In This Chapter

Flying your drone safely

Respecting your neighbors’ privacy

Avoiding no-fly zones

Minding the law

Although drones have been around for quite some time, the latest innovations in the technology have revolutionized how the world views unmanned, remotely piloted aerial vehicles. Remote controlled flying is no longer for model nerds (no offense if you are a model aircraft nerd). It is slowly making its way into pop culture. In fact, I can probably get my 12-year-old niece, Claire, to fly a drone and think it’s the coolest thing since selfies and Instagram. As drone technology continues to evolve, aircraft will fly longer, farther, faster, and more autonomously. Popularity will drive this forward at increasing faster speeds and like all new technology that catapults itself into the mainstream, there needs to be a user manual for common sense.

Remember when Google Glass was all the rage? There were a lot of Jordy LaForge lookalikes “exploring” places like the bathroom, the I-405 from the driver’s seat, Sunday Mass, and the dinner table. Very quickly the world began documenting improper usage of Google Glass on the popular social media platform, Twitter, using a hashtag (those phrases you see everywhere that begin with “#”) just for the purpose. I’m going on record now with a new term for people that make bad decisions with a drone: #dronehead. Get it? It sounds like “bonehead.” Anyway, #dronehead decisions are going to get you in trouble and set the movement behind. Or maybe it will thin the herd like a sort of technological natural selection.

While this chapter isn’t intended to be cotillion etiquette training for drone users, it should at least give you a barometer by which you can determine if you are making good decisions with your drone.

Make good decisions, people!

Spying On Your Neighbor

When I was a kid, I used to get on the swing set at kindergarten and try to swing high enough to see over the fence at the back of the playground. There was never anything going on in the neighboring house’s backyard, but it was an innocent feat of strength and agility. Flying a drone in the backyard with the hopes of seeing into your neighbor’s backyard, while not necessarily illegal, isn’t a sweet childhood activity. It’s creepy. Currently, there are no laws in place that say you can’t fly a drone in your own backyard. But even if it is in line of sight with your neighbor’s property, that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be considerate of your neighbors that may feel uncomfortable with being in camera shot of your drone. Not to mention, just because there isn’t legal precedent doesn’t mean that a #dronehead idea like using a drone to peep into your neighbor’s window can’t turn into legal precedent when your neighbor takes you to court.

Walk Your Dog

Earlier this year, a video of a drone walking a golden retriever started circulating the Internet. In the video, the dog owner programmed a route for the drone to fly. He then hooked up his dog to the drone with a leash and set the drone off to fly at a reasonable pace. The video was somewhat fabricated but it brought up a great point: Should you use your drone to walk your dog? If you need to automate every aspect of dog ownership, you should probably reevaluate whether or not you should have a dog. That said, unless you have a remarkably well-trained dog, this is not a good idea!

Drones are not powerful enough to guide an animal in any setting. This is not only dangerous to the dog, it’s dangerous to other pedestrians and drivers. My 5-year-old cockapoo (actually, he’s my wife’s) isn’t the smartest quadruped. When I walk him, he still manages to get the leash wrapped around light poles, trees, and other objects, causing him to strain against the leash and me to trip. Imagine your drone trying to walk your dog, the dog decides it’s time to make a stop, and your drone keeps heading on its programmed path.

You probably get the idea. Until drones get stronger (or more assertive) and artificial intelligence gets a bit better and is integrated into flight controllers, walking your dog is a task that should be carried out in a much more analog manner.

Carry the Ring down the Aisle

People love to watch video of wedding bloopers. Watching the wedding party take a bath in the ocean after a dock collapse, or maybe a bridesmaid loses her balance and falls down, or, in the case of a buddy of mine, you drop the ring in the pool in the middle of the ceremony. Whatever the case is, wedding bloopers are great television. For that reason alone, you should probably definitely rig your drone up to be your ring bearer. In all seriousness, however, there are some inherent risks involved with having your drone carry the ring or, even worse, escort your bride down the aisle.

Flying a drone in a crowded area presents several risks, primarily centered around causing bodily harm to the audience. You can’t forget that drones are a combination of mechanical and computer components, all of which can fail for various and unforeseen reasons. A drone that is balanced improperly, or goes into an autopilot mode, or has some other malfunction, could crash into someone or something like the ocean. Don’t make a #dronehead mistake. Let your best man carry the rings.

Fly in Airport Airspace

Large aircraft are absolutely fascinating to watch take off and land. Commercial aircraft require an unbelievable amount of power to achieve flight, and it never gets boring to watch this feat. Naturally, an airfield is an excellent place to plane spot. Even better, get an up close and personal video and pictures of aircraft landing and takeoff with your drone, right? Not at all. Airspace around an airport is restricted and flying your drone in or within five miles of an airfield would not only be a #dronehead mistake, it would be illegal.

In early 2009, a commercial aircraft took off from New York’s LaGuardia airport headed to Charlotte, North Carolina. Within three minutes of takeoff, the plane flew through a flock of geese and a couple of those airborne honkers got into the plane’s jet engines. The result was raining ground ganders over the lower east side and the plane had to make an emergency landing. The impact with the geese was so catastrophic that both engines were completely shot and the craft had to crash land with the only reasonable option being the Hudson River. The good news is that the plane landed smoothly and all passengers and flight crew made it off the plane with no lives lost. It was a miracle to say the least.

This sort of scenario is quite possible when you introduce unmanned flight craft into an active airfield. While the resulting video and pictures could be absolutely amazing, the chance of a stiff gust of wind pushing your drone into a plane’s flightpath is all too real. Don’t be a #dronehead; get up close and personal with binoculars not with your drone.

Flying Under the Influence

The only thing you should be doing if you’ve had a few too many cocktails is sitting at home and watching television. Along with keeping your car keys out of reach, you should tuck your drone safely away in its storage kit. Flying a drone requires fine-tuned senses, attention to details, and good judgment. No matter how “great” the idea is, there are too many things that can go wrong that can cause harm to your drone, property, or worse, other people. Don’t be a complete #dronehead. If you’ve consumed something that can impair your judgment, don’t fire up your drone.

Fly Over the Fences at the White House

There are a ton of great things to see in Washington, D.C. The Capitol building, Washington Monument, the milieu of war memorials, museums, architecture, parks, and, of course, the White House. Don’t do it. The area over Washington, D.C., is a strict no fly zone and has been ever since September 11, 2001. Figure 15-1 shows a map of the flight restricted zone (FRZ).

Of course, if you aren’t the president or someone in the “inner circle” at the White House, doing anything at the White House other than taking pictures from outside the perimeter fence, is likely to get you into a heap of trouble. Below is the U.S. code that clearly states (in legalese) that your drone is grounded in Washington D.C.

• 49 U.S. Code § 46307 – Violation of national defense airspace: A person that knowingly or willfully violates section 40103 (b)(3) of this title or a regulation prescribed or order issued under section 40103 (b)(3) shall be fined under title 18, imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.

So, when deciding if you should or shouldn’t fly a drone in or around the White House, don’t do it. It’s illegal, you will get busted, and it will be a black-eye on the emerging drone community. If you want to make a statement about current laws of the land, walk your drone over to the United States Capitol building and meet with your appointed congressional representative. Or write them a letter.

Checking Extra Batteries on a Flight

If you’re passionate about drone flying, you’re likely going to want to take your drone with you everywhere you go. If you’re driving, you don’t have to worry too much about transporting your drone. If you’re flying commercial, however, you do need to know how to package and transport your drone.

Almost all modern drones are powered by Lithium Polymer batteries. Lithium Polymer batteries (LiPo), pictured in Figure 15-2, are somewhat dangerous because if not handled properly, they can become damaged and cause fire. In 2010, a UPS flight carrying a cargo container filled with Lithium batteries crashed and killed both crewmen on board after the batteries caught fire and filled the plane with smoke.

The good news is that you can fly with LiPo batteries, as long as they are carried on. If you need to check your batteries, they must be installed in the device that they are intended to power. This means that you can’t simply pack extra LiPo batteries. If you do, and the TSA finds them in your checked bag, they will likely be confiscated.

Shoot Down a Drone

Drones have become a polarizing topic for many people and for many reasons. Opponents to the deployment of lethal drones in combat zones argue that drones cause an excess of civilian deaths, violate international law, create an unhealthy detachment from the horrors of war, and so on. Domestically speaking, people fear the erosion of our right to privacy. So much so that there have been several stories in the news telling of private individuals clearing the skies of drones by any means necessary including shotguns, nets, and other projectiles.

Individuals have argued that drones flying over their property is an invasion of privacy and trespassing and therefore have the right to “defend their property from invasion.” The problem is that the airspace above your property isn’t technically your property. You can’t destroy someone else’s drone on grounds (ironic) of trespassing. In fact, you can’t destroy someone else’s property and not expect to be responsible for replacing it.

For example, if someone were to park their car on your front lawn, you could have it towed and charge the car owner for the expense. But if you were to take a sledge hammer to it or light it on fire, you would be responsible for damaging it.

Note to self, don’t be a #dronehead. If you don’t want your neighbor flying a drone over your house, be a neighbor and talk to them about it. If the conversation is unproductive, file a complaint with the city.

Fly Over People

There are a lot of public places where you will probably want to get some aerial footage. Concerts, sporting events, amusement parks, and busy city streets are just a few of them. But flying over people presents a lot of risk to the people below. A gust of wind, a bad battery, an inexperienced pilot, falling objects, or any other unforeseen event could cause your drone to come crashing down to earth. If there is a person or people below, you could be in for some problems.

If you are flying recreationally, your best bet is to stay away from crowded areas. If you absolutely must fly where there are people, at least make sure that they know that you will be flying overhead so they can be wary of falling sky. If the weather isn’t favorable, or you are a new pilot, don’t be a #dronehead, stick to the wide open spaces and get some flight hours under your belt before you venture off into the wild world of civil litigation.

Make Money with Your Drone

Chapter 16 tears into 10 different commercial uses for drones and drone technology. In fact, there are many more ways you can use your drone to make money. From delivering flowers and chocolates to locating parking spaces in crowded mall parking lots, the opportunities are limitless. However, until the FAA releases their rules and regulations (and Congress approves them), the options are actually limited to a few small industries.

For the time being, the FAA is only hearing appeals for commercial uses on a case-by-case basis. Hollywood, naturally, had the juice to get clearance for a handful of film studios to use drones to reduce the costs associated with gathering aerial camera shots for major motion pictures. For everyone else, the front of the line can be a long way off.

In the meantime, to get updates on the status of the FAA rules and regulations, see https://www.faa.gov/uas.