It looks as though the idiots are going to make things harder for the responsible drone fliers.
I can see something like registration on purchase ans stronger licencing on the horizon.
Two drone crashes at a nature reserve in Orange County, California, are being blamed for a colony of some 3,000 sea birds abandoning their nests. According to wildlife experts at the Bolsa Chica Conservancy (not to be confused with the SpaceX launch site), the incident is believed to be one of the worst of its kind, with …
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A friend and I had to shut down a business startup that was working on UAV software/hardware for VTOL because the drone/UAV licensing requirements for a business, and the insurance required, went well outside what a two man team could afford.
We couldn't do the old "register it to one partner" thing because then that person would be required to have all the liability/insurance, and be present at every flight. To say nothing of having multiple prototypes eventually...
As always, it's the ones that try be safe, stay inside the 400 foot flight ceiling, obey the line of sight requirements, and stick to the letter of it all that will get hit.
ID-10-T_s will still get their cheap thrills racing in restricted airspace, clipping powerlines, and getting that awesome "follow me" video while unicycling backwards down a highway.
Icon for the octoquad test mule that didn't fly much.
A sparrowhawk recently caught itself in netting in our garden. We called the RSPB for advice and/or help, but they didn't want to know and suggested we contact the SSPCA.
The RSPB seem to be more interested in land preservation and pushing their agenda in the countryside.
[btw, the SSPCA were helpful and the hawk was released unharmed, much to the chagrin of the local song birds]
One of the problems may be people trying to get images as good as those seen on David Attenborough's wildlife programmes, but without the high grade equipment the BBC uses (extreme telephoto lenses etc.) or the skill and experience of how not to disturb wildlife.
My guess is that the drone was ok-ish while flying, but when it crashed the birds considered it to be a threat like a predator and believed their nesting sites to be vulnerable. And the second one will just have reinforced the message.
Very sad that so many eggs have been abandoned / destroyed.
"the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has retrieved one of the downed drones and is seeking a warrant to allow it to be examined, in the hope of identifying its owner."
Surely if it's lost or abandoned property found on California Department of Fish and Wildlife land, then the Department would be within in it's rights to try to identify the rightful owner?
"people are free to do anything they want, with no redress."
No, it's application of the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution, as extended through modern methods of communications. In a nutshell, the .gov can't read my diary (even an electronic one) without either my expressed authorization, or a warrant issued by the appropriate court.
Once that warrant is executed, the perp will be fingered and have his time in court.
Things like this found on Public Land are considered "private property" until declared otherwise by a court of law. These same rules allow you to park your car in the Mojave and wander off on a hike for two or three days without somebody "salvaging" your car. The search warrant requirement is the same one that allows you to carry around nekkid pictures of your .sig-other on your camera with no fear that the cops will insist on looking at them.
Another example: That stainless steel pillar that was found in Utah was left alone by the authorities because it was private property ... EVEN THOUGH the folks who placed it would have been denied a permit, had they applied for one, and probably would have been arrested had they been caught installing it. Likewise, the twats who removed it are technically guilty of theft if they didn't have the permission of the owner to remove it.
Do they mean military UAV, or airborne toy?
I think it must be the former, because birds are very tolerant of the presence of flying models. I used to belong to a model flying club that used agricultural set-aside land, and it was found that there was a very healthy bird population around the flying field.