Shouldn't be a problem. Your drone insurance policy will cover it!Well guys I was shot down tonight. Had been flying about 10-15 minutes was over a church that's across from me (about 500 ft from where I was standing) and I was hovering at 352 feet when I here a small caliber gun shot and then my bird spinning out of control. He clipped the rear motor on the left side of the bird and it spun to the ground. Destroyed my X4S camera, broke left side arm loose from AC. Damage wasn't real bad other than a very hard landing with Landing gear up.
Filed police report but don't expect much out of it. Just wish the Feds would come and handle the case and get this guy. He denied it to me but then said he hates those "****" things.
I'm very sad and depressed, but very mad as well.
That's horrible, brother. According to my gun-savvy friends, discharging a firearm within city limits is against the law. I'm in N.M. Not sure about where you live.
In July of last year was taking some photos of a construction project for the construction company. I was flying an automated POI flight, while snapping photos manually (this process is now fully automated, but wasn't back then). I had just finished when this guy and he wife roll up in a pickup truck. He says, "What you're doing is illegal. And if I see that drone over my house again, I'm going to shoot it down." I explained to him why I was there, that my flight was perfectly legal, and that I had zero interest in his property. I offered to show him my flight path log file, which showed that my bird barely nicked the corner of his property, but also showed the bird facing AWAY from his property. I also offered to show him the photos I had taken to assure him I wasn't photographing his house. His typical knee-jerk response, "I don't care. If I see it over my property again, I'm shooting it down." I said, "Okay." I whipped out my cell phone, called 911, and called for a unit to come out. The guy took off. Once the cop arrived, I told him what I was doing and what the other guy had said. The cop said, "You're not doing anything illegal here." I gave him the make and model of the truck. And, unfortunately, apparently my GF had copied the license plate number incorrectly. The cop offered to stick around while I finished up, but unfortunately it had started raining. I asked him, "If I come back tomorrow, can I call a unit out to make sure I don't get any trouble." He asked, "For how long?" I said, "30 minutes." He said, "No problem."
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one's perspective), the photos I had taken that day were good enough to create a point cloud, so I didn't have to go back.
I guess the point of all this is that some people are idiots and are just going to want to shoot our drones down regardless of how nice or in-the-right we are. The other point worth mentioning, is the FAA kind of shot themselves in the foot by making us register our drones. Because now our drones are entitled to all the same protections as full scale aviation. So this isn't a matter of simply "shooting down a toy." This is a matter of shooting down an FAA-registered vehicle, which should be a BIG F***ING DEAL.
So, yeah...talk to FSDO. Don't let this ******* get away with:
1) Shooting down an FAA-registered vehicle
2) Discharging a firearm within city limits
CLEARLY, discharging a firearm into the air is 1000x more dangerous than your drone will ever be.
Good luck!
I agree with the post above, couldn't you check your flight log the second before the inspire got shot, look at the trajectory though the inspire and do some rough math? realistically its just make a really big triangle. Should give you a rough area of where the bullet came from...
You have altitude, the inspire's heading, and the angle where the bullet hit the drone. I would be glad to help if neededI want this idiot to buy you a new inspire. With an X5S this time! XD
Filing a Police report, and actively walking into the Police station steaming mad demanding an investigation (are 2 different things imo !!!).
I guaranfukingteeU that if someone shot down my drone down, the locol cops would find out who the hell did it, and put them through the ringer !!!
You don't just go around willingly and damage someone else's property, its NOT OK anywhere !!!
(and then to use a firearm to shoot at it, C'mon man, any police chief would be livid !!!)
Say the paparazzi was filming you on the street, and you grab his $8k camera and slam it down on the street, or bash it with a night stick. You can't do that, it is illegal - period
Say you parked your car on the street, but you went over the curb and 2 of your tires are sitting on his lawn, sinking in the mud, ruining this guys new grass seedlings. Just because he's pissed, does mean it's ok for him to bash your car with a ball bat, or worse yet, pull out a .22 and start shooting at it.
I'm sure if the OP actually tried to contact someone in charge, they would go pick this guy up.
Shooting at OPs drone, balloon, Kite, etc is not ok, especially over a Church!, (that alone probably brings its own separate charge).
Lastly, there is no flippin way I would ever let this guy get away with shooting down my Inspire, NEVER !!
I have a question were you flying at night.Well guys I was shot down tonight. Had been flying about 10-15 minutes was over a church that's across from me (about 500 ft from where I was standing) and I was hovering at 352 feet when I here a small caliber gun shot and then my bird spinning out of control. He clipped the rear motor on the left side of the bird and it spun to the ground. Destroyed my X4S camera, broke left side arm loose from AC. Damage wasn't real bad other than a very hard landing with Landing gear up.
Filed police report but don't expect much out of it. Just wish the Feds would come and handle the case and get this guy. He denied it to me but then said he hates those "****" things.
I'm very sad and depressed, but very mad as well.
Based on the pictures and your earlier statement that it was the left rear motor that was hit, the entry angle would indicate that the shot originated in front of and to the left of the AC.
Assuming the angle of entry you quote is the angle from vertical, then with a height of 357', the horizontal distance is calculated as height * tan(angle of entry) = 473.75'
From the second picture posted, the horizontal entry angle appears to be roughly the same. Entering these figures with google maps, gives an approximate origin for the shot as:-
View attachment 13301
Based on the pictures and your earlier statement that it was the left rear motor that was hit, the entry angle would indicate that the shot originated in front of and to the left of the AC.
Assuming the angle of entry you quote is the angle from vertical, then with a height of 357', the horizontal distance is calculated as height * tan(angle of entry) = 473.75'
From the second picture posted, the horizontal entry angle appears to be roughly the same. Entering these figures with google maps, gives an approximate origin for the shot as:-
View attachment 13301
In order to have come from that house, the entry angle would need to have been just under 30 degrees. There is one factor not previously considered, which could account for the difference in angle - wind.Well I like what you're saying. But the shot didn't come that far. I'm thinking it came from the White House where you have it makes is family property
In order to have come from that house, the entry angle would need to have been just under 30 degrees. There is one factor not previously considered, which could account for the difference in angle - wind.
Having looked at weather data for your area on that day, there were 8mph WSW winds, with no indication of max gust speed. As you were hovering, the AC would be pitched forward to counter the wind, which could alter the angle of entry sufficiently to the observed 53 degrees. Are you able to get the .DAT files, which might indicate the orientation?
In order to have come from that house, the entry angle would need to have been just under 30 degrees. There is one factor not previously considered, which could account for the difference in angle - wind.
Having looked at weather data for your area on that day, there were 8mph WSW winds, with no indication of max gust speed. As you were hovering, the AC would be pitched forward to counter the wind, which could alter the angle of entry sufficiently to the observed 53 degrees. Are you able to get the .DAT files, which might indicate the orientation?
I have a question were you flying at night.
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