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Man Wins Lawsuit After Neighbor Shoots His Drone
A court has determined that you can't shoot your neighbor's drone out of the sky.
Legal experts say that shooting down a drone with a gun should technically be a federal felony offense.
Jason Koebler isn't just a fellow quad and FPV pilot, he is also a writer for MotherBoard.com. To top it off he is also an active RCGroups user.
Read his latest story:
The Sky's Not Your Lawn
Comments section tough guys and fictional sitcom characters have popularized the idea that it's completely acceptable to shoot a drone out of the sky. One man in California recently learned, it's not: A judge just awarded a drone pilot $850 in a lawsuit related to the shooting of his custom-built drone.
I was contacted by a man who said his drone had just been shot while flying over his parents' farm. Before talking on the record to the press, he wanted to get the case settled either with his neighbor or with the legal system. In late May, his case was finally finished. It is the first lawsuit relating to the destruction of a drone to become public.
Legal experts say that shooting down a drone with a gun should technically be a federal felony offense. Because the Federal Aviation Administration has decided to consider drones "aircraft" (and has fought for that distinction in court) and has not yet created specific rules about their use, shooting at one should be a violation of federal code 18 §32, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
"If drones are aircraft, and subject to all of the same restrictions as aircraft, then they should also be afforded the exact same protection the law provides all aircraft," - Peter Sachs, a Connecticut-based attorney specializing in drone issues.
Thus far, the FAA has not charged anyone who has shot down a drone with violating that law, though the FAA has made it explicit that shooting at a drone is illegal.
So, if you are thinking about shooting down a drone, know that at the very least, there's a good chance you'll lose a good sum of money if you get sued.
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This is excellent news- I'm so sick and tired of the "redneck" shotgun threats that fill the comment section of every single drone article- regardless of pilot fault.
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Nice !
Our machines aren't clay targets people. Plane ~ |
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Google sat's are out of range............LOL ! Plane ~ |
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Finally, a court that has some sense!
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Skills are not needed to fly a multirotor with a decent nav/stabilizing system as evident by all the fools who go buy one at the local hobby shop and then proceed to fly them where they shouldn't be.
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This was not your run of the mill multirotor. It was built from individual parts by the pilot. From the photo I saw looked to be a DJI F550. Takes a bit more skill than flipping a switch.
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So far he's lucky that he hasn't gotten jail time for the illegal discharge of a firearm or been really popped by the FAA. |
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how about this... http://www.kitv.com/national/taser-u...lcano/32644538
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well , tho I may be tempted to shoot at someones drone for certain reasons and more likely to just simply walk over and rip the guy a new one without a gun for those certain reasons....
I really don't condone shooting at a drone or clubbing the guy to death BUT I am glad he won the law suit ....HOWEVER the interpretation of Drones are Aircraft defined the same as ALL other aircraft should be a BIG red Flag to every Hobbyist IF they define these models like they do all aircraft, then this Hobby is in serious trouble. This quote: "If drones are aircraft, and subject to all of the same restrictions as aircraft, then they should also be afforded the exact same protection the law provides all aircraft," - Peter Sachs, a Connecticut-based attorney specializing in drone issues. IF the FAA does do that....then our little models will be regulated and that will take away our hobby and put it into the FAA's interpretation as all aircraft and it's rules and guides, Regulations...thus licenses, fee's, etc etc etc will be implemented , and us Hobbyists will lose out !!! |
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http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=76381 There is a formal document on the subject, but I found this link first. Don |
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Where do you get spying? You're reading too much into my question. |
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i understand that...however the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. still allows some what a leeway.....if they do not...we will have to get licensed to fly. |
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