Talk of The Villages Florida - Golf Course Flyovers

Quote:

Originally Posted by ronsroni (Post 1579334)

Intrusive. I had one over our CYV 2 weeks ago for about 15 seconds. WHY?

"over our CYV" is a very broad and probably in accurate statement but it deserves an answer as it is a very common question.

First, if you saw the aircraft without looking directly up then it was most likely not over your home it was just near your home, neither of which is illegal. Some simple geometry calculation will show you that if the aircraft is at any significant altitude (100 ft or higher is not uncommon flight altitude to avoid trees) that if you're not about to break your neck to look up and see it, it's not over your home. I know that that is of little consequence to you since you feel you privacy may have been invaded but it just the simple facts of the matter.

Next, consider the camera in use and its capabilities. They are not the spy cameras on satellites, the U2, or an SR71, these are consumer grade cameras with limited technology. For the consumer grade drones (<$2000 in cost) the best on the market is currently considered to be the Phantom 4 Pro (what I fly) with a 20 megapixel still camera/4K video camera. The P4P does not have a zoom lens, in fact the first consumer drone with a usable zoom lens/imager combination was just put on the market about 2 weeks ago, the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, and it only has a 2x zoom. The images rendered by the camera are incredible, or so they appear. The reality of the images is that they are digital so they have a limited image definition. Let me translate, there are only so many dots in an image, an item in an image is made up of a limited number of pixels (dots), if you zoom in on a digital picture these pixels become squares, that's all the resolution you get. What you see on TV crime shows and in movies where they "enhance" the image if not real and doesn't happen.

I worked in the electronic security industry for the last 20 years and had to deal with the "CSI factor" with customers on a regular basis and explain to them it's just TV. Consider this, your pixel/dot is a sealed room, in the room there are people, how many is unknown and cannot be determined, of the people in the room you know that 50% are men, 50% are women, that's the sum total of the information available (the pixel is gray). When you "enhance" the room you see that there are 20 people in the room with 10 men on the left side of the room and 10 women on the right side of the room. How did I come up with 10 & 10, left & right? I "enhanced" my knowledge of the room, or I made up information, the same holds true when you "enhance" a digital image like they do on TV. Not real.

I have digressed from the topic at hand. Back to your drone issue.

Why would a drone pilot stop for any given amount of time, there are multiple reasons.
1) they were districted and stopped flying, drones hover without continuous operator input. If I am approached by someone asking questions I stop flying and let the bird hover. The same if I need some water or coffee, I sneeze, cough, have to swat the many bugs here in Florida. The pilot needs to maintain Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) of the aircraft while flying, if you take your eyes off of it while in motion it is difficult to locate again.
2) stopped to take a picture or a panoramic picture, both are better when stationary.
3) stopping to change software platforms used to control the aircraft, there are many.
4) loading flight information for a programmed flight, the aircraft stops while receiving course data from the controller.
5) the pilot stopped to look around to determine their location and bearing.
The reasons for stopping are many. Could they be stopping to look at you, maybe but unlikely.

If you see a drone in the air, the pilot is looking forward in the direction of travel, just like when you drive a car, for safety reasons. If the drone is flying towards you the pilot may see you bit it is unlikely they are looking at or for you.

In early 2017 the FAA records indicate there were over 300 drones registered in the 32159/32163 zip codes (The Villages). There are even more now and they are here to stay.

All this being said, if you look out your window or step outside and there is a drone hovering 20' above you, call the police, this SOB needs to be fined or in jail. Never attempt to bring down a drone as that in itself is a crime. Otherwise a drone flying by or near your home is no different or any more intrusive than a plane or helicopter going by.