I’m wondering how many of you own drones for either recreational or professional purposes. I own a Phantom 4 Pro that I currently fly as a hobbyist. I signed up for a course to prepare me for the part 107 license test that seems it will require a lot of studying especially when it comes to reading sectional charts. It doesn’t appear complicated just time consuming for a complete novice to learn.
Anything done with a drone for money or that could be viewed as promoting a business. Personally, I just want to get one to learn more about the laws in the process and in case I decide to do commercial work.
It's interesting. I ended up on a major backpacking trip (well, major for me) into the Wind River, WY, range last summer, and I had this argument with some of my friends in that group. We got to a gorgeous, remote lake, maybe 15-20 miles from the nearest trailhead, in fairly rough terrain. We wanted to chill for a midday chow down, and then we heard this loud buzzing noise, and sure enough, some youngsters had a drone out flying around this lake. Some of my friends were pissed and wanted to yell at these people, and I was more like: well, this is the 21st century, and they're just probably filming this gorgeous place to share it with people who could never be fit enough to get here on their own. So, we kind of have to embrace it. I "won" that argument enough that nobody made a scene. But it's kind of like going to Kauai. You expect this pristine, lush tropical experience, ultimately relaxing, but every minute of every day, you are listening to three helicopters giving people tours of what you're trying to enjoy quietly. It is what it is, a planet very full of humans who share your interests.
Here's a great use of Drones. Drones can easily take your bait out over 1,000' for beach fishing. This is a good friend of mine who started the Drone Fishing Texas channel on Youtube. More helpful vids here with some BIG fish: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCoitWss2aSkrDuGVO1K4o1g Here's his blog for equipment reviews, setup, tips, hacks, gotchas, etc. https://dronefishingtexas.blogspot.com/ fwiw: having your camera set to record in a public place with people around is illegal (without consent) ... at least in Galveston. According to my buddy. ps: Please like his channel if you find this useful. Great guy, and very Rockets-friendly to me, allowing me to stay at his play during playoffs. And here is a terrifying use of drones play with audio for full experience
Recreational Have a Mavic Pro ... I try to follow all of the laws whenever I put it in the air. Certainly don't want to fly it in No Fly zones but also want to respect the local laws. Sydney Australia has quite a few that I broke. The you can't film others regulation is a bit tedious to follow when trying to get those opera house shots. I imagine getting the 107 would be lengthy and time consuming. Good luck.
I have a mavic air. I dont play with it often but this thread has reminded me that i have it. Charging a couple of batteries now.
I thought about buying the drop mechanism for my drone. The fishing thing would require the operator to have a 107 License. It might be illegal if he is using their images in videos to promote his business without consent. All kinds of cameras record people. It is illegal to fly over people.
I have flown mine in Mexico, the Bahamas and Honduras. I had to pull out the permission letter from the Bahamian government both times I flew there. The other countries.... no one cared as long as I respected the laws.
I have a friend with they better not fly over my property or I will shoot them down attitude. These things run for about 25-28 minutes on a full battery. Most models don't have a zoom because that would eat up the battery quicker. I think the Mavic Zoom has slight zoom to it. If someone is flying 200 feet above your property they have a 200 foot perspective of your property not zooming down on your teenage daughter in a bikini in your backyard. I took him out with me and let him wear the googles I bought for it. He loved it then,
I think it's good to keep in mind that nobody who is not directly using one enjoys the noise in a public park, beach, or wilderness, but I'm pretty resigned to it. As you say, just follow local laws such as they are, and everyone can get along. Cheers.
Why? He’s just fishing as a hobby, with a career at NASA. I know nothing about 107, so I guess you’re saying if he monetizes a small Tips and HowTo yt channel and blog, then he needs a commercial license to fly a drone for sharing video? Wow, if true. I’ll ask him. He’d probably just delete the channel and stop helping ppl on the internet. He said it’s illegal to record ppl with drones without their consent...specifically drones. I didn’t think he implied that the legality is about it being for business or not. You can’t record girls at some private pool party that isn’t visible from eyesight, no matter if for your own use or not. I think he was quoting sheriffs at Galveston. So, usually he just shuts off recording, unless he’s secluded with consenting fishermen. My totally Lay understanding is unmanned cameras require being on your property or within your field of view...recording human eyesight experience is OK, or sumpin like that. Drones are like hidden cameras...flying hidden cameras. This is just pure laymen understanding, would be helpful if you could clear it up with what you’re learning in 107 classes, or other links you can share.
I just signed up for the course yesterday. I will find out more. From what I have read so far, as long as you aren't doing surveillance, you can record people. Laws vary by state, county etc.. I did fly my drone at an event I attended, Galveston County cops were there and I filmed people left and right including them. TBH most cops don't care about drones or really know the laws. Drones do require to be in line of sight of the operator or an observer. The backyard filming falls under expectation of privacy and would really only apply if you hovered over the property. There wouldn't be expectation of privacy at a beach unless the city in question had a local ordinance prohibiting. Hey I could be wrong. Learning as I go and part of the reason I took the course. You can't fly in most county parks and all national parks. I found that out at the Battleship Texas. He may be ok without the license. I assumed he was providing a service to fisherman which is a great idea.
This whole legality thing is fascinating. A young relative by marriage of my SO's brother, mid-20's, hooked up with a beautiful (a serious 10) Bolivian chick while spending several months traveling around the world. He's a good looking guy himself. Great tan, abs, etc., so anyway, he brought along a very nice drone (he's done some great videos of Austin, the music festival) and started taking images and videos of resorts, usually with the chick lounging around in a skimpy bikini (she's worked as a model) and turned it into a way to pay for their rooms and a lot of other things by featuring the resorts on his website, Facebook page, and whatever else he's into. He's got tens of thousands of followers. Apparently, he's not the only person to have figured out how to profit from the drone thingy equipped with a high tech HD camera. So he has guys following him to check out the girl, and girls following to check him out, along with folks following him to check out the resorts. What a world.
It's a great time to be an attractive person. You can do ANYTHING (like walking, working out, eating out) or NOTHING but post pictures of you and you will end up with thousands/millions of followers on instagram. That turns into free stuff by companies hoping you will promote them. Instagram is full of girls who are promoting random things. Spoiler: Instagram posts You must also perfect the instagram butt pose: Staying on topic: I fly the mavic pro also. I have taken it to colombia and new zealand but a lot of countries have strict laws and I don't feel like getting in trouble or paying a fine. Other countries, I don't want to bring unwanted attention to me when I am traveling. I am debating whether to take it to Peru. Houston's a boring place to fly a drone.
He has taken some outstanding videos and images of the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park and the Barton Creek area. I don't know if girls still sunbathe topless at Barton Springs pool, or swim topless sometimes in Barton Creek, but I would think that operating a drone along the creek would probably be OK, assuming it's legal. It's been a few years since I've been there, our kids being grown, back trouble, and the water is damn cold, but it's legal for women to go topless in Austin. Heck, one year a girl walked around West 6th for 3 or 4 months topless with just some little shorts on and a pair of boots, at least a couple of times a week in the evening. We would sit by the window of the pub where we play trivia (they would have the windows open) and it was hard to miss her, because she was very good looking. The cops walked right past her. I asked her if there was a motivation for doing it, and she said she was making the point that if guys could walk around without a shirt, women should also be able to. I have to say that I agree with her. Yes, Austin lends itself to exciting drone work, in my opinion. The hills. The lakes and boating on Lady Bird Lake, Lake Austin, and Lake Travis. Parts of Houston would also look cool, like the downtown skyline, but that's likely restricted. I can see why getting a good drone would be appealing. Sounds like rules have been made about using them, though. That's understandable.
