this post was submitted on 21 Jun 2024
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Idk if anyone had a similar problem before, but I live in EU by the countryside, at first there were only a few but now it happens more and more often to see drones passing over my house, I am sure they are civilian drones because law enforcement has no reason to use them since the area is quiet (and honestly I doubt they would be able to do so), however it bothers me enough to know that there are people who get over the fence and enter my property going to look at what they want, does anyone have any advice on what to do?

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[–] [email protected] 43 points 4 months ago (3 children)

Drone pilot from Germany here, they have no place hovering over your property, more strictly even they're not allowed to fly in any way that allows them to view your garden from above. You can shoot down the drone and it's their problem note that this is in Germany not the US (which surprised me tbh).

However, that said, could be that it's the same pilot again and again, even if it's different birds. Normally they are very cooperative, just ask them to stop and they'll apologize for any inconvenience caused.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Since op didn't mention seeing a pilot, I'd suspect that the drones are flown out of sight. So asking them to stop can be difficult. Of course asking nicely, by downing a drone, might get the message across.

I wonder if I could shoot down drones here in Denmark as well.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Flying out of sight only underlines the illegality of the act. In Germany you need to keep relatively near to your drone and technically need to be able to fly by sight only (so can't stand in a building/car and then not see your drone).

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Same in DK, and my comment was meant to underline that. If you see a drone and no operator is around, then something is definitely wrong.

I mean, years ago, I had a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ drift away, on account of my own inexperience and stupidity. This was right when it had just come out, and way before drone licenses and laws forbidding drone flights in populated areas. So no laws were broken; and it was done with no malicious intent... But these days?

Not even the DK police, who have some very well-trained drone operators, can fly their drones out of sight.

Seeing a drone with no operator once? Something might have gone wrong, let's not judge too harshly, but seeing a drone with no operator regularly? On your property? If you have a hunting permit, a shotgun, and a clear shot, then it might be a good time to practice your anti air skills.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (2 children)

FAA Certified drone pilot in the USA here. That's wild. In the US it's illegal to shoot down an aircraft of any sort no matter the type or who is flying it. And also, the Federal Aviation Administration is the only authority in the US when it comes to airspace, and as long as you have authorization from the FAA or are in uncontrolled space, you can fly over anyone's property. However, that doesn't give you the right to voyeurism or harassment. If you are intentionally spying on things that are normally considered private (peeking in a window, for instance) or repeatedly or specifically bugging a specific individual or family, then you can still be charged with those crimes. Also, unless you have a specific waiver that's rather hard to get, you have to be within line of sight of your drone. If the drone pilot is not following the rules, they can be hit with hefty fines. Even though drones can be bought easily, there's still strict rules that the FAA has for both recreational and professional flying, and anyone operating a drone outside those can and should be reported.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 4 months ago (3 children)

FAA Certified drone pilot in the USA here. That's wild. In the US it's illegal to shoot down an aircraft of any sort

That's even wilder to me, since you have several states where you are allowed to shoot anyone trespassing on your property, but a drone, who can record and video and infringe on your privacy is illegal?!

That's like prime capitalism. Human lives are worthless, but don't damage my property. What?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 4 months ago

It's all about property rights here. You can always just make more people, right?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Yeah, that's fair. I think the main reasoning is that shooting something out of the air can cause it to crash on people or light stuff on fire. I also don't like the "stand your ground" and "castle doctrine" laws, so I think both shooting people and shooting drones should be illegal.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago

It's because it counts as an aircraft. Getting licenced to use your drone for anything more than "wooo, flyin mah drone" covers a lot of the same stuff a private pilot would know like reading the maps, airport landing procedure, and airspace. They treat it like an actual airplane. And you can't just start blasting at airplanes because they flew over your house. If it's doing more than just flying over it has to be addressed legally.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Honestly they should get a good video of the drone and report it. If the police do nothing sent it to the community

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Jesus F Christ, what???/some random bullets.flying through the air ? Some kid a few blocks over shot whikie playing in the yard, thats ok, was shooting at some asshats drone but missed?

Juat moon the drone and be done with it, like a sane person

[–] [email protected] 7 points 4 months ago

Birdshot exists

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

Was done with an air rifle, making it a little bit better, but it still very much surprised me due to the very same reasons...