Back to Squawk list
  • 24

Man shoots downs neighbor’s hexacopter in rural drone shotgun battle

Размещено
 
While we’ve heard of consumer drones getting in the way of commercial airliners, and more recently, obstructing firefighting operations, we’ve haven’t heard of many cases where drones are shot out of the sky by a neighbor. Eric Joe, told Ars he was flying his homemade drone over his parents’ orchard late last year. After just three-and-a-half minutes of flight time, a single shotgun blast rang out from the neighbor’s property at the low-flying, slow-moving hexacopter. The drone came crashing… (arstechnica.com) Ещё...

Sort type: [Top] [Newest]


sparkie624
sparkie624 6
The guy with the shotgun used a firearm in an unsafe and unjustified manor.... If it had been a CIA Surveillance Drone he would be in a lot more hot water right now than he already is... The man discharged a fire arm knowing there were people living in that direction... He should be held accountable for his immature actions.
lynx318
lynx318 1
If it had been CIA, we wouldn't have heard about it at all & shooter would be in prison.
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
, renditioned, or just disappeared.
lynx318
lynx318 1
Probably disappeared, to Guantanamo, is it really closed??
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
If the government says it's closed, then it's . . . .
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
A quick google of the shooter turned up a couple of interesting tidbits...
sparkie624
sparkie624 1
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Google "brett mcbay". There was a link in the story which lead to his campaign website.
sparkie624
sparkie624 3
By looking at this guys history, he is a real idiot...
hlsublett
Henry Sublett 3
The loosely regulated presence of drones in our commercial and private airspace, and their rapidly increasing proliferation will eventually pose a significant risk to all. We really need to tighten down on these platforms and require their registration. Responsible use of drones for commercial applications such as law enforcement, agricultural spectral analysis, etc. can be a useful thing, but Violation of individual privacy by irresponsible neighbors and the risk to private and commercial aviation must be minimized. As for this moron with the shotgun raining bullets and shotgun pellets onto his neighbors property - he needs to do some time in the slammer! (and I'm a strong advocate of the 2nd Amendment). Bottom Line: people must be more responsible (not likely in this entitlement mentality country of ours) and use some common sense.....
devsfan
ken young 2
It's wasy....Don't mess with me or my family. And don't do anything stupid. Such as shoot your shotgun at me or my property....
I respect the private property rights of others. I expect others to respect mine. If that is done, I'm the nicest person on the planet. Step on my toes and apologize, ok....If one grinds their heel into my foot, planet Earth will not be a safe place for that person.
It's got to be that way. Some people , like the shot gun shooter in Modesto are too stupid to realize they are stupid.
btweston
btweston 3
"I thought it was a CIA surveillance device."

Oh, yeah. Because you're so frickin' interesting. When did psychotic paranoia become a good thing?
devsfan
ken young 2
This drone thing leaves me wondering why some are so upset.....After all, people have been flying model aircraft, including model helicopters for 5 decades. Up until recently camera equipment that could be mounted on board was not practical...Too bulky.
People will virtually ignore "model airplane"....But if they hear the word "drone" they have an out of the body experience.
That is even though the "model aircraft" can easily carry today's tiny cameras.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 2
This is just a guess, obviously, but perhaps the people of 5 decades in the past had a sharper sense of respect for people's privacy. But also, and this is probably key, the very fact that they were unable to carry cameras, thereby invading privacy, made the "out of body experience" scenario moot. There was nothing to complain about, was there.
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 2
Many people believe they some "right" to not be photographed or recorded. With limited exception (like in the toilet) anyone in public can be recorded, photographed, or simply viewed. If you open the blinds in your home to any public space, your privacy is gone. Beach front homeowners have long tried to limit access to the shoreline to prevent people looking in their windows. They always lose because they opened the drapes. How many people have complained about news helicopters broadcasting their business? Many. How often do they win? Never.

Just as an aside, your right to be secure in your person and papers only applies to actions by the government.

So far everyone who has taken the law into their own hands claiming a defense of privacy against a drone has lost when the gavel fell.
devsfan
ken young 1
And I suppose that is why he holds public office in California....Those idiots will vote for anyone. The more unusual and idiotic the candidate is, the more likely they are to get elected.
See....Jerry Brown
joelwiley
joel wiley 2
It is a little difficult to follow your conversation Ken Young. If you were replying to a comment, use 'Reply' so it posts under the comment. I don't believe the shooter holds office. He apparently ran for school board but was not elected. He is listed as the Modesto Rep for Assemblywoman Kristin Olsen, District 12.

From the order in which your posts are listed at the moment, it appears you are arguing with yourself.
devsfan
ken young 1
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 1
Multiple sources? No. Information was from a single forest service employee. Please note that KTLA and the LA Times are the same organization. I am not saying there was no drone, simply that the reports do not pass the sniff test.
Locket3
Tom Lull 1
Wonder what a laser pen would do to the camera on the drone?
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 1
The owner of the drone stated in the email there was no camera.

"I also dispute your characterization that I was "testing surveillance equipment." There was no camera on the hexacopter, and had a camera been mounted, the price for repairs would have been an extra $300."
canuck44
canuck44 1
So if rather than a shotgun, this gentleman gave his son another drone which destroyed the whiner's drone then we would have a different fight and lawyers lined up to Alaska to comment...and pick pockets. As soon as someone uses a firearm in areas of America, they immediately become the villain.
btweston
btweston 0
Shooting things out of the sky is dangerous. This is not a new concept.
devsfan
ken young 1
WRONG......I am a 100% supporter of the 2nd amendment. However, where I go astray of the "God Guts and Guns crowd is I believe in responsible gun use and ownership....What this guy did should be criminal. He discharged a deadly weapon not only in the direction occupied dwelling, he did so in the direction of people on THEIR property.
STEELJAW
STEELJAW 1
When I first read the report, I figured it took place in a rural country area of a southern State such as TN,MS,AL,or GA. However, this idiot hails from California! I don't know whether to shake my head, laugh, or cry. They must be relative to them Clampetts of Beverly Hills, via Bug Tussle Tennessee.
sparkie624
sparkie624 0
Laugh... Because he is a liberal idiot!
sbirch
sbirch 0
Amen David. These things are a nuicence. You may have seen that fire fighting equipment was grounded due to a drone over the San Bernadino fires. The FAA needs to act swiftly and strongly to avoid all drones not operated by commercial operators.
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 0
No one wants a neighbor peeking over the fence. No one has the right to destroy the property of another either. If common law were enforced strictly any flight would be impossible because common property rights describe ownership from the center of the earth to outer space.

Drones are here to stay. They will become more important for small packet delivery, precision crop dusting, sightseeing, and recreational flying for fun. Those who would like to ban them use pretext of faux privacy entitlements, or interference with fire fighting or law enforcement. The real truth is aerial fire equipment was probably grounded because of darkness or declining weather conditions.
sbirch
sbirch 3
Just so you have the facts of the incident in California this week, here is the link:
http://ktla.com/2015/06/25/illegal-4-foot-drone-shut-down-aerial-firefight-over-lake-fire-forest-service/
joelwiley
joel wiley 6
The drone was reported 800-900 AGL and 11000 MSL. TFR is for below FL130 - 2 violations. If they catch the flyer, I suggest they put him in with a handcrew digging firebreaks for the summer. He might get a better awareness of why people think it's a bad idea to interfere with firefighting.
preacher1
preacher1 3
If I heard the story right, it wasn't the weather or darkness. Firefighters came back up after about 2 hours.
sbirch
sbirch 2
Ric, I wish all the legitimate reasons you listed were all properly used. The fact is I have dodged four I the last three months on approach to Dallas Love. Inexcusable. Too many are not using them properly to defend the entire summer set of drone users.
Moviela
Ric Wernicke 4
I feel your anxiety. An approach in controlled airspace should be protected from all other airborne objects. Any drone operated in that space should subject the user to severe penalties.

Just as we are compelled to have a tail number, I think an electronic ID should be mandatory for all unmanned aircraft. That would make punishment more sure for those that would endanger lives of others. An app on your phone could capture the ID and GPS location for police.
sbirch
sbirch 4
Sorry all for the autocorrect issues with the last post. Should have been more careful. Yes, Ric, the GPS feature that prevents takeoff in restricted airspace would certainly solve the issue. While I understand price constraints for a recreational device, a transponder would also help that would allow our cockpit TCAS devices (or mode S) to alert us so we are at least aware of their presence. I guess my point is that a few are ruining it for all due to irresponsible use. But that does not change the fact that the FAA must act in the absence of manufacturers implementing basic safety features.
BaronG58
BaronG58 1
sbirch...I hear ya on the Love field final approach over Bachman Lake. In addition to having to look out for the ducks and pigeons..we now have plastic objects to dodge.
preacher1
preacher1 1
Kinda like guns. Laws are already there to keep them out of controlled airspace but folks pay no attention to it,
jclark12345
jclark12345 1
I'd like to think I have rights (or should) that prohibit another person from using a drone to capture live feed or take a photo of me inside my house, which is a clear violation of the law. Curious to know what you mean by "faux privacy entitlements." There is a line, it just needs to be clearly defined by the FAA.
devsfan
ken young 0
The jerk that discharges the shot gun should be in PRISON....
If it were my drone, I'd back off. Let the situation diffuse. Let the jerk forget about it....Then "things" might happen...Ya know. The mysterious flat tire on the jerk's car...The unexplained "diseased" trees on the jerk's property.
The UPS/Fed ex delivery that "he never received"....
Of, there are a million ways to use dirty tricks to get back at someone. And there is no way to prove a darned thing.
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 4
Whew. Hope you're not my neighbor.
joelwiley
joel wiley 0
Battle? Ambush perhaps but I can't really see this as a battle. Nobody shot back.
kenoraeagle
DAVID MCKIE -7
It should happen to more of them!!
linbb
linbb 2
What in the hell are you talking about as this was over the owners property, or the county road. Also guess that you must live in the city as you know nothing about guns. This guy that shot is a nut, has shot and hit the peoples house twice in the past. Those are the ones who need guns taken away not the ones who respect and use them properly. Glad that a nut like you doesn't live around me.
THRUSTT
THRUSTT 1
That's what I read too, the guy should be able to do whatever he wants over his property!!! I would've shot the moron that shot it!!!
Moviela
Ric Wernicke -7
I believe that is a report, but not necessarily the facts. The information comes from the hard working members of the forest service that will look for any excuse to knock off at quitting time. There is no verified second source.
joelwiley
joel wiley 3
I disagree. I believe there are multiple reports on the incident, some of which are from news organizations that still do fact-checking. Living in country subject to wildfires and observed the crews in action, I also disagree with your characterization of the firefighters.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-wildfires-southern-california-20150625-story.html#page=1
AWAAlum
AWAAlum 3
I'm not sure which forest service employees he's (Wernicke) talking about - he didn't single out the firefighters. However, if they are the ones he was talking about, he's apparently been living in a deep dark cave without benefit of news reports, etc. Firefighters fighting wildfires are some of the bravest, hard working and most dedicated people there are and to say anything less has to be by someone who simply has had no exposure to civilization for eons.
joelwiley
joel wiley 1
Sorry I can only upvote your comment once.

Вход

Нет учетной записи? Зарегистрируйтесь сейчас (бесплатно) и получите доступ к конфигурируемым функциям, уведомлениям о статусе рейсов и другим возможностям!
Вы знаете, что реклама помогает FlightAware в отслеживании рейсов?
Вы можете внести свой вклад в бесплатную работу FlightAware, разрешив показ рекламы на FlightAware.com. Мы следим за тем, чтобы наша реклама была полезна и не мешала работе с сайтом. Вы можете быстро включить рекламу на FlightAware или приобрести привилегированное членство.
Отменить