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navy threatened to shoot my drone down over G AIRSPCE

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hi guys here's one for you , I was shooting real estate property on the south coast of the Raritan bay here in New Jersey about 1.5 miles away from the Earl Naval depot pier which is in G airspace, I did my home work , I double check with the FAA drone zone, checked and rechecked my charts then decided it was safe to fly the mission. i was only about 100 yards of shore in bound the there property ( so flying away from the naval pier) when I hear over a loud speaker system an announcement stating the they would use " deadly force " if I did not leave the area immediately, I landed my drone immediately packed it up and called the FAA who again reassured me that it was in fact uncontrolled class G airspace and that I was allowed to fly there and " not in any way violating any airspace restrictions. the kicker is I just received another request to shoot more video in the same area, lol not sure if I'm gonna take the job or not
 
hi guys here's one for you , I was shooting real estate property on the south coast of the Raritan bay here in New Jersey about 1.5 miles away from the Earl Naval depot pier which is in G airspace, I did my home work , I double check with the FAA drone zone, checked and rechecked my charts then decided it was safe to fly the mission. i was only about 100 yards of shore in bound the there property ( so flying away from the naval pier) when I hear over a loud speaker system an announcement stating the they would use " deadly force " if I did not leave the area immediately, I landed my drone immediately packed it up and called the FAA who again reassured me that it was in fact uncontrolled class G airspace and that I was allowed to fly there and " not in any way violating any airspace restrictions. the kicker is I just received another request to shoot more video in the same area, lol not sure if I'm gonna take the job or not
Assume you were/are operating under Part 107 - moved to certified pilots area.

To assist more you will need to post the exact Lat/Long you were flying together with the flight path and altitude details.
 
From what I can find, you should be able to fly just about anywhere on that beachline. Red circles are 1.5 miles from Pier.

Earle Pier 1.jpeg

The Restricted Airspace is only on the mainland and does not include the actual pier:

Earle Pier 2.jpeg

The greater surrounding area is not in any kind of Surface Controlled Airspace:

Earle Pier 3.jpeg

Okay, so by all of this it looks like you'd be good to go, HOWEVER; There are NOTAMs in effect:

0/0853 "SECURITY SPECIAL SECURITY INSTRUCTIONS FOR UNMANNED FROM FLYING WITHIN A STAND-OFF DISTANCE OF 3000FT LATERALLY AND 1000FT ABOVE ANY U.S. NAVY (USN) VESSEL OPERATING, TRANSITING, OR AT PORT WITHIN THE TERRITORIAL WATERS AND/OR NAVIGABLE WATERS OF THE USA."

9/3817 "UAS OPERATORS ARE STRONGLY ADVISED TO AVOID FLYING IN CLOSE PROXIMITY (GENERALLY, IN AIRSPACE WITHIN 3000FT LATERALLY AND 1000FT ABOVE UNLESS INDICATED BY THE FAA BY NOTAM OR OTHER MEANS) TO: DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE (DOD) AND DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY (DOE) FACILITIES AND MOBILE ASSETS, INCLUDING VESSELS AND GROUND VEHICLE CONVOYS AND THEIR ASSOCIATED ESCORTS, SUCH AS UNITED STATES COAST GUARD (USCG) OPERATED VESSELS"

And there are more. The above is just some summary info in a MUCH longer worded NOTAM I found by simply checking for TFR's and NOTAMs in the area. There's more to being able to fly there than just checking for "Class G" airspace.

But, you did say you were 1.5 miles away, and as long as you're not within the 3000-foot lateral proximity to any vessels and facilities you should be okay. Sounds like you were a little close for their comfort. Maybe next time you should check in with them first, show them where you'll be and why you're there, and that you'll abide by the NOTAMs and Airspace Restrictions. Yes, I know you shouldn't have to do this. It sux. They don't know you and don't know if you actually know what you're doing, and will be safe and abide by restrictions...or just some Ding Dong who got a drone at Best Buy and will do something stupid. It's been my experience that in a sensitive area if you check in with the authorities first, show them that you are aware of the area and all your info, permissions, and gear is prepared and planned....they'll be much more accepting of your activity.
 
hi guys here's one for you , I was shooting real estate property on the south coast of the Raritan bay here in New Jersey about 1.5 miles away from the Earl Naval depot pier which is in G airspace, I did my home work , I double check with the FAA drone zone, checked and rechecked my charts then decided it was safe to fly the mission. i was only about 100 yards of shore in bound the there property ( so flying away from the naval pier) when I hear over a loud speaker system an announcement stating the they would use " deadly force " if I did not leave the area immediately, I landed my drone immediately packed it up and called the FAA who again reassured me that it was in fact uncontrolled class G airspace and that I was allowed to fly there and " not in any way violating any airspace restrictions. the kicker is I just received another request to shoot more video in the same area, lol not sure if I'm gonna take the job or not

I hate to use the "B word" on social media, but I see their point. It honestly wouldn't be that hard to "arm" a drone and send it out on a suicide mission to do damage. What *I* would do is contact the Navy and tell them what you are doing. This will probably ease their minds and allow you to conduct your operations unimpeded. Honestly, in my lifetime, I find "good communication" is one of the most effective tools / weapons in my toolbox / arsenal.

D
 
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The NOTAM states " strongly advised" as opposed to "restricted". There is a difference. Give em the finger, start recording with your cell phone and post the outcome here.
We'll start a pool in case they allow bail. But it's military, so laws are quite fluid.
 
The NOTAM states " strongly advised" as opposed to "restricted". There is a difference. Give em the finger, start recording with your cell phone and post the outcome here.
We'll start a pool in case they allow bail. But it's military, so laws are quite fluid.
Yeah that's what he needs, stupid advice to poke the bear. Brilliant. :eek:
 
there are times in life that you know you are right but have to go the other way. Don’t mess with the military. The only way I can think of is reaching out to them to get the OK to fly but if I were you I won’t keep my hopes up.
 
I hear over a loud speaker system an announcement stating the they would use " deadly force " if I did not leave the area immediately

Threatening a civilian standing on private property 1.5 miles from a base with "deadly force" seems outside normal protocols. "Land your drone or we'll take it down" maybe... So you've got a hot head patrolling there. Beware. The advice above to establish a relationship with the local authorities is good. I fly commercially near a naval base and a coast guard station fairly often, and I have contacts I reach out to whenever I'm plannin anything that might spook them. This process is outside official protocols. It's based on personal relationships and reputation. It usually works.

The NOTAM states " strongly advised" as opposed to "restricted". There is a difference. Give em the finger, start recording with your cell phone and post the outcome here.
We'll start a pool in case they allow bail. But it's military, so laws are quite fluid.

I'm pretty sure there's a NOTAM about not giving the military the finger...can't recall if it says "strongly advised" or "required", but caution seems advised here, especially when the threat is "deadly force". ;-)
 
...I have contacts I reach out to whenever I'm plannin anything that might spook them. This process is outside official protocols. It's based on personal relationships and reputation. It usually works...

Exactly. Once they know you and trust you, all will be well unless maybe there are some maneuvers going on they want you to stay away from. Keep in mind also the gov't issues with DJI, if you're flying a DJI bird.
 
hi guys here's one for you , I was shooting real estate property on the south coast of the Raritan bay here in New Jersey about 1.5 miles away from the Earl Naval depot pier which is in G airspace, I did my home work , I double check with the FAA drone zone, checked and rechecked my charts then decided it was safe to fly the mission. i was only about 100 yards of shore in bound the there property ( so flying away from the naval pier) when I hear over a loud speaker system an announcement stating the they would use " deadly force " if I did not leave the area immediately, I landed my drone immediately packed it up and called the FAA who again reassured me that it was in fact uncontrolled class G airspace and that I was allowed to fly there and " not in any way violating any airspace restrictions. the kicker is I just received another request to shoot more video in the same area, lol not sure if I'm gonna take the job or not
Well what military asset were you close enough to that you could hear the loud speaker from?
 
Well what military asset were you close enough to that you could hear the loud speaker from?
Yes, I wondered that too, but was going to let it go. ;-) The base I fly near has little security patrol boats (with machine guns posted on the bow), and they travel all around the surrounding waters, sometimes "communicating" via loud speaker. So I figured I'd give him the benefit of the doubt.
 
There is bound to be more to this story than what was revealed. That being said, the TFR is for a naval weapons facility and the railhead leading to the piers. If there was a LOADEX going on at the time of the flight, or more plausibly that the pilot was within 3K feet of the railhead, that was a violation of the TFR issued by DoD and they had the right to be concerned and issue a cease or die. It is a naval weapons depot after all.
 
hi guys here's one for you , I was shooting real estate property on the south coast of the Raritan bay here in New Jersey about 1.5 miles away from the Earl Naval depot pier which is in G airspace, I did my home work , I double check with the FAA drone zone, checked and rechecked my charts then decided it was safe to fly the mission. i was only about 100 yards of shore in bound the there property ( so flying away from the naval pier) when I hear over a loud speaker system an announcement stating the they would use " deadly force " if I did not leave the area immediately, I landed my drone immediately packed it up and called the FAA who again reassured me that it was in fact uncontrolled class G airspace and that I was allowed to fly there and " not in any way violating any airspace restrictions. the kicker is I just received another request to shoot more video in the same area, lol not sure if I'm gonna take the job or not
Any and all military installations are subject to "Air Space Security" regardless of FAA regs.
 
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Any and all military installations are subject to "Air Space Security" regardless of FAA regs.
"Any and all military installations are subject to "Air Space Security" regardless of FAA regs."
Elementary; not quite sure why that concept seems complicated. Stay away from military airspace unless you have gotten clearance from the controlling authority (not the FAA).
 

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