Rogue Drone Pilot - Careless, Clueless or Criminal?

[@DronePilot01]

It is getting harder to say this is dangerous except for how low and close he is to the vehicles and the driver possibly being distracted. Which you have already mentioned. With all these start up delivery companies constantly being talked about and the size of these potentially whizzing about the skies makes these tinywhoops look silly and almost completely harmless. Now says all that there is no way I would fly that close as it could possibly distract the driver but I do fly high along the side of a road at 60m. Now it could still distract a driver at any height and with strobes on which are the 3 mile lights (this is obviously questionable) could distract even from some distance away. Where do we draw the line. Deffo questionable. 👍

[@pdtech4524]

Good analysis, 👍 For me personally the hazard was the close proximity to vehicles and the distration it may cause, not just HGV but I saw motorcycles etc. Flying over a road at height or alongside a road I don't have any issue with. I'm no drone police and mostly keep my opinions to myself re where people fly their quads, where do we draw the line, good question, I have no idea! I was just trying to help the guy out initially with a comment on his video because he may have been completely unaware of the potential hazards and could have landed himself in a load of bother if an accident had been caused. Some of those HGVs were carrying very hazardous loads⚠️😲😳 But when he gave me some lame excuse about 'everyone was aware he was there flying' he had 'spotters' etc he'd notified drivers and companies, I knew that couldn't be possible at all on a public road being used by everyone. Plus he was stating he was somekind of 'top tier' commercial drone pilot, I felt compelled I had to make the video. There are kids coming into the FPV hobby who come on to yt looking for inspiration of where to fly etc stuff like this influences them. I got quite a bit of online abuse from him and his buddies threatening me to take the video down,water off a ducks back... I've noticed he's not been flying like that since, so maybe the penny dropped after all? 😁👍 If I saved one biker getting a whoop in the face or one potential accident involving an HGV in the future there, then all is good...👍 Thanks for your comment. Appreciate your thoughts.

[@DronePilot01]

@@pdtech4524 yes agreed like I said deffo not something I would do as a hobby operator. When I first started I used to question flying beside a road at 60m but I do not so much now. This is another reason I do not fly without insurance. This is even as a hobby operator. I also work with drones. It is difficult because as a commercial operator I do not choose my locations the customer does. So problems like this could be the difference between getting paid or not making things like this hard. Unfortunately I would choose the work and figure out how to make it work. As this is my job. Obviously if it's not possible then I can't do it but it's very frustrating when this happens. So now I've explained my situation and I hope you will understand my original answer a little better. I've worked with drones part time for 3 years now and want to go full time if I can find the work. That is the hard part.👍

[@DronePilot01]

@@pdtech4524 fair play hopefully he has heard what you said. Did he remove the video. No way I would put a video up like this for sure even if I was working.👍

[@pdtech4524]

@@DronePilot01 No, the video is still up....I agree, no way would I upload anything that could potentially bring me any legal hassles, this is how pilots get caught and prosecuted now, when you look at recent cases that went to court, all started off with a video posted on social media...😲😳🤔

[@pdtech4524]

@@DronePilot01 Good luck finding that dream drone pilot job......what a gig that would be, getting paid to do your hobby you enjoy.... Sometimes I have to pinch myself when I get paid for driving classic cars 🚗 😁😲😳👍 I would honestly do it for free....👍😁

[@johnburns5783]

Should be reported to the CAA

[@coasttocoastcaravanning6138]

I would say all of the above . Distracting drivers just isn't safe

[@Atlantic_Adventures]

bottom line , we are not drone police , there are people for that. but thats just my opinion , the way it is , we all have rules , rules are made for the honest man , nothing me or you can do , i see no point of this video !! other then pushing buttons of someone , and your exact words are "i dont want to get him in trubble" well, well done on the video

[@Welsh-drones]

Thank you mate and well said 👍👍👍👍

[@pdtech4524]

Appreciate your opinion, I agree we're not the 'drone police' BUT when I see something reckless and stupid, I feel I have to call it out. I did leave a comment on the video, advising it was a bad idea uploading it, I was just genuinly trying to be helpful. He ignored and gave some lame excuse that everyone was aware of his drone which is impossible on a public road, the guy just needs educating, several others tried commenting in a similar way and were mocked or ignored.😲⚠️ He does clearly identify himself as a wheelchair user and even shows his van. Plus there are road signs which identify the location. There is clearly no spotter and from his position he flies well out of VLOS round a corner behind trees, all it takes is to lose video feed and that thing is coming down⚠️😲😳 The CAA use info like this to pursue a conviction. I have a very high threshold of tolerance and if you look back through my videos, I've only made one other similar video of a parent flying his kid attached to an agricultural drone and crashes it over a fence, so it really does have to be something stupid for me to do a reaction video. What did it for me on this video was seeing the biker on the road, I personally got hit by a bee in the face doing 50-60mph on my bike, you wouldn't believe the damage it caused and I was lucky I survived⚠️😲😳 Imagine being hit in the face by a tiny whoop going flat out, I dread to think of the concequences.😲⚠️😳

[@Atlantic_Adventures]

@@pdtech4524 Like i said theres people out there for this job , let them do theres , and if robs wrong or what ever so be it , why drag his name all around youtube , thats not drone community thats a snake pit in my mind , the whole point of your video sir is to point the finger at rob ,, not to help the community in any way , but i guess its your channel you like to call people out go right ahead , i just wont subscribe

[@pdtech4524]

Fair enough, I understand he's a mate of yours, then obviously you have got his back. My channel is hardly a 'snake pit', 2 reaction videos out of 300+ including one where a kid is put in a really dangerous situation⚠️😲 I'm hardly dragging his name across youtube, I'm an insignificant channel, that nobody watches, the video got 187 views, probably most of them wouldn't be interested in it's content. 😳😁 I mostly mind my own business and get on with my own flying, safely but when I feel I need to speak out and help educate someone because all it takes is someone to get injured and end up in a life changing situation or worse⚠️ Then the consequences for the pilot are very serious. I want everyone to be able to enjoy the hobby safely without bothering or annoying others or putting people in any danger. What I'm seeing with the CAA is an increasing restriction of freedom to fly. All it would take is a serious accident for them to ban drones completely⚠️😲😳

[@ILLBEDRONED]

👀

[@h-dawg969]

Also, this reminds me of a video I saw where they were doing a GTA thing where they were flying few meters above moving traffic, lower than the height of trucks, going against the traffic etc. I hate how every photo you post you get drone police twats going on about VLOS and moaning at completely safe flights. But when you see stuff like this it just shows how they’re guna ruin it for everyone else.

[@h-dawg969]

I sent a link to to your email coz it’s worth a watch. It’s an Instagram link as I couldn’t find it on KZbin. It’s worse that this one I reckon.

[@힘냅시다]

Hello 응원합니다 👏 👏 👏 구독 콕 👍

[@Welsh-drones]

Now who`s deleting comments ??

[@pdtech4524]

Not me⚠️ why would I? I got a notification of a new comment on this video but when I went to read it, the comment was gone, either the user deleted it or yt has withdrawn or deleted it?

[@robertdavies922]

Well, this is a video I can firmly get behind. As far as I am concerned he completely failed to grasp the obvious MULTIPLE errors made, and looked to double down on it. The risk of distracting drivers when flying at 11-13ft is absurd! It also didn’t take long to identify him, but he’s not interested. Gwent Police on the other hand…

[@pdtech4524]

It's not often I make a video like this, I'm all for the freedom of being able to fly safely and responsibly but when I see something like this that is clearly a big potential danger and could impact the hobby negatively if it went wrong, then I have to say my piece. Drones flying amongst moving traffic is just completely reckless whichever way you look at it. Appreciate the comment.👍

[@RaymondoLeeTravel]

That’s super dangerous! He doesn’t even have line of sight! He is next to that transit van! He would have been ok on the field panning up and down the road from a sideway view.

[@pdtech4524]

I agree, the guy thinks he is legit, 'CAA approved', doing everything by the book, spotters, everyone aware of the drone etc But in reality this is just plain bonkers and a major accident waiting to happen⚠️😲😳 Yeah up and down the field, adjacent to the road, no issue! 👍 Amongst the traffic, weaving around moving HGVs at cab height on a public road, no chance, far too many risk factors, plus it's not possible every road user is aware if it? ⚠️😲😳

[@RaymondoLeeTravel]

@@pdtech4524 yeah well thats all total bollocks about every one being aware and spotters everywhere. No spotters at all and impossible to have every person driving down those roads aware! Regardless it’s illegal to be flying in roads towards oncoming traffic and alongside traffic. He should pull the upload. At least he should take the advice on board.

[@wcatfn7928]

He might be using a 'Tiny Whoop' which can be 20-30 grams and 6-7cm 'square' with 'caged' props. If one hit you full in the face it would probably not do much more than surprise you. I have hit birds with my car windscreen that are larger and heavier at 60-70mph with no lasting effects. So I don't believe it represents a physical risk to vehicles in its own right. However, I totally agree that regardless of the size/weight, the Drone Code is quite clear about not flying over active roads or vehicles and it is not its physics that may be the worst risk, but rather how unsuspecting drivers might react to it. The whole scenario is tempting the law of unintended consequences. Seeing this makes me cringe at the thought of how this is going to be received by the Media and the backlash that court of public opinion will generate with rabid Karens and Kens screeching 'This is why drones should be BANNED' He is an idiot for posting this online - asking for trouble for all of us along with 'Auditors'.

[@pdtech4524]

I already mentioned he's using a sub 250g whoop, regardless of how light it is and the negligible chance it will cause any actual damage to a vehicle, the risk is more about distraction. Let's say a HGV driver carrying a hazardous load is distracted by this flying past his window and he briefly takes his eyes off the road, what if he veers across the road into an oncoming car or knocks down a cyclist? What if a cyclist or motorbike rider is hit in the face while riding and crashes or rides into the path of an oncoming vehicle? It's those risks the pilot fails to mitigate. He could have easily flown higher or to one side of the road over the field.

[@TerryMcGearyScotland]

Flying above moving traffic. Sub 250g BUT fitted with camera takes it out of the toy category and requires CAA registration. Illegal activity has occurred. Next they’ll be flouting max height local restrictions.

[@h-dawg969]

This is the type of bullshit that is guna increase more and more nonsensical regulations ruining the hobby for the rest of us. There’s so many places I’d like to fly but I don’t coz it’s not necessarily legit. Then you get numpty fools like this that have no clue. Also, it’s not a whoop as it looks like he’s flying either with a motion controller or in Normal/sports mode so it has to be an Avata or Dji Fpv.

[@GentilsGarage]

Unacceptable

[@moonshinepz]

I think flying like this is asking for trouble.

[@pdtech4524]

Agreed, not the best example of safe, responsible drone flying! So much that could have gone wrong, I don't know where to start assessing the risks⚠️ Flying over a road at heught is one thing but to do it at vehicle level amongst moving traffic is just reckless.

[@KongGig]

Way to risky