Trespassing?

[andy.spilos]

I was about 300 feet away from an area with a no trespassing sign. Is it considered trespassing if you fly over the area?

 

[LarBear360]

I was about 300 feet away from an area with a no trespassing sign. Is it considered trespassing if you fly over the area?

That all depends on who you ask. The land owner will most likely say yes, you are trespassing. But in the US the airspace does not belong to the landowner.

Best practice would be to contact the land owner and ask permission if that's even possible.

 

[andy.spilos]

Thanks, I was flying over a baseball stadium. Normally this time of year the Minor League games are being played there.

 

[LarBear360]

Thanks, I was flying over a baseball stadium. Normally this time of year the Minor League games are being played there.

Drones flying near stadiums tend to attract attention. Even when nobody's home. I would avoid!

 

[Drone Freedom27]

I fly all over private property too get good photos and if the land owner tells me he doesnt want me to fly over his property I respect that and dont fly there but u also can ignore him and he would have to sue me for trespassing if he wanted me to stop legally.

Most people handle things a bit more violently lol.

 

[Glockman]

Most folks don’t have any issues especially when you tell them there was no harm intended. If they get hot it’s most likely they have something to hide.
BTW, are any of you aware of P4 motors that have better performance specs? Looking for some ‘hot’ upgrades.
Thanks !!

 

[PhoenixOne]

If I'm flying anywhere near a home owner's property I tend to ask. Especially if I'm trying to take pictures of anything on their land.. I've been in situations even on the top of a mountain that was completely public property but there are houses out there. I was flying off the side of the mountain someone drove up there and threatened and said my drone almost got shot down. Though I diffused the situation pretty quick and he ended up being a really nice guy some people just do not like drones flying over their house. His Reason was his children which I totally understand but I told him I was not flying over his house or pointing in the direction of his house and all I could see was tree tops anyways. Sometimes just learning how to talk to people is key. I also pulled over on the side of the road the other day to take a picture and happened to kind of pull into somebody's field and 3 people came down in 3 different vehicles to check and see what I was doing and though everything turned out alright they were just some good ole country boys worried about their property. He didn't want me to pull too far in the field because they bail the hay. But fine in a situation like yours over a stadium I would not fly from the stadium parking lot. But fly somewhere that's either public property or somewhere you can get permission from the owner even if it is a nother parking lot. Having permission to fly somewhere goes a long way. Most the rules are where you take off from not where you can fly.

 

[andy.spilos]

If I'm flying anywhere near a home owner's property I tend to ask. Especially if I'm trying to take pictures of anything on their land.. I've been in situations even on the top of a mountain that was completely public property but there are houses out there. I was flying off the side of the mountain someone drove up there and threatened and said my drone almost got shot down. Though I diffused the situation pretty quick and he ended up being a really nice guy some people just do not like drones flying over their house. His Reason was his children which I totally understand but I told him I was not flying over his house or pointing in the direction of his house and all I could see was tree tops anyways. Sometimes just learning how to talk to people is key. I also pulled over on the side of the road the other day to take a picture and happened to kind of pull into somebody's field and 3 people came down in 3 different vehicles to check and see what I was doing and though everything turned out alright they were just some good ole country boys worried about their property. He didn't want me to pull too far in the field because they bail the hay. But fine in a situation like yours over a stadium I would not fly from the stadium parking lot. But fly somewhere that's either public property or somewhere you can get permission from the owner even if it is a nother parking lot. Having permission to fly somewhere goes a long way. Most the rules are where you take off from not where you can fly.

 

[andy.spilos]

I appreciate everyone‘s feedback. Normally I don’t fly over private property for the reasons posted.
There were too many obstructions at the site which made it nearly impossible to fly from, besides I would have been trespassing. Across the street is a parking garage and from the roof I took off.
It seems to me it’s somewhat of a gray area in this case. It was a one shot deal and I’m not planning a repeat fligh.

 

[PhoenixOne]

Ive also taken off from the sidewalk dowtown.. by the stadium.. no one's property.. did my preflight.. asked airmap.. good to go.. ??

 

[CactusJackSlade]

Thanks, I was flying over a baseball stadium. Normally this time of year the Minor League games are being played there.

Be careful flying around stadiums and DO NOT fly directly over people. Depending on what kind of event TFR's (Temporary Flight Restrictions) may be in place. If you fly during a TFR you will most likely get busted. I would highly recommend using at least the FAA's B4UFLY app if not also AIRMAP (I tend to use AirMap). Between the two you should be able to determine the legal areas you can legally fly.

 

[DroneB]

Local law enforcement researched the FAA regs and tell people a drone is trespassing on private property only if it is flying below the highest point on the property, ie, roof, trees, etc.. Flying above the highest point on the property is in FAA controlled airspace. They also remind the complainers that it is illegal to shoot down a drone.

 

[Drone Freedom27]

Awesome see that is what I like to know. See I'm waiting for someone to shoot mine down so I can file a civil suit against the and possibly get a brand new new drone upgrade my model on someone else's dime all because they didnt wanna see me fly oh no

 

[andy.spilos]

Local law enforcement researched the FAA regs and tell people a drone is trespassing on private property only if it is flying below the highest point on the property, ie, roof, trees, etc.. Flying above the highest point on the property is in FAA controlled airspace. They also remind the complainers that it is illegal to shoot down a drone.

 

[andy.spilos]

Thanks for the valuable information. For the record, the highest point in the stadium are the light poles. I was above them and the stadium was closed.
I value my license and I’m not going to jeopardize it.

 

[skiptv]

Dude, it is agains the FAA regs to fly over people, like baseball games, stadiums, etc. Some Stadiums have No Fly Restrictions over them. Additionally in some cases you are not allowed to take off and land from a stadium parking lot or grounds. Get A FAA license and learn the laws. FYI if you crash your drone on someones head, you'll be looking at a nice lawsuit.

 

[Osmosis]

I fly all over private property too get good photos and if the land owner tells me he doesnt want me to fly over his property I respect that and dont fly there but u also can ignore him and he would have to sue me for trespassing if he wanted me to stop legally.

Most people handle things a bit more violently lol.

Assuming you mean "Most people handle things a bit more violently" as shooting them down.. I find this interesting and even see a few videos out there suggesting many have been brought down this way. If you're flying legally and registered with the FAA, its the same as shooting a maned aircraft out of the air - a felony.

 

[Not A Speck Of Cereal]

Most folks don’t have any issues especially when you tell them there was no harm intended. If they get hot it’s most likely they have something to hide.

Nope. There's a lot of people that have nothing to hide, but hate drones anyway. The don't often have a good reason for that -- they just do. Some of them you can talk to about it, others you can't.

 

[bsartist]

Dude, it is agains the FAA regs to fly over people, like baseball games, stadiums, etc. Some Stadiums have No Fly Restrictions over them. Additionally in some cases you are not allowed to take off and land from a stadium parking lot or grounds. Get A FAA license and learn the laws. FYI if you crash your drone on someones head, you'll be looking at a nice lawsuit.

Why would you assume there were people in that stadium? Especially now.

 

[DroneB]

This pertains only to airspace; determining what is considered public or private over houses, etc. It's still illegal to fly over people, in restricted areas, etc., without a waiver. There are lots of layers of laws. I fly a lot in residential areas. I'm very careful to take off on public property (streets, sidewalks), continue flying over public property (with no people below) or go straight up to an altitude considered to be FAA airspace and go from there. I've only had one complaint filed. Law enforcement sided with me and explained airspace to the complainer.