Flying Pumpkin vs. Drone

I guess I need to start building a pumpkin launcher for Drone defense. :)

I bet there's enough electrical noise to use an antenna to find them, and optics for targeting aren't too hard...

Baseballs are probably a good bet for projectiles; would tennis balls be heavy enough?

Tennis balls full of gasoline are against the rules, apparently; the BATF seem to frown on it.

Any other thoughts?
 
DrBorg said:
I guess I need to start building a pumpkin launcher for Drone defense. :)

I bet there's enough electrical noise to use an antenna to find them, and optics for targeting aren't too hard...

Baseballs are probably a good bet for projectiles; would tennis balls be heavy enough?

Tennis balls full of gasoline are against the rules, apparently; the BATF seem to frown on it.

Any other thoughts?
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Most of them fly so low that any object hitting them with enough force is enough to imbalance them or stop a propeller long enough that they will crash before they recover from impact. So in that respect, a tennis ball thrown with force should be more than sufficient for all but the most powerful drones.
 
So all that expense/effort for what?

Guy needs to get a job or something.
 
I wonder how many pumpkins he had to fire to hit the drone. Probable answer: "Not as many as I wanted to!"

GoPro should probably cut him a check. What does it take to break one anyway?
 
daglesj said:
So all that expense/effort for what?

Guy needs to get a job or something.
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The challenge. Everyone has a hobby. I also suspect this task also had a lot of math involved and probably involved less failed attempts than people realize.
 
Next time, I want to see someone get all Three Stooges on a drone with a pie in the camera.

"Hey Mo!" **smack** :D
 
If I'm in the back yard in the hammock enjoying the peace and quiet and suddenly a loud whining drone shows up I wouldn't take too kindly to it.
As far as I know you DO own the air space above your property(within reason of course); so that is trespassing and evasion of privacy. So to pull a shotgun out and blow the drown away; I would say you are justified.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
If I'm in the back yard in the hammock enjoying the peace and quiet and suddenly a loud whining drone shows up I wouldn't take too kindly to it.
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The next time you are on my fence line with that ridiculously loud 2-stroke weed wacker when I'm on the hammock enjoying peace and quiet, I hope you don't take offense if I were to shoot that noise pollution device. You have violated my ears, just as you did with your leaf blower, and I think my peace and quiet is more important than your property rights.
Dr. Righteous said:
As far as I know you DO own the air space above your property(within reason of course); so that is trespassing and evasion of privacy. So to pull a shotgun out and blow the drown away; I would say you are justified.
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You are wrong, you do NOT own the air space above your property. You are allowed "reasonable use" of the airspace above your property, as is anyone else. Its community property, and to prevent someone from using your airspace, you have to prove that their use of that shared airspace is directly interfering with your ability to use your property.

And if you are wondering if people have gone to jail for shooting someone's RC aircraft away, the answer is yes, yes they have. But I'm sure they will take your opinion in court into consideration, and not laws on destruction of private property and public endangerment by discharge of a firearm in a public area with rounds leaving your property and landing on someone else's.
 
Ducman69 said:
The next time you are on my fence line with that ridiculously loud 2-stroke weed wacker when I'm on the hammock enjoying peace and quiet, I hope you don't take offense if I were to shoot that noise pollution device. You have violated my ears, just as you did with your leaf blower, and I think my peace and quiet is more important than your property rights.

You are wrong, you do NOT own the air space above your property. You are allowed "reasonable use" of the airspace above your property, as is anyone else. Its community property, and to prevent someone from using your airspace, you have to prove that their use of that shared airspace is directly interfering with your ability to use your property.

And if you are wondering if people have gone to jail for shooting someone's RC aircraft away, the answer is yes, yes they have. But I'm sure they will take your opinion in court into consideration, and not laws on destruction of private property and public endangerment by discharge of a firearm in a public area with rounds leaving your property and landing on someone else's.
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Wong on several counts. Private property is NOT "public spaces". In the United States YOU DO have 'air rights' to 500' above your property. Above this is controlled by the FAA. If a chopper flies 500' above my property I do NOT see this as trespassing or invasion of privacy. If it is a news crew and they drop to 50 feet with cameras rolling on my backyard bar-b-que (they are after my secret sauce!!!). Then I'm calling the police (and then a lawyer). If someone operates a drone with cameras on it hovering 20 feed off the ground in my yard; making an obnoxious and obviously for the soul purpose of invading my privacy. I'm reaching for the shot gun.

Now if someone is operating a drone and just buzzes over my property; say they are primary flying it in a neighboring park; no problem. No different than flying model planes. In fact there is a Church just below me with about 5 or 6 acres of open field. People come out and fly their planes all the time. Once one guy got his stuck in the trees in my back yard. I offered the use of my ladder but they brought their own. I have no problem with just good clean fun.
But the cases people complain about are the obvious evasions of privacy. Hiding behind some BS "fair use" argument won't work.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
Wong on several counts. Private property is NOT "public spaces". In the United States YOU DO have 'air rights' to 500' above your property. Above this is controlled by the FAA. If a chopper flies 500' above my property I do NOT see this as trespassing or invasion of privacy. If it is a news crew and they drop to 50 feet with cameras rolling on my backyard bar-b-que (they are after my secret sauce!!!). Then I'm calling the police (and then a lawyer). If someone operates a drone with cameras on it hovering 20 feed off the ground in my yard; making an obnoxious and obviously for the soul purpose of invading my privacy. I'm reaching for the shot gun.

Now if someone is operating a drone and just buzzes over my property; say they are primary flying it in a neighboring park; no problem. No different than flying model planes. In fact there is a Church just below me with about 5 or 6 acres of open field. People come out and fly their planes all the time. Once one guy got his stuck in the trees in my back yard. I offered the use of my ladder but they brought their own. I have no problem with just good clean fun.
But the cases people complain about are the obvious evasions of privacy. Hiding behind some BS "fair use" argument won't work.
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Agreed, I think too many people are way too trigger happy and that alone is scary. I do wish my fellow drone operators would practice better etiquette. I've found assholes when flying but many more are actually interested in it, one person had a blast as I flew around and their dog kept chasing it (despite it being 50ft off the ground lol).
 
My favorite pic I snapped with my drone at a park, almost had a fly away as I reached the end of my radio range. Thankfully my return to home functioned properly.

34xkhub.jpg
 
Dr. Righteous said:
Wong on several counts. Private property is NOT "public spaces". In the United States YOU DO have 'air rights' to 500' above your property. Above this is controlled by the FAA. If a chopper flies 500' above my property I do NOT see this as trespassing or invasion of privacy. If it is a news crew and they drop to 50 feet with cameras rolling on my backyard bar-b-que (they are after my secret sauce!!!). Then I'm calling the police (and then a lawyer). If someone operates a drone with cameras on it hovering 20 feed off the ground in my yard; making an obnoxious and obviously for the soul purpose of invading my privacy. I'm reaching for the shot gun.

Now if someone is operating a drone and just buzzes over my property; say they are primary flying it in a neighboring park; no problem. No different than flying model planes. In fact there is a Church just below me with about 5 or 6 acres of open field. People come out and fly their planes all the time. Once one guy got his stuck in the trees in my back yard. I offered the use of my ladder but they brought their own. I have no problem with just good clean fun.
But the cases people complain about are the obvious evasions of privacy. Hiding behind some BS "fair use" argument won't work.
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Please cite the law that states that people have rights to the first 500 feet above their property line.

The only ruling that says anything definitive is United States v. Causby which states that property owners can only assert property rights up to 83 feet. Same ruling also states the minimum safe altitude for aircraft is 500 feet.

As of 2015, FAA asserts [unofficial] control over ALL airspace above your property, but there is still no defined law.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...ests-shot-down-drone-was-higher-than-alleged/
Ars Technica said:
But in 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) asserts its right to all airspace.

"The FAA is responsible for the safety and management of US airspace from the ground up," Les Dorr, an FAA spokesman told Ars in a statement on Friday.

Peter Sachs, a Connecticut-based attorney, private investigator and drone advocate, concurred.

"There is no defined aerial trespass law," he told Ars. "You do not own the airspace over your own property."
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As much as I agree with you and want it to be 500 feet above your property, it just isn't defined yet.
 
Ars Technica said:
The best case law on the issue dates back to 1946, long before drones were even technically feasible.

That year, the Supreme Court decided in a case known as United States v. Causby that a farmer in North Carolina could assert property rights up to 83 feet in the air. In that case, American military aircraft were flying above his farm, disturbing his sleep and his chickens. As such, the court found he was owed compensation.

However, the same decision also specifically mentioned a "minimum safe altitude of flight" at 500 feet—leaving the zone between 83 and 500 feet as a legal gray area."
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http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...ed-of-charges-i-wish-this-had-never-happened/

By the way, that article is about all charges being dropped against the Kentucky man who shot down a drone above his property.
 
evilsofa said:
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...ed-of-charges-i-wish-this-had-never-happened/

By the way, that article is about all charges being dropped against the Kentucky man who shot down a drone above his property.
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And he shot that drone below 500 feet. Keep in mind this is at the local and state level. Federal law is still unclear. I also think the man had a right to his privacy, and it should be 500 feet all things considered. It doesn't change the fact that there is still no official law on the books with the only official Federal ruling saying 83 feet.

That being said, this case is a tenuous one. The drone was supposedly not directly above his property line (per the telemetry on the drone) and the shooter also was not charged with discharging a firearm within city limits. It will lkely result in a civil case.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
Wong on several counts. Private property is NOT "public spaces". In the United States YOU DO have 'air rights' to 500' above your property.
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Bullshit, and it doesn't matter what "you see" as trespassing. You do NOT have exclusive airspace rights above your property at any altitude. If you think you do, great, I'm sure you also think the speed limit should be 90mph, and it'll be up to you to face the repercussions of your ignorance.
Dr. Righteous said:
If someone operates a drone with cameras on it hovering 20 feed off the ground in my yard; making an obnoxious and obviously for the soul purpose of invading my privacy. I'm reaching for the shot gun.
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Enjoy your jail time. http://www.wdrb.com/story/29650818/...or-shooting-down-drone-cites-right-to-privacy
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A Hillview man has been arrested after he shot down a drone flying over his property
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Dr. Righteous said:
But the cases people complain about are the obvious evasions of privacy. Hiding behind some BS "fair use" argument won't work.
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You keep saying evasion, I think you mean invasion of privacy. But you don't have a legal right or "expectation" of privacy in your back yard, and there is plenty of existing case law proving this. Your yard is legally private domain, but your right to privacy from observation does not exist. If I have a two story house next to you, you're clearly in plain view, and I can have security cameras that also view your property and its perfectly legal.

If you want to argue that we need laws defining this, since RC aircraft with cameras are a relatively new invention, I agree.

But you can't just invent laws or say "durp Ima shoot dat wif mah gat cuz mah privacee" and expect that you won't get thrown in jail for destruction of private property and public endangerment for firing a weapon in a public area.

And that should be common sense. For example, lets say that I pull a total douche move and I park my boat on your driveway. Am I trespassing? Absolutely! Do you have a right to pour gasoline over it and light it on fire? No, you'll go to jail. You can have it towed at owners expense, and get the owner in trouble, sure, but as an adult you should know you can't take the law into your own hands and break the law even if you were originally in the right.
 
Ducman69 said:
Bullshit, and it doesn't matter what "you see" as trespassing. You do NOT have exclusive airspace rights above your property at any altitude. If you think you do, great, I'm sure you also think the speed limit should be 90mph, and it'll be up to you to face the repercussions of your ignorance.
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I feel sorry for you droners. There is an uproar certain ass clowns operators caused that has brought down the ire of property owners. There will be state and local laws against operation them or expensive licensing, registration etc. I know a lot of you guys are into photography and you can get some impossible shots and video with drones. But the clowns that were flying them and peeping inside windows and otherwise harassing people has ruined it for legit operators.

Ducman69 said:
Enjoy your jail time. http://www.wdrb.com/story/29650818/...or-shooting-down-drone-cites-right-to-privacy
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It is perfectly legal to discharge a fire arm on my property where I live. If some drone operator decides to fly his drone down and spy on my target practice session; Whoops. It interfered with my gun safety training.

Ducman69 said:
But you don't have a legal right or "expectation" of privacy in your back yard, and there is plenty of existing case law proving this. Your yard is legally private domain, but your right to privacy from observation does not exist.
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Wrong; if you subvert my devices to maintain privacy; that is illegal. You cannot drill a hole in my fence so you can eyeball what goes on in my back yard. Or climb a tree or stand on a ladder. All are invasions of privacy and I would call the police. There would be REASONABLE SUSPENSION that you are up to no good so enjoy being arrested. Just because you mechanical agent is suspended in mid air does not mean these basic rights to privacy disappear.

Ducman69 said:
But you can't just invent laws
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You can't just off handily trample people right to privacy and say "you have no rights"
Ducman69 said:
And that should be common sense. For example, lets say that I pull a total douche move and I park my boat on your driveway. Am I trespassing? Absolutely! Do you have a right to pour gasoline over it and light it on fire? No, you'll go to jail. You can have it towed at owners expense, and get the owner in trouble, sure, but as an adult you should know you can't take the law into your own hands and break the law even if you were originally in the right.
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You are comparing apples and oranges.

If someone walks across my yard while I'm on the front porch it may annoy me a little but I would likely wave to them and say "hi".

If that someone walks across my yard and starts peeping into my windows; or peeking at the goodies I have in my garage (which I usually keep open if I'm working outside) then I'm not saying "hi" I'm taking action and confronting him. It is clear because of his actions he is up to no good.
 
Dr. Righteous said:
I feel sorry for you droners. There is an uproar certain ass clowns operators caused that has brought down the ire of property owners. There will be state and local laws against operation them or expensive licensing, registration etc. I know a lot of you guys are into photography and you can get some impossible shots and video with drones. But the clowns that were flying them and peeping inside windows and otherwise harassing people has ruined it for legit operators.
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What are you talking about? I said that I want laws. I don't and have never operated a RC aircraft in a residential area, and don't think its a good idea. I also think that a-holes that believe they can take the law into their own hands and discharge a firearm in a neighborhood deserve to be arrested and punished to the full extent of the law and to be liable for all damages incurred.
Dr. Righteous said:
It is perfectly legal to discharge a fire arm on my property where I live. If some drone operator decides to fly his drone down and spy on my target practice session; Whoops. It interfered with my gun safety training.
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And if I were a witness, I would ensure that you were arrested and prosecuted for destruction of private property. One of these days, you'll grow up and realize how idiotic and childish an attitude it is, when you can either approach the operator like a man (most don't travel that far) or contact the police and let the police do their job. Attitudes like yours give gun owners a bad name, and should be shamed for it.
Dr. Righteous said:
Wrong; if you subvert my devices to maintain privacy; that is illegal. You cannot drill a hole in my fence so you can eyeball what goes on in my back yard. Or climb a tree or stand on a ladder. All are invasions of privacy and I would call the police.
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You would call police? That's a change of pace. I thought you solve everything with a trigger pull. BTW, do you care to cite the law that say Google is breaking when they drive by with the camera on their elevated mast and photograph your property over your 7 foot tall fence?

As I said, I don't know you, I don't want to know you, and if you get arrested its not going to change my daily routine in any way. I just hope you don't preach your ignorance of the law as gospel.
 
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