Please do not be inspired by this video of a DJI Mavic 2 Zoom delaying the Tampa / Boston baseball game today. We know there are no crowds in the stands, but stadiums during sporting events are still no fly zones for drones. Period.
- For beginners, please start with the FAA’s No Drone Zone regulations.
- For pilots ready to partake an adventure, hit our Airspace Map to see if it’s safe to fly.
Well. First time for everything.
& today's first was a drone delay ???? pic.twitter.com/JxzG1cZPwW
— NESN (@NESN) August 13, 2020
Meanwhile, this is what the airpsace looks like in Boston:
A closer look at that Boston airspace around Fenway Park:
Let me make this perfectly clear, to fly in that area, you need authorization from the FAA before you leave the ground during normal times. During sporting events, the FAA enacts a TFR. That’s a Temporary Flight Restriction, indicated by the red circle within the larger blue circle on the first map above. A TFR is a blanket No Fly Zone indicator.
Could this drone flight be legal at all?
Well, yes, actually. If, for some reason, this pilot was granted authorization from the FAA to fly in this place at this time, and the drone never broke any of the regulations, such as flying over top of people or exceeding the maximum flight altitude, then it is possible this was a legal flight, but we doubt it.
The next violation this pilot can face is a trespassing charge. If their take-off or landing location is on private property, such as in the parking lot of Fenway Park, the owners of the building may press charges.
In addition to breaking FAA flight rules, the MLB has guidelines on filming and photography of games, should this pilot be identified, they should expect further prosecution from the league.
How do we find the pilot?
Sadly, the solution seems to be that the FAA’s proposed Remote ID regulations go into effect sooner, rather than later. Make no mistake, DJI has a solution, remember Aeroscope? DJI Aeroscope is a drone tracking tool, not only can it pinpoint the location of drones and their pilots, but if you are flying while logged into a DJI account, it also can provide the details of the pilot to law enforcement. Don’t worry, DJI does not sell Aeroscope to just anyone, it is specifically made for law enforcement and authorities at places like airports.
Being that DJI Aeroscope is not readily available to just anyone, and that the United States government is taking a stance against Chinese brands like DJI, we have our doubts that the best tool for the job was deployed to help catch this rogue pilot.
Stop ruining it for the rest of us!
To all pilots out there, please, please, please stop doing this stuff. It’s super fun, I get that, I want to fly in tons of places I know I’m not allowed as well, but the more rules we break, the stricter the rules become. There will be no future for drones if pilots keep pulling stunts like this.
Drone legal and safety
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