[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by bmcgowan13

I thought we had to comply with the FARs:

...

I thought since September of 2023 all sUAS required Remote ID as well. Does the local PD use drone tracker software to identify drones over golf courses or moving vehicles? But---are they even getting complaints?

This is going to start getting good, now.

Watch out for all the experts running for cover.

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

This is going to start getting good, now.

Watch out for all the experts running for cover.

Too funny!

[shut the front door]

Originally Posted by garrykolb

OK - I have to weigh in here on the whole "pilot" thing. First off, I am a pilot. I don't fly anymore, but I am licensed by the FAA as a private pilot for single-engine, land-based aircraft. I have a complex endorsement as well as an instrument rating.

Getting all that BS out of the way, here is what Miriam-Webster says about the term, "pilot".

a person who flies or is qualified to fly an aircraft or spacecraft

And here is what it says about the term, "aircraft".

a vehicle (such as an airplane or balloon) for traveling through the air

And finally, what they define as a "drone".

an uncrewed aircraft or vessel guided by remote control or onboard computers

So, a drone is an aircraft, and someone controlling a drone is by definition, a pilot. Period.

And yes, I also pilot a drone.

To all those "holier than thou" folks complaining about the use of "pilot", lighten up. Seriously, get a hobby other than being snarky on TOTV. I hear there are several available in The Villages.

Very well said, but I'm sure it will trigger another dozen posts from the "holier than thou".

[bmcgowan13]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

I’m not a pilot...I don’t fly drones. So as a lay person, not giving a s**t about what the FAA determines, a pilot is in my world a professional. Professionally trained and educated. Not a hobbyist. You can call yourself Maverick for all I care but the majority on here honor the profession in using that title. Im sure the majority of recreational drone ‘pilots’ wouldn’t be protesting if the agency identified them as ‘operators’. Btw, by questioning the title doesn’t mean we are all acting ‘holier than thou’! That may be your issue.

LOL. Agreed. Phil McGraw calls himself "Dr. Phil". He has a PHD from North Texas State University and we call him doctor. We bestow the honorific on veterinarians, dermatologists, (See Seinfeld S9E7), Dr. Dre, Laura Schlessinger, Ruth Westheimer, the Pimple Popper, chiropractors, reverent pastors (Dr. MLK) and even Bill Cosby.

They put in the time--

I am okay calling them what they want. I have been an FAA licensed pilot since 1975 and (what I thought was) a Part 107 drone "operator" since 2017. Please call me "Your Majesty"...

Whether I am a "pilot" or an "operator" I am still responsible for the sUAS.

Control the aircraft and don't cause damage...

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by bmcgowan13

LOL. Agreed. Phil McGraw calls himself "Dr. Phil". He has a PHD from North Texas State University and we call him doctor. We bestow the honorific on veterinarians, dermatologists, (See Seinfeld S9E7), Dr. Dre, Laura Schlessinger, Ruth Westheimer, the Pimple Popper, chiropractors, reverent pastors (Dr. MLK) and even Bill Cosby.

They put in the time--

I am okay calling them what they want. I have been an FAA licensed pilot since 1975 and (what I thought was) a Part 107 drone "operator" since 2017. Please call me "Your Majesty"...

Whether I am a "pilot" or an "operator" I am still responsible for the sUAS.

Control the aircraft and don't cause damage...

Appreciate your honesty and candor.....’Your Majesty’

[JoMar]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

I’m not a pilot...I don’t fly drones. So as a lay person, not giving a s**t about what the FAA determines, a pilot is in my world a professional. Professionally trained and educated. Not a hobbyist. You can call yourself Maverick for all I care but the majority on here honor the profession in using that title. Im sure the majority of recreational drone ‘pilots’ wouldn’t be protesting if the agency identified them as ‘operators’. Btw, by questioning the title doesn’t mean we are all acting ‘holier than thou’! That may be your issue.

Since you don't fly why would you think that those of us that do care what you think.....we don't. We care about the licensing and enforcement. You don't so I also assume you don't fly commercially, or have never flown privately, or you would give a s**t. I suspect the majority are not in your camp but do understand that rather than understand it's better to ignore what you don't have the capability to do and take shots at them. Hope it makes you feel better.

[bmcgowan13]

Originally Posted by BrianL99

I have an FAA Private & Instrument Rating.

People ask, "oh, are you a pilot"? I respond, "not really. I'm legal to fly an airplane and fly it in bad weather, but I don't consider myself a 'pilot'. Guys who fly jets in the military and guys sitting up front on your JetBlue flight ... those guys are 'pilots'".

Now I hear that guys who filled out the card that came in the box of their $79.95 drone and mailed it to the FAA, are now calling themselves "pilots" ?

It reminds of reading posts on FaceBook, where someone is talking about their daughter Suzy, "who's is going to Medical School". Well, Suzy isn't exactly going to "Med School", she's taking a 4 day course to be a CNA.

Respectfully disagree with you. I soloed in fall of 1975; ferried new airplanes for Cessna to build time. I was an ATC for 34 years at ZBW. Part 107 sUAS since 2016.

If you have have an Instrument Rating...*you* are a pilot sir. In fact, I always had more respect, admiration, and consideration for the guy (or gal) flying the C182, Bonanza or twin-Beech in the soup than I did the Part-121 guys..and tried to pass that on to all of my ATC trainees.

*YOU* had to balance the workload of navigating, flying the aircraft, calming the pax, and communicating with ATC by yourself. The airline crews (which I love..love...love) had ACARS, a flight director, jet throttles (no mix, rpms and pitch), cabin attendants, GPS and a two-person crew to to do all of the stuff you had to do by yourself.

Smaller does NOT mean easier... Kudos to you captain..

I would buy your coffee if I met you...LOL

[DrHitch]

Hi all,
Thank you for all the feedback and remarks. I am going to close this thread. If you want to PM myself or Don Wiley or anyone else, that's fine. In summary:

1) There are no specific rules & regulations in place for flying drones within The Villages (my original query)
2) Don Wiley runs the drone club in The Villages, and they actively pilot and fly at the Soaring Eagles baseball fields
3) If you own a drone, you need to complete the FAA Trust self-certification if you are flying fur recreation. Anything else requires completion of the FAA 107 certification knowledge test. It is not complex and there are lots of online resources to prep for the test.

That's it for now.........

[Shipping up to Boston]

[QUOTE=JoMar;2309244]Since you don't fly why would you think that those of us that do care what you think.....we don't. We care about the licensing and enforcement. You don't so I also assume you don't fly commercially, or have never flown privately, or you would give a s**t. I suspect the majority are not in your camp but do understand that rather than understand it's better to ignore what you don't have the capability to do and take shots at them. Hope it makes you feel better.[/QUOTE

‘Never have a battle of wits with those that are clearly unarmed’ ......or in this case the late arriving guests. This post has twisted and turned for days. If you purport to be thorough in your commentary, don’t cherry pick posts. Read them all. This isn’t about commercial flights or private ones because if it was, then you would see the point. It’s professional vs recreational. Pilot designation vs Operator designation. This is all of us giving our opinions....you didn’t ask....it’s a forum!!!

[JMintzer]

Originally Posted by Shipping up to Boston

The ego on some people!
The obsession with titles.
Dont get me started....Chiropractors and Podiatrists (kidding) but it's a Seinfeld episode brewing here!

At least you're no an "Anti-Dentite"...

Now, about that "Podiatrist" crack...

[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by JMintzer

At least you're no an "Anti-Dentite"...

Now, about that "Podiatrist" crack...

Great episode!

[Goldwingnut]

Originally Posted by bmcgowan13

I thought we had to comply with the FARs:

In addition, for Category 2 operations, no remote pilot in command may operate a small unmanned aircraft in sustained flight over open-air assemblies unless the operation is compliant with Remote ID.

Category 3 small UAS have further operating restrictions. A remote pilot in command may not operate a small unmanned aircraft over open-air assemblies of human beings. Additionally, a remote pilot in command may only operate a small unmanned aircraft over people if:

The operation is within or over a closed- or restricted-access site and all people on site are on notice that a small UAS may fly over them; or

The small unmanned aircraft does not maintain sustained flight over any person unless that person is participating directly in the operation or located under a covered structure or inside a stationary vehicle that can provide reasonable protection from a falling small unmanned aircraft.

Are you saying that flight over the squares does not require compliance with the flight regulations because it is not "sustained flight"? I always thought the closed/restricted access site was for things like concerts, graduations, movie sets, parties, motocross races, etc where the spectators agree to flyovers as the cost of admission.

Are we able to legally fly over the square because the Villages has an exemption or implied approval due to being in attendance at the square, and/or since everyone is a resident that approval is implied?

That's a cool idea if we do not require FAR compliance but I am not yet totally convinced...

I thought since September of 2023 all sUAS required Remote ID as well. Does the local PD use drone tracker software to identify drones over golf courses or moving vehicles? But---are they even getting complaints?

Good question.
Let's clarify what is meant by flying over the squares. The issue is not the location, it is flying over people that is an issue and you were correct in identifying section D of 14cfr107 and the four categories that allow operations over people.

You can fly over the squares legally, I've done it many times, as long as you don't fly over crowds/gatherings of people. So if it's 7 AM and the Square is empty, no problem. If Scooter is playing and the square is full of people then no you cannot fly over the squares, unless you meet one of the four categories of Section D of 14cfr107.

Section D, in my opinion, is crafted such that it is nearly impossible for the average pilot to meet or afford the requirements to safely operate over people buy FAA safety standards. Therefore 107.39 requirements apply, or more simply put, it's not allowed.

You can operate nearby as long as you don't create an undue hazard as specified in 107.23. An example of this is that I recorded the Christmas tree lighting in Brownwood this year with my aircraft in a stationary position over the Barnstormer Theater a safe distance.

There is no exemptions in/for The Villages for FAA rules. There are however a few people who disregard these rules and make hazardous flights over the squares and other venues.

RID is now required and there are apps that you can install on your phone to identify the aircraft and pilot locations. I am not aware of LLPD, LCSO, WWPD, or SCSO using any of these apps at this time. Even if they did, it's likely that the idiots who are disregarding the rule for operations over people would be paying little attention to the RID rules either.

[BrianL99]

Originally Posted by bmcgowan13

Respectfully disagree with you. I soloed in fall of 1975; ferried new airplanes for Cessna to build time. I was an ATC for 34 years at ZBW. Part 107 sUAS since 2016.

If you have have an Instrument Rating...*you* are a pilot sir. In fact, I always had more respect, admiration, and consideration for the guy (or gal) flying the C182, Bonanza or twin-Beech in the soup than I did the Part-121 guys..and tried to pass that on to all of my ATC trainees.

*YOU* had to balance the workload of navigating, flying the aircraft, calming the pax, and communicating with ATC by yourself. The airline crews (which I love..love...love) had ACARS, a flight director, jet throttles (no mix, rpms and pitch), cabin attendants, GPS and a two-person crew to to do all of the stuff you had to do by yourself.

Smaller does NOT mean easier... Kudos to you captain..

I would buy your coffee if I met you...LOL

Thanks for the kind words.

I get that the guys flying Jet Blue and other Commercial aircraft these days, are in a different category than the guys who flew them in the VOR days, without all the computer help. Now a days, the flying part is easier, but they're getting paid the big bucks because they're trained to handle the few emergencies that come up.

There's no better example in recent history, than "Sully Sullenberger" landing on the Hudson. He himself has said, "I didn't do anything special, only what any well trained pilot would do".

What Sully did that was special, was keep his cool in a stressful emergency, let his training take over and saved 155 lives.

If you were ATC at ZBW for 34 years we've certainly "spoken". You probably came in at the end of the PATCO days? If you don't know my brother and father, you've surely heard of them. You'd laugh if I told you who they were and buy me more than coffee G'day.

[JRcorvette]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

This is interesting, I think I saw one this evening (3/7) at dusk, and I would think it was over Brownwood square, but this is a guess. The maneuvers gave it away, as no plane (red and green lights) could do what this device did. It stopped midair, and then did a controlled vertical decent until it was out of my view.

I am sure that was a UFO….

[Blueblaze]

Originally Posted by Goldwingnut

Yes, without permission, you do not own the airspace above any property, that is controlled by the FAA.

That's complete BS. The FAA owns the airspace above 500' in unpopulated areas and 1200' everywhere else, and enforces violations of privacy (ownership!) below those limits. Not only that, but as of March 16, every drone is required to have a blue-tooth-enabled transponder that the police (and even you) can monitor, which broadcasts the drone's FAA-identifiable numbers. It is significant, regarding this "airspace ownership" issue, that it is the POLICE (as well as the FAA) have been enabled to detect and prosecute violators.

The moment you acknowledge government confiscation of your private property, you lose it forever, and for everybody. Don't do that.

And if you find some moron flying a drone over your house, call the police.