Drone News: CT Drone Bill & DFR Drone Bans, Supreme Court on Drone Privacy, YouTuber Court Case

FYI: This just in based on article on external site; Police, fire, emergency response units, and other official agencies in Connecticut WILL BE ABLE TO CONTINUE operating their DJI drones in the line of duty, after a proposal to ban their use failed to pass a legislative deadline Thursday. I don't want to put other folks links on your channel but a quick search you should be able to find it.

There’s a big difference between flying over someone’s property and hovering there being a creep 😂😅

With the privacy ordeal, I don't go around and purposely fly over someone's property, if I do it's quick and at the 400 agl. Also, when I got my drone I made the effort to talk with my neighbors informing them I have a drone and even did a demonstration for them. Answered any questions they had and reassured them I'm not going to surveillance them or their property. Now granted this may not be the best idea for everyone, I live in a rural area and have decent neighbors. But they appreciated what I did. I for one am not a fan of a drone hovering over my property nor flying really low over my property. Treat others as you want to be treated. My state is pretty relaxed on drone laws so far and hopefully no one screws that up

These bills will keep being introduced until one of the gets through 😒thanks for keeping the Drone community informed 😊

These updates are super. Thanks!

Thank you for the information 😊Love the background 🤗

in the case of the city wanting to see what as in the back yard of the person, even though the city was not operating the drone, it was the intend of the flight. this is what should be looked at. this was actually a search of someone's land. under any other reasoning, if this was down by someone on the ground, this would be an illegal search. it is the intent that needs to be looked at.

I think you need to give up on your privacy for the random drone user in that there are bird-view maps online b/c google isn't the only company flying around planes to share photos of your backyard.

Courts have already ruled in numerous instances that the government needs a warrant to conduct a drone search unless it meets certain exceptions like legitimate emergencies. In Virginia, it is actually built into the law that you will have a search warrant, if you want your drone surveillance to be admissible in court, unless it fell into emergency circumstances.

I think if a drone is used for an investigation by a government agency on “private property” they should file for a warrant

Interesting case about that in Michigan... It's important to remember that in that situation the city was doing that not an individual. Depending on future case scenarios, I could see why there might more laws about privacy over private property for individuals though. We will see what happens!

Hey Greg, the Drone Advocacy Alliance links are not showing anything. I just see "Page Not Found"

Weren't there already laws about voyeurs and "hovering" over private property...of some sort? The scary thing here is various legislatures passing some kind of law prohibiting ANY flights over private property. As the other stories here show, they are attempting to pass all kinds of restrictions across the country. That is why it needs to be watched carefully.

Always god info thanks

Government Property Compliance Inspector here. NO. I do not advocate for drone use in terms of inspection on private property without owner consent...and the intent of that individual flying a drone over their neighbor's property was to get the government involved for alleged violation(s). As an inspector I am quite capable of gathering my own evidence without one neighbor turning into Big Brother over the other neighbor. As a drone pilot on my own time, I 100% would support any court's decision that found in favor of the property owner who suffered their neighbor basically spying on their property to submit to the government. I live in a state that allows for drone flight OVER private property, with the caveat that it should not linger or make multiple passes, thereby indicating the operator is actually examining/looking at/ etc, the property they are flying over. As for traversing private property, I am all for this. The airspace does not belong to the property own beyond a certain zoned height (per my understanding). To my understanding, per typical zoning codes, private property, as zoned (residential, commercial, industrial, etc), has building height restrictions based on the zoning class and intended function of the property. For example, a single family home property typically will not permit building structures greater than 3-4 stories in height. Should the property owner wish to put something on the property that exceeds the maximum height allowed (like a ham-radio tower/antenna) they would need to apply for appeal to that restriction. In a nutshell, this means as a drone operator you should always fly above the maximum height limit a property is zoned for (unless that height violates FAA rules for drone operation, big duh). If you do this then it could be argued that you are operating strictly in FAA airspace and the property owner would have no viable beef, unless the property has some sort of restricted airspace use. (I encountered a business that insisted drone operation was not allowed anywhere near their property, and that I was forbidden to fly anywhere near their property. Nothing in in the sectional, supplement, or any of apps gave any indication this was a factual assertion by the owner, so I thanked them for their input, informed them of the factual status of the airspace above their property, and proceeded with caution to not actually cross the boundaries of their property while I focused on my intended subject adjacent to the property.) That being said, when I fly over private property I will do it briefly and with clear intent. If I wish to linger over a property I will approach the property owner, introduce myself and my intent, and ask their permission. It's remarkable how many people are cool and amendable so long as they are respectfully approached. In the event they are disinclined, or unavailable, I will stick to the perimeters of the property and not cross or linger. If I wish to capture their property because it's beautiful or provides framing and perspective to what I'm really trying to capture, I can easily do that without lingering or trespassing in any form.

It is one thing to fly over your neighbors house. It is a completely different thing to fly over your neighbors house trying to cause trouble. Especially if you are trying to prove something nobody can see from the ground.

I hope that you will have a competition for the best drone film of drone footage used in a film.

Welcome to Utah

The Michigan ruling is horrid. It opens it up for law enforcement to utilize "survillence" footage from a government agency without the need of a search warrant. YouTuber Steve Lehto (lehtos law) @SteveLehto has a great video on this.

How do I print out my DJI flight log?