Flying Drones in public parks in Dublin.

eddie

From a hobby point of view.

I have been in contact with Fingal County Council, for a while now

requesting general permission to fly a registered and insured drone by

an IAA qualified "pilot". In effect they now say they will consider

requests to specific email address in Fingal covering specific areas.

Basically you email a specific address requesting your "time window" and

they will get back to you and let you know if you have permission.

Personally I would have preferred if small location were reserved ,as

they do for say BMX activities in certain parks.. so as long as were

registered, qualified and insured and flying fully to IAA guidelines -

we could practice as and when we wished because the weather has such a

big an variable impact./.

I am delighted to see that "There are over 14,000 drones currently on

the IAA register" (

https://www.rte.ie/news/business/2020/1217/1185063-know-the-drone-safety-rules-before-you-fly-iaa/

) and would ask if any are interested in an informal group, to make

written ( email ) presentations or requests to Fingal County Council.

Hopefully when they see such an interest they may re-evaluate their

narrow view point.. and it will help in that we and new "pilots" will

know that there is a mechanism to enjoy their hobby and NOT partake in

illegal - and ad-hoc flying which gets the whole drone community a bad

name and easy target for blame for the actions of a few ignorant

imbeciles.

Also interested if anyone has information on how other County Councils are handling the situation and requests.? Or any similar helpful information.

Anyone interested.?

Eddie

eddie

Have to say, I did not expect such little interest.. 😀

Can a I ask, any drone owners, where do you fly... ?

eddie

Or where would you LIKE to fly............

Furze99

Buzzy, annoying things that fly over you and are equipped with good resolution cameras... can see why park authorities might be wary.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521316#Comment_121521316

Not that you really care I suspect by your polarised, inaccurate, comments, but I would suggest thefollowing.

Your 3 points.

(A) If correctly flown in a designated area you would not be bothered by the noise. So not an issue

(B) If correctly flown it will NOT fly over you.. So not an issue

(C) Yes - most have a camera , with good resolution, but NOT as good as phones, of which there are far more ( one per person ? ) at the same ground elevation and closer to you, in constant use. Should they be also banned.. ? or should you have to apply to the council to use your phone incase you take a photograph ?

Redneck Avenger

I'm not a fan of drones at all. I can understand the commercial reasons for them or owners flying them on private land, but why is there a need to fly them in parks or beaches where the public tend to just want to relax?

Drone operators don't seem to understand the annoyance they cause by hovering over people who are sitting on beaches or in Parks.

The same happens in housing estates where drones operators hover over peoples gardens?

Can I ask why they do all of the above?

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121546378#Comment_121546378

Good points...

You SAY..------------

I'm not a fan of drones at all. I can understand the commercial reasons

for them or owners flying them on private land, but why is there a need

to fly them in parks or beaches where the public tend to just want to

relax?

-------------------

They reason for flying from parks is because for recreational owners

these are the ONLY locations that we can fly. No Random farmer is going

to ok the use of their land as a take of landing point for a stranger..

there are many areas of parks and beaches that can allocate a small

space for drones as are allocated for many other activities.. Dogs off

the leash are serious concern for me, so I do not go into the Dogs off

the leash areas or at designated times so everyone is happy.. this

could easily be achieved with Drone locations.

You SAY..------------

Drone operators don't seem to understand the annoyance they cause by

hovering over people who are sitting on beaches or in Parks.

-------------------

I do.. acutely..  

If I take my camera phone and follow someone around taking photos..

they would find , correctly, it was highly annoying and an invasion of

privacy./.

Should we ban camera phones in public places.? Go Pros on bikes /

skaters, ban them all ? Car cams... hell they record all the people..

ban them ? Security cams outside every shop / business ? Traffic cams

on many junctions.?? Tourist cams all over the place... ban all of

these..? 

Is this the issue the technology - the camera or the moron using it.. ?

NO drone operator should "hover over people" or be near people sitting

on beaches or parks. Some morons ( from what you say ) do.... and that

is WRONG and should be reported to the IAA. and / or the local garda.

You SAY..------------

The same happens in housing estates where drones operators hover over

peoples gardens?

Can I ask why they do all of the above?

-------------------

Same as above -----------that is WRONG and should be reported to the

IAA. and / or the local garda.

-------------------

I do not understand why there is much focus on what morons can and do

with drones... think if there was a designated space.. they would meet

proper responsible drone owners and learn, also the peer pressure to

fly correctly and accurately... and believe me the proper drone owners

would have no hesitation letting these cowboys know if they were

messing about and no problem reporting them,

People do not pick up dog poo because they like to... they do it

because that is accepted practice and it is expected from them as

responsible owners, even when no one is around to see them doing it,

not so long ago they held the lead while the dog pooped all over the

place... but with responsible owners around irresponsible owners

even, have to follow suit..

I do not understand the satisfaction from climbing a cliff face.. but

others do... I do not understand the point of owning a dog, others

do... I don't expect anyone to understand the joy one gets from being

qualified for flying a registered and insured drone to IAA guidelines

BUT I am sure you can appreciate the frustration when confronted with

the situation that there is nowhere and I mean NOWHERE that one can,

"as you like", go out and fly/.  

For other reason it has changed recently for other reasons - but

consider New York city and borough had many take off points..Helsinki

you can fly the city with specific exceptions. Most national parks

outside of Ireland / UK ( various rules ) you can fly parks / open

space  and with monument restrictions. Ireland you can fly NOWHERE on

public land , - the ONLY option is from PRIVATE land.    

Yet - the Morons do fly and annoy people, probably not trained ,

registered or insured, post all over social media and are clearly

identified and from my knowledge and responses to question asked, NONE

have had and sanction or contact from the Parks managers.?

Finally - we are entering an age where drone deliveroo ( which is

already established ) is expanding and developing into very many other

areas.. this is a technology they is growing very fast and will need

many more technicians and operators.. I believ that we should be encouraging the use

of this technology in a responsible manner and not looking at every

worst case scenario to find fault.. 

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121546335#Comment_121546335

Well, there was a related question over on the farming forum recently and I'd be inclined to agree with the lad who advised that if they were flying over his land without permission, he'd have no compunction but to reach for the shotgun.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121546736#Comment_121546736

I cannot see how that is related to responsible drone flying... if you have no interest - I dont see the point in looking for "somoene's dog pooped and it was not cleaned up.. " articles - it is obvious there are morons flying drones... and there are irresponsible dog owners but you cannot base sanctions on the rest of the group becasue of the actions of a few... if you are interested -- see

https://www.iaa.ie/general-aviation/drones/faqs/safety-regulations

bucketybuck

Every response of yours seems to be "Whatabout".

Whatabout mobile phones, whatabout dog owners, whatabout Go-pros.

It isn't much of an answer to say that something else is disliked as well.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121546736#Comment_121546736

You may or may not be aware that the use of drones in farming in Ireland is extensive..

For the marksmen among the group... FYI

https://www.farmersjournal.ie/life/features/can-i-shoot-down-a-drone-if-i-suspect-its-it-surveilling-my-farm-557738

"However, whether shooting down a drone would be considered reasonable is

questionable.

If a person deliberately damages someone’s drone or interferes with its communication

system, they may find themselves liable for trespass, causing criminal damage or worse

if someone gets hurt.

Thus a person might be better advised to video the drone in action over the land and to

report it to the gardaí and the Irish Aviation Authority if they have concerns about a

potential break in."

z80CPU

Thread an utter predictable $hitshow.

Recently there has been an IAA sponsored series Facebook posts aimed at noob " hobby " drone pilots.

Completely inadequate.

As a former IAA registered drone pilot, I gave up 7 years ago. I fly drones no more.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121546950#Comment_121546950

I am sure there was a point to the post - but I didnt get it,,, but the rules and technology have changed dramatically in the last 7 years...

SharkMX

I fly mine wherever i like. It wont fly where its not supposed to anyway, like near an airport etc. I never bothered registering or anything like that. I dont buzz people or get close enough to them even to recognize them. I know all people think if there is a drone in the sky its spying on them, but its not the case at all. It can hardly see you.

Been flying it regularly all over the country now and never had any bother. One neighbor called in one day and asked was it my drone that was in the sky the day before. I said yes I was checking the gutter. Then he said could i check his. Then he asked could I get him an a photo of his house from the air. Another couple have asked for the same since. He must have been showing them.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121546981#Comment_121546981

That whooshing noise that you hear is the point , clearly going, right over your head... wow!

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547024#Comment_121547024

Some things are louder in some peoples heads than they are in real life. In your head tbh. You drive your car, i'll fly my drone. Which is louder?

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547040#Comment_121547040

You are the type of drone flyer EVERYONE complains about just saying "It wont fly where its not supposed to anyway," about a geo-locked DJI shows how little you know...... do us all a favour and assume you were not born with inherent drone knowledge and go out and learn........

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547056#Comment_121547056

But nobody complains about me - apart from you. How is me registering my drone or flying it in different places going to make a blind bit of difference to my ability to fly it. Noone has ever approached me telling me to stop or warned me off. Anyone who has ever approached me wants ask nice questions and i even let some of them fly it. I let a 10 year old girl fly it in the park last week.

I would say im safer and more considerate flying my drone than you are tbh, given your personality thats popping out here.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547083#Comment_121547083

incredible................

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547090#Comment_121547090

Calm down there. Whats wring with you now?

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547093#Comment_121547093

What is the highest height that you have flown your drone to.?

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547108#Comment_121547108

Fairly high at times. I dont really watch the height when im flying it tbh. Too busy watching the composition. Flew it off the side of Slieve League during the summer. Went from about 2 meters to about 600 meters in an instant once it went over the side. Got great video of it. One of the stills won a competition.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547138#Comment_121547138

Did you EVER see this............i.e. MAX height you can fly is 120 M... !!

PLEASE look at -- https://www.iaa.ie/general-aviation/drones/faqs/safety-regulations

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547158#Comment_121547158

Eddie, I think you really, really need a break from the internet. Its clearly not good for you.

Whats the point posting some picture saying that i cant fly higher than your cartoon character, when clearly i can. I have the pictures to prove it. In fact there are countless pictures on the internet of those cliffs too.

Heres one. Not mine, Id be afraid you would have a heart attack if you saw mine.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qdg-LoaCPHA

Yeah Right

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121546898#Comment_121546898

That is exactly how pretty much every law, ever, in most countries, came to be. From a couple of dickheads ruining it for everyone. You might as well be asking why you can't have a BBQ on the balcony of your apartment, or why you're not allowed pass it back to the goalkeeper in soccer. The simple answer is to prevent bad actors from using the lack of rules as a way to carry out misdeeds.

If there's a rule which says you cant do X, more than likely the reason for that is because someone was doing X and caused a disturbance. They don't just pull these laws and rules and regulations out of thin air, they're created out of necessity. See the new legislation on using ebikes and scooters on the footpath for a recent example. There's no section in the Act which says you can't park your scooter in the wards of a maternity Hospital because people parking their scooters in the Rotunda isn't a problem that needs to be curtailed. Riding on the footpath, however, is one so there's a whole section on it.

If you're not allowed to fly your drones somewhere, it's because drone flyers caused (or would be very likely to cause) a nuisance by doing just that. You keep harping on about responsible drone flying. Do you think for a second that the irresponsible flyers would admit to being irresponsible? Or would they claim they're responsible people, just like you did, until they were free to do as they please?

Instead of blaming everyone else, maybe you should take it up with your fellow drone enthusiasts.

Also, for the record, you entire attitude in this thread stinks. You are abrasive to anyone who doesn't say what you want to hear (which is everyone) and are trying to pawn off peoples' concerns with a load of wishy washy nonsense. For example:

Your 3 points.

(A) If correctly flown in a designated area you would not be bothered by the noise. So not an issue

(B) If correctly flown it will NOT fly over you.. So not an issue

(C) Yes - most have a camera , with good resolution, but NOT as good as phones, of which there are far more ( one per person ? ) at the same ground elevation and closer to you, in constant use. Should they be also banned.. ? or should you have to apply to the council to use your phone incase you take a photograph ?

A) and what if they're not correctly flown in a designated area? Then it becomes an issue, which needs to be addressed. Agreed?

B) If incorrectly flown, it will fly over me....therefore an issue, correct?

C) This is a terrible analogy. Phones cannot see over/through walls and into windows that aren't normally accessible to the public. Phones cannot damage wires or cables that the operator is unaware of. Phones cannot be remotely manoeuvered into places where sensitive or private images could be captured. And yes, it is illegal to record someone on their own property without their express consent with a mobile phone. If you want to use the lack of regulations around recording people with your mobile as a precedent, then you clearly do not understand the regulations around recording people with your mobile.

SharkMX

Eddie doesnt even know what the VLOS means in the picture he posted.

He just here to wag the finger at any poster.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547182#Comment_121547182

I think you said it all..............

SharkMX

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547228#Comment_121547228

I know.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547208#Comment_121547208

I think you are off on an entirely different point or range of points,

some of which I agree with.. I was hoping in the "drones" thread to

engage with responsible drone users to find avenues to find responsible

locations to fly and was not aware it was home to the anti-drone

supporters. To be accused of an abrasive attitude is quite subjective

and I think mainly influenced by people not wanting to recognise the

point..because it does not suit their privacy / personal invasion

narrative.

I do know that I would rather have drones in a controlled , regulated

and responsible future, than in the mess it is in now, primarily

because councils et al, have kicked to touch on genuinely examining the

problem. If other EU and worldwide countries were able to regulate, it

is not unreasonable to have expected ours to be able to do the same../

The scaremongering around drones is reminiscent of the same "boogy man

" scaremongering we have had around mobile phone cameras.. now largely

resolved, and yet day after day we see instance of them being used VERY

inappropriately, uploaded to social media and apparently acceptable

to the greater public...

Drones are with us whether we like it or not and it is far better to

have them licensed and regulated than not, and whether you agree with

that statement or find it abrasive is purely your prerogative/. 

Either way it is good to discuss and get the points into the open.

eddie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121547217#Comment_121547217

I would be totally amazed if you did before you looked it up...., the fact that you think I would not know it is more an indicator of your knowledge on the subject than mine,. no point arguing with a closed mind.. good luck with giving your drone to children to buzz around wherever you like...

eddie

It goes without saying of course, that if anyone has a small plot of land , preferably without close neighbours. in the Dublin or adjoining counties that they would allow be used for take off, practice, etc, for a responsible recreational user, fully insured, trained and registered - I would be delighted to receive a Private Message (PM ) Thank you..