I am at a high school baseball game. Teams are on the field. Gentleman is piloting a remote controlled scale model of a jet fighter plane similar to those I have seen posted here. It’s a good size plane and seems to be moving very fast.

Here is where I got concerned, he starts flying it over the field while players are warming up all over the field. He is doing spins and aerial acrobatics moves like you might see at an airshow. There are acres of unoccupied space yet he felt the need to fly over these boys. About the time I got fed up with the unnecessary risk he was placing these boys in he crashed the damn thing into a tree about 100 yards past the center field fence.

I have no experience with these things but it doesn’t seem safe to be doing flybys and tricks over a bunch of kids trying to get ready for a baseball game. What kind of damage would these things due to a human if they wore it in a crash? Was I hot over nothing?

Nope, you were right to be concerned. Not only is it unsafe, it may have been illegal.

You’re not allowed to fly over crowds. That goes for drones as well. The problem is proving he was doing just that. People tend to over exaggerate what they are actually seeing. There are tons of YouTube videos of people coming up to RC flyers screaming at them when no one is even around.

Everyone has a phone so video the dangers and show it to the police. If it was jet powered, even an electric jet powered it will easily be capable of going over 100mph. I doubt if this was or you would have emphasized how incredibly fast it was. 120mph ripping around at 200 agl is quite impressive and loud even if electric.
https://m.youtube.com/results?...ady+yelling+at+drone

quote:

What kind of damage would these things due to a human if they wore it in a crash? Was I hot over nothing?

A lot of damage. Potentially lethal. Most likely illegal also.

This pdf has good information, produced by AMA. https://www.modelaircraft.org/...es/documents/100.pdf

Here's guidance from the FAA: AC 91-57B
https://www.faa.gov/documentLi...rcular/AC_91-57B.pdf


Model aircraft must follow the same or similar rules as drones. If the "pilot" was compensated, he needed to have a commercial license (107), if flying over crowds...he needed waivers and permission from the FAA. Something they'd be unlikely to grant...given RC airshows are treated similar to fullsize aircraft, there is a "box" where flights are performed in view of crowds, but not over them.

I am not prone to fly off the handle. I had made up my mind to walk out there and politely ask him to stop just before he crashed it. He was definitely flying over the field. He was literally doing stall maneuvers over the infield where he would fly straight up in the air and fall over and dive straight down then swoop out over the outfield past the center field fence.

quote:

Originally posted by TXJIM:
I am not prone to fly off the handle. I had made up my mind to walk out there and politely ask him to stop just before he crashed it. He was definitely flying over the field. He was literally doing stall maneuvers over the infield where he would fly straight up in the air and fall over and dive straight down then swoop out over the outfield past the center field fence.

Someone got that on video so at the least I would get a copy of it and hang onto it. He’s probably done at least for a while but video it if it happens again so you have proof it wasn’t a one time thing.

As an RC flyer people like this are bad for the industry and in my opinion should be talked to once just in case the are oblivious and then take the next step if it continues.

As I understand it, for drones at least, it is illegal to fly over people...
That is regardless of if it's one person or a thousand.

Unless...
They are under cover such as a carport roof or in a parked car etc.

Or...
They are "in" on the flight. (participating in some way in coordination with the pilot) such as the team hired an arial photographer to film them.

Probably illegal in the area of the ball field while occupied with players and spectators. Also probabily could be held financially responsible for any damages to property or phycical injuries to people. It might turn into a criminal matter if bad intent could be proven a court room with prior history of this type of behavior. ................................ drill sgt.

I'm an Academy Of Model Aircraft Contest Director and Leader Member and have been for around 30 years.

It's definitely wrong to fly over anybody or anything you aren't willing to destroy, kind of like with guns.

There was a pylon race years ago where a pilot lost control and it hit a person at pylon 1 and killed the person.

A 10 pound + object going 80+ miles an hour is going to mess you up if it hits you.

Not safe...just ask Phil...

Threading the needle...

interesting. the local SO has a deputy with a drone, and he flies it above fires with firemen all over the place, flies it over accident scenes with people below, flies it over active crime scenes with tactical officers below.

I never wondered about the safety of the thing until now.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:
interesting. the local SO has a deputy with a drone, and he flies it above fires with firemen all over the place, flies it over accident scenes with people below, flies it over active crime scenes with tactical officers below.

I never wondered about the safety of the thing until now.

A waiver can be obtained, and in the case you're mentioning...the FAA would likely grant it. Typically they use drones like the one I use, with 6 engines and the ability to fly with 2 of them disabled. First responders are still required to follow FAA rules. There was a recent court case where that was affirmed again, in a different context.

Is it safe? Is it illegal? Don't know. What I do know is the guy who used to come out Saturday mornings and fly his model plane near the field my baseball team was playing on used to irritate the hell out of me. You can't imagine how many ground balls ran through the outfield to the fence because my outfielders were watching his plane instead of focusing on the game.

I know about drones, and can't see why airplanes would be different. But maybe they are.

It is not legal to fly a drone over people or car traffic. This is because it is not safe. Most drones are pretty small, but nonetheless, I wouldn't want to be hit by one. Some model airplanes can be considerably larger and faster.

Just as an FYI...

Cops generally aren’t going to know or enforce FAA rules.

FAA has no enforcement agents and while the FAA happily “grants” authority to local PD to enforce, many (most?) PD happily “decline” to do so. Grumble, grumble “Unfunded Mandate”....



I’m not sure if the FAA has the same rules on RC aircraft as they do on drones or if the drone rules apply to RC. My understanding is that they are two different things, of course I could be wrong.

I am guessing if this was school grounds, the school has rules about RC aircraft, in which case it could simply be a matter of having the flyer warned and if need be trespassed.

Not only not safe, if there is an accident you could be open to civil liability. I represented a person who was struck and injured by a crashing drone at an outdoor event. Yes, the defendants paid damages.

quote:

Originally posted by rjbaal:
Not only not safe, if there is an accident you could be open to civil liability. I represented a person who was struck and injured by a crashing drone at an outdoor event. Yes, the defendants paid damages.

Did their insurer cover them?

If a major league pitcher threw a five pound brick at you and hit you in the head would it hurt?
I don't know about the rest of you folks but it would sure hurt me. Might even kill me on the spot. Also true scale model airplanes are more difficult to fly because they are not as stable as trainers since they sacrifice easy to fly characteristics for looks.

OK. Since there are some misinformation and questions, I'll excerpt the applicable definitions and regulations being questioned in this thread.

These can be found easily through the FAA's website, or through the AMA links I posted earlier.

Definitions:

Small unmanned aircraft means an unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds on takeoff, including everything that is on board or otherwise attached to the aircraft.

Small unmanned aircraft system (small UAS) means a small unmanned aircraft and its associated elements (including communication links and the components that control the small unmanned aircraft) that are required for the safe and efficient operation of the small unmanned aircraft in the national airspace system.

Unmanned aircraft means an aircraft operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.

Operation over human beings:

No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft over a human being unless that human being is:

(a) Directly participating in the operation of the small unmanned aircraft; or

(b) Located under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that can provide reasonable protection from a falling small unmanned aircraft.

§107.200 Waiver policy and requirements.
(a) The Administrator may issue a certificate of waiver authorizing a deviation from any regulation specified in §107.205 if the Administrator finds that a proposed small UAS operation can safely be conducted under the terms of that certificate of waiver.

(b) A request for a certificate of waiver must contain a complete description of the proposed operation and justification that establishes that the operation can safely be conducted under the terms of a certificate of waiver.

(c) The Administrator may prescribe additional limitations that the Administrator considers necessary.

(d) A person who receives a certificate of waiver issued under this section:

(1) May deviate from the regulations of this part to the extent specified in the certificate of waiver; and

(2) Must comply with any conditions or limitations that are specified in the certificate of waiver.

§107.205 List of regulations subject to waiver

A certificate of waiver issued pursuant to §107.200 may authorize a deviation from the following regulations of this part:

(a) Section 107.25—Operation from a moving vehicle or aircraft. However, no waiver of this provision will be issued to allow the carriage of property of another by aircraft for compensation or hire.

(b) Section 107.29—Daylight operation.

(c) Section 107.31—Visual line of sight aircraft operation. However, no waiver of this provision will be issued to allow the carriage of property of another by aircraft for compensation or hire.

(d) Section 107.33—Visual observer.

(e) Section 107.35—Operation of multiple small unmanned aircraft systems.

(f) Section 107.37(a)—Yielding the right of way.

(g) Section 107.39—Operation over people.

(h) Section 107.41—Operation in certain airspace.

(i) Section 107.51—Operating limitations for small unmanned aircraft.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:

quote:

Originally posted by rjbaal:
Not only not safe, if there is an accident you could be open to civil liability. I represented a person who was struck and injured by a crashing drone at an outdoor event. Yes, the defendants paid damages.

Did their insurer cover them?

The venue had coverage. The operator did not and paid out of pocket.