PowerBoxDanny

My Feedback: (47)

Ask yourself, is the compensation directly tied to the pictures/video obtained while flying? If I happen to take a picture while I'm doing some other job but then I sell that picture to someone then yes, it is commercial. Lets put it this way, even if I take a friend up to fly and he pays for more than 50% of the costs to fly, it is compensation. Like a sightseeing tour.

cloudancer03

My Feedback: (22)

I watched the video.what the heck was he trying to prove.illegal? It certainly was reckless given the kind of air traffic that is around that area.read the riot act to him and given its his offense a smaller fine and community service.this aspect of the hobby has the potential to create general negativity toward rc in genrral.given the fact its nyc and 10 years snce the terroist attack can you understand why this creates issues.if does itagain let him fly his quad inside rikers island!

llindsey1965

My Feedback: (-1)

At least we dont have a queen !!!!!!!!!!!!!

cloudancer03

My Feedback: (22)

It was a dumb stunt and the consequences are clear.why some pilots need to push the envelop at everyone elses expense.immature and stupid enoudh said.

jester_s1

Kudos to the FAA for sticking it to him. The FPV crowd has become increasingly selfish and daring with their videos, so it's good one finally got stuck for it. Hobby grade RC equipment is not reliable enough to fly over people or property, let alone the best of us do make mistakes even when everything is working properly. Maybe some of the other "RC daredevils" out there will think twice before making their videos to post on Youtube now.

bogbeagle

Come on, everyone can see that you've got your very own Royal Family in the Big House.

Tarasdad

He should not only be fined but declared persona non grata and barred from ever entering the US again. Throw in the rest of Team BlackSheep for good measure!

bogbeagle

You know, this attitude is what has destroyed the England in which I grew up......... "I don't like it; so you can't do it."

It's Collectivist' thinking. You know, like Mao, Stalin and Hitler used to advocate.

It's Group before Individual.

What's more, it is poison.

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

I would like to see the offender serve some time in jail as well. I love this hobby and the careless actions of a few places my life-long hobby at risk, and under suspicion.

on_your_six

My Feedback: (11)

To the FAA: Make the rules, so we know what and how we can do FPV within those rules. Keep in mind, every helicopter and GA plane has been able to fly over populated area since Wilbur and Orville. We can fly down the Hudson. There are airman rules and FPV pilots will have to learn and follow the rules.

The equipment and reliability is going to have to improve and likely ADS-B out ($$$$) is going to be necessary to let other airmen know of our position. FPV can be done safely, so don't throw out the baby with the bathwater. Pilots have always pushed the envelope, many paying with their lives.

a65l

My Feedback: (17)

There are other forums for political debates. While this issue does touch on polical subjects, it is, at heart, about personal responsibility and good judgement. AS a full scale pilot, you can't just fly under any bridge you want to. It's illegeal and stupid, and endangers not just you and your aircraft, but indivduals using the bridge. I've seen quite a few of the FPV videos of guys flying in and around National Landmarks, up and down sidewalks with people on them, over roads with cars on them, etc etc. Sure, they didn't cause any problems and sure, nobody got hurt. But what some of the more shortsighted memebers of our community seem to ignore, or perhaps haven't realized yet, is that it will only take one incident to bring the FAA down very hard on all of us.
Remember this? http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/201...ack-drone-fbi/ I think we got something of a pass there, at least so far. The FAA is treating this as an isolated incident, and apparently still looking for the "drone" pilot, but it wouldn't take much of a public outcry to bring the might of the federal government down on our collective heads. And remember, they're not gonna discriminate... FPV, Quadcopter, helicopters, airplanes, probablly free flight and control line as well.. all are going to fall under the umbrella term "drone" and all are going to suffer. All so someone can get their jollies flying low and fast in areas that he (or she) shouldn't.
Bottom line? WE don't need publicity like this.

bogbeagle

So, here's this chap.

He was invited to fly his model on the campus of a University.

He didn't harm any property.

He didn't harm any person.



And, you want him violently seized, and thrown into a cage.

Shocking.

rgburrill

No, no, no. We've got too many people here like him already.

jester_s1

Where did you get the idea that this fool was invited by the university to fly on their campus? Do you really think that he sat down with the school administrators and laid out his flight plan and got approval from them? No, he did not. He may have met with them and gotten permission to use an aerial photography platform to take some pictures, but there's no way that the administration approved a flight that included flying low over students and buzzing school buildings.
Like the majority of renegade FPV pilots, (note I do make a distinction here- FPV has drawn in an anti-authority crowd to RC that we didn't have before) he just does as he pleases and thinks that it is his right to do so even if it endangers people and property and gives the rest of the hobby a bad name. I put guys like that in the same category as drunk drivers- it's all about them having a good time and who cares who they endanger by doing so. Aeromodeling has maintained a stellar reputation for safety and responsibility for most of the last century, and just in the last 5 years fools like this one have showed up to destroy it. I hope he has his visa revoked (or whatever piece of paper gives him the right to be in the US) and is not allowed to re-enter the country.

Lifer

My Feedback: (1)

jester,

Well stated!!!

Bob Pastorello

My Feedback: (198)

We have more than enough to deal with from accidental stupidity. Why in the world would ANYONE think it should be "okay" for INTENTIONAL stupidity to be overlooked?
This "black sheep" needs to be punished severely enough to dissuade others from such intentionally-stupid uses of remotely-controlled devices.

F4u5

My Feedback: (81)

Proof, that this hobby has taken a real slide south with many of these younger "flyers". Guys like "Trappy" are not hobbyists at all in my opinion. They are a poison to the sport/hobby of RC. The true hooby is about building and flying in a sport and comaraderie stlye atmosphere. That's the best I know how to put it, at lease for the 29 years I have been in it. Guys like "Trappy" spoil the intent of this hobby every day. I work in the aviation industry, and the stupidity toward air-vehicle laws are mind boggling when it comes to these types of operators. You really need to know waht you are dealing in, not just puff your chest and hope the FAA doesn't come looking for you, because of you "American rights". I know there has been a lot of FAA worries in this hobby lately, but it is guys like this "Trappy" that are creating issues for the true hobbyist. If you are operating an RC model within the boudaries of what the the AMA has laid out (and I am not an AMA fan), you will be fine. It's not that you have to necesarily belong to the AMA/field, but let's face it, the rules they have laid out are pretty self explanatory and work on a general level, for the most part. But then again, they are also mostly of common sense. I appreciate and respect the history of this great hobby, and try to promote it forward as it was really intended to function. You won't see my flying my models over the IDS building or the Metrodome, in downtown Minneapolis. Common sense tells me this is stupid. And I didn;t even need someone to explain to me that it is stupid. Unfortunately, it is not (quite) illegal to be stupid, except in "Trappy's" case. Wonder if he is crying for his mother now?

init4fun

Hi Bob ,

Ok , so now lets look at this in a different light , shall we ?

What if , Oh , just for supposition , we say that there is this United States citizen who likes going to European cities and fly his drone illegally around public landmarks like Buckingham Palace , Big Ben , and maybe Westminster Abby too , just for good measure . Now , would you still be defending this pilot as some kind of "RC Freedom Fighter" as you like to portray Trappy as ? Or would he be rightfully see him as the criminal that he is , by breaking already established laws regarding drone use ? You do really well choosing your words , so I doubt this is any kind of mis communication , Are you just taking the opposite point for argument's sake ? Cause I just can't see how you could POSSIBLY think what he has done here is ok ? Lets make it a bit MORE personal , shall we ? How would YOU like for your wife or son to be one of the full scale heli pilots (like the gent Skunkwerks on post # 23 of this thread) that have to worry now about yet ONE more threat in the skies , that of selfish , self aggrandizing fools without the decent horse sense to follow laws that truly ARE there to PROTECT innocent civilians from the dangers of unregulated drones ? Would crappy trappy STILL be some kind of 'hero" to you ?

Look , Bob , not ALL laws are "The MAN tryin to keep us serfs down" , as you seem to want to cloak this discussion in . Your hero came to my country and broke my country's laws . Knowingly and willingly . I don't know for sure what the proper English definition of "Criminal" is , But here in the United States , he SURE looks like a criminal to us !

PS , get a bit of help with that anti authority complex you seem to ooze out of your every post . Really , It adds NOTHING to the discussion ............

Wingdinger2

I say it was very dumb of him to do it. $10,000 might be a little steep sounding, but if he had the money to pay for the gear, he'll probably be able to handle the fine. I agree that guys like him need to be taught a lesson. I have an interest in FPV myself, and don't want a bunch of idiots causing the hobby side of it to be legislated out of reach.

Wingdinger2

On a side note, how many of you heard about this guy? http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?se...ors&id=9270668 Some moron went cruising around Manhattan with a quad, (I think it's a DJI Phantom) and ends up crashing it.

bogbeagle

I don't care what is stamped on Trappy's passport.

Buckingham Palace means nothing to me.

So, I'm cool with Trappy flying his quadcopter wherever he likes. I doubt he's insane ... but, if he is, none of your laws are going to stop him.

TexasAirBoss

My Feedback: (22)

If you have the FAA fining you, you are generally a well known Puck Up !

GerKonig

I am glad they got this *******. He can do this stunts in other places from now on, not in the US. Yes, our laws will stop him from entering the US again. No he is not insane, he is a character that has fun braking the law. Our hobby does not need this kind of imbecile, we have our own. Stay in your island, or go elsewhere.

Gerry

lopflyers

My Feedback: (12)

beautifully stated. People like him can take us all down. So he is not getting any sympathy from me, regardless of where he was born. My opinion would be the same even if he is George Washington's great grand son

bogbeagle

Do you know that an 11lb model, travelling at a paltry 35 mph, has the same energy as a .45 ACP? About 450 ftlb.

Up and down the runway they go, just a few feet from people's heads ... and piloted by amateurs, very many of whom have only a sketchy understanding of what they are doing. But, that's acceptable. Somehow.

So, a potent projectile, on the end of a radio signal, flown by people of questionable competency.




Does anyone's "common sense" tell them that this is stupid?

If not, why not?