Originally Posted by
porcia83
All's well that ends well. If I were the cop I would have probably done the same thing, it's a natural conclusion for him to have made. The club handled it well (per the video) and didn't take it to another level.
This will happen more and more, so clubs need to talk about it and come up with a plan. My club does, and this week I went to another clubs meeting and discussed this issue as well. They are on a busier street and about a mile away from an active runway, right in the approach. We had a copy of the FAA directions to local LE to go over as well. In short, bring the aircraft down, have a chat, have your card ready, and that is that. An "attitude" isn't going to help any situation.
I agree and I would have done the same thing as well because if I were not properly trained and educated how would I have known that the local RC clubs are not the problem?
As you put it, "clubs need to come up with a plan". I think clubs need to address this issue and have a solid plan on how they will handle it - especially clubs in busy areas as they are more likely to encounter this. I question how many clubs will make the needed effort - they will deal with the results of the lack of effort they put in.
Out of all the variables, I think location of an RC field is probably the biggest one. Heavily populated areas are more likely to get reports and sightings of "drones" as most (not all) of your reckless drone flyers are kids and adults in neighborhoods that choose to do stupid acts. Any RC field in close proximity will have a lot to deal with.
We all know it will happen. It is just how we address it. I realize we do not have all the facts in the video, yet being solutions minded does not negate addressing when issues might have been mishandled. Calling out the possibility of someone not using good judgment does not need to be categorized as negative.