
Man gets 30 days in jail for drone crash - alphabettsy
http://www.theverge.com/2017/2/27/14755116/jail-sentence-drone-crash-30-days-seattle
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DrScump
The submitter trimmed this from the title: "Man gets 30 days in jail for drone
crash _that knocked woman unconscious_ ".

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paulddraper
This is a relevant detail.

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dkonofalski
I read this article somewhere else and, frankly, I'm thrilled that this guy
got jail time. The FAA already has rules in place for drone use that restrict
drone flights and explicitly forbid flights over areas where there are people
that are not shielded by some type of cover. In order to fly a drone
commercially, you have to pass an exam that covers all these rules and the
registration for your drone requires you to agree to these regulations before
you can complete the registration. He ignored the regulations (whose only
purpose is really safety) and got someone hurt. He deserved it.

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greenyoda
Just the other day, someone crashed a drone through the window of a high-rise
apartment in NYC:

[http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2017/02/27/Police-probe-drone-
th...](http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2017/02/27/Police-probe-drone-that-crashed-
through-New-York-womans-27th-floor-window/3911488230101/)

According to the article, the pilot was ignoring the rule that says the only
place in NYC that you're allowed to fly recreational drones is in a few
designated parks. The cops have the drone and are looking for its owner.

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dkonofalski
So that means that the drone wasn't registered either? Or was it registered
and they just haven't located the owner?

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rebootthesystem
I've been flying RC model airplanes, powered and gliders, as well as well as
RC helicopters (not the toys from the mall, $2,000 to $5,000 machines) for
over thirty years.

I cannot believe the irresponsibility and carelessness of some of the people
flying these drones. Nor can I believe the manufacturers painting rosy
pictures about the products they sell.

Here's the truth:

I don't care what you buy today. If it costs less than $250K it is a toy.
Period.

And that means it is built with toy parts and a toy engineering process.

And it also means these things can fall out of the sky any time and any place
for a myriad of reasons or no reason at all.

The "safety" features they have are nothing less than jokes. Things like
"return home" are utterly and totally useless in the case of electronics
failure.

A few days ago my family and I went to have a birthday dinner with other
family members for one of the kids. After a great evening we set out to go
home and get out to the parking lot. This is a location where there are a few
nice restaurants and companies like Best Buy, etc. on the same property. Large
parking lot. Lots of cars and people.

Sure enough, some moron is flying a quadcopter right on top of people, cars,
building, etc. The drone was probably 100 feet up. It was night time so I
couldn't see who might have been flying it. For all I know the idiot was
inside a car.

I can't understand the lack of consideration and common sense. Some of these
people seem to have zero concerns for placing others in potentially mortal
danger. I've seen idiots flying these things around our local lake or the park
where kids play. Insane, truly insane.

I have always --always-- flown from AMA
([http://www.modelaircraft.org/](http://www.modelaircraft.org/)) sanctioned
clubs and flying fields. I carry a one million dollar insurance policy for
both myself and my kid. And, of course AMA rules are such that this policy
does not cover us if we fly at a location like the aforementioned parking lot.
And there are rules beyond that.

I am all for people having consequences like jail time for putting others in
danger. This is no different from firing a gun in the air. It's only a matter
of time before someone gets hurt.

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rodionos
The way it's going: driver licenses, traffic laws, DUI tests, insurance,
uninsured pilot protection etc. The big question is are the emerging sky laws
in the U.S. going to federal or local?

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jdietrich
Hopefully federal. The FAA have proven themselves to be an excellent regulator
of drones, striking an effective balance between safety and freedom. Many
states wouldn't be nearly as sensible. We've already seen many local
municipalities pass ordinances that completely ban drones and model aircraft;
the FAA have stepped in to defend the rights of fliers.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvrQx2GngNc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvrQx2GngNc)

