanks in enclosed spaces... in short an extended campaign of harassment. The only thing I can think of is to build a mosquito netting around the entiriety of the living spaces and reinforce the netting with a weave of steel cables, and back this up with 24/7 360 degree camera systems with storage of the video then go to the troopers with a zoomed in photo of thier drone's serial number as it tries to cut through my netting. These drones are big perhaps 40 pounds and able to carry 20 pound loads, and drop them on command. I think a 20 pound log dropped from 500 ft would be the next tactic. He DID make a mistake, after he had stolen ~10 trail cameras, he started wiping the sim cards and putting them back, and put an un-wiped simm card with pictures of him in his house in the camera he put back on my land.

Thanks for the info, very useful.

A creator knows they are treading on controversy when half the video is about disclaimers and pleading for civility !!! 🤣 You do a great job, as always, in approaching rules and regs, laws and popular perceptions.... Thanks !!

I agree with 100% of what you said in this video. Great information and hopefully the KZfaq algorithms blast this to all the Karen’s of the world. I know The city of Niagara Falls as well as NY State has drone airspace restrictions in the area around the Falls and when I get a chance later today I’ll post or send a link. With that said, DJI Fly doesn’t enforce a NFZ there. When I fly near Niagara Falls my biggest concern is accidentally flying into Canadian airspace as well as possibly getting a flyaway due to DHS ground sensors but I’m not sure if that’s really possible or something I’ve dreamed up in my head lol. I’ve never flown the actual falls but I’ve been over the lower rapids in the gorge with a mini seas well as many many bandos in the area and had no issues taking off or flying due to nfzs. The Niagara Falls airbase is another story though. DJI does enforce that nfz, just not the ones over NY State Parks and the city ordinance in my experience. When I take off and land I make sure I’m not doing that in a prohibited area but honestly, the cops in Niagara Falls have way bigger fish to fry with all the drugs, gangs, robberies, murders, and suicides that happen there. Most people don’t know about that I guess because it’s kind of like in the movie Jaws; it’s really bad for tourism when you report one or two people a week taking the plunge out of desperation or getting raped or robbed near the casino…. 🤷‍♂️

My new hobby in my airspace will be flying balloons. Drones are terrorizing our horses.

Great video. Thanks

Great video! As both a private pilot (single engine land) and a drone pilot I might add that I use a VFR sectional map and/or Foreflight as my absolute go to for where I can and can't fly both a passenger carrying airplane as well as my DJI drone. For a drone pilot, Class G is where I imagine 99.9999% of flying exists for drone ops, and that starts AT the surface. This is important because for the passenger carrying aircraft, this is "uncontrolled airspace". It is a clear line (altitude wise) that delineates where non-controlled GA based activities ends, and ATC controlled operations begins. Anything BUT the ground would cause complete and utter confusion in aviation, as would deferring to state and local authorities for their own determination. So while I would not encourage pushing this to the letter of the law simply because you can, a reasoned conversation often goes a long way toward education. For pilots of ALL types, know where you can and can't fly and why. All this said, rules changes seem to happen fast in the FAA arm of the drone world as more take to the sky, and with ADS-B etc. for drone locating is sure to draw an eye if too many people are abusing the rules. Also not to be lost in this conversation is the number of E-VTOL and air taxi operations comin on line. Occupying the space between UAVs/drones and airplanes....how will THAT change the landscape?

Another topic that would be interesting is what are the ramifications of your drone crashing into someone else's property ? Can they legally confiscate it ? Can they legally view the contents of the SD card ? Can they sue ? . Probably a host of other questions to be answered on this topic .

Excellent video. Great description of the rules.

Im a ham radio enthusiast, I currently have a fcc ham radio license. With all the antennas I got on my property. Any lingering drone over my property is bound to lose control, and crash in my property. When this happens I will call the police, and make a report, I will notify the FAA of the UAS CRASH! and the UAS owner is LIABLE, for any damages and flying over my property! Lets make it that clear!

The video might have provided an expanded definition of Transit as you first said "aircraft is allowed to "transit" through the easement." When I hear the word transit, it does not seem to indicate hover or fly over to survey the details of a property, etc.

It's not 83' ... it's 500'. 😂😂😂 Very informative. We need videos like this to remind ourselves, Part 107 or otherwise, what the rules are.

Good video discussion! Thanks

I do not have an issue with a drone flying through my airspace. I do have an issue if one hovers in my airspace. Hovering in my airspace is harassment. How do you catch someone flying a drone in your airspace? They can be launched from anywhere. The only defense is to capture the drone and make them come to you