Drone over garden

frozenfrozen

Hi so long story short just had about the 6th time where a drone was right over the back garden. Has happened infrequently rather than just someone locally getting one and using it loads for the first week. Has been a few months since the last time it was here but we feel its an invasion of privacy

Usually just ignored but this time we were sitting eating outside and I just want to stop it from happening

Is it legal full stop to be flying over our house and looking in

And we are in yellow airspace on that map that says there's a 15 metre limit with the proximity to Shannon. Does that allow it at all. From looking up rules theres no way they are far enough from our house or us while also being lower than 15 metres. Wouldnt have been that low at all

Should I report it and where to or is this OK to do now?

Have seen a house where one landed before a few months ago but don't know if its the same one and don't know the people there at all so wouldn't be able to say it in passing etc

Any advice please?

stuff.hunter

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Hi so long story short just had about the 6th time where a drone was right over the back garden. Has happened infrequently rather than just someone locally getting one and using it loads for the first week. Has been a few months since the last time it was here but we feel its an invasion of privacy

Usually just ignored but this time we were sitting eating outside and I just want to stop it from happening

Is it legal full stop to be flying over our house and looking in

And we are in yellow airspace on that map that says there's a 15 metre limit with the proximity to Shannon. Does that allow it at all. From looking up rules theres no way they are far enough from our house or us while also being lower than 15 metres. Wouldnt have been that low at all

Should I report it and where to or is this OK to do now?

Have seen a house where one landed before a few months ago but don't know if its the same one and don't know the people there at all so wouldn't be able to say it in passing etc

Any advice please?

If you know whos flying it, id talk as first. If not, you can report it to IAA https://www.iaa.ie/safety/safety-reporting/safety-reports-by-members-of-the-public or call coppers as it can be possibly dangerous (or someones checking on you planning to break in)

Timfy

Are there many houses for sale near you? I ask as the drone has become the favourite tool of the estate agent during lockdown, especially as the found they could charge extra for drone footage on a listing!

frozenfrozen

stuff.hunter wrote: »

If you know whos flying it, id talk as first. If not, you can report it to IAA https://www.iaa.ie/safety/safety-reporting/safety-reports-by-members-of-the-public or call coppers as it can be possibly dangerous (or someones checking on you planning to break in)

Thanks yeah don't know who is flying it and don't want to pin it on the people I have seen with one before without knowing its them.

Exactly whether they are just looking or planning to break in its too many times now if its the same people for it to just be passing or chance, its coming over the house and staying there for a few minutes then going high and going away when its done

Timfy wrote: »

Are there many houses for sale near you? I ask as the drone has become the favourite tool of the estate agent during lockdown, especially as the found they could charge extra for drone footage on a listing!

Good thought but no unless someone is getting it done to list their house in the future none are for sale at the moment two houses which were for sale are sold now but maybe one of them could be getting aerial pics for an extension or something? BUT Its really going directly over our house and staying for a few minutes each time and then leaving rather than just passing us on the way somewhere its very odd


-


Thanks for the replies anyway at least I know I'm not being unreasonable to not want it. Don't know would I go straight to the guards and wouldn't have enough info for iaa report but I will try see what direction it flies away to see if it goes the same direction each time


Unfortunately / fortunately it'll be a while before its up again anyway so will give an update if I do anything

listermint

No offence but how do you know it's even looking down. Most drones with cameras only ever look forward i.e out over the horizon. Some like DJ come with a gimble which allows camera to move down to view.

The drone could be on its way somewhere from your neighbors back garden or looking out over the horizon.

You are making alot of assumptions here for a device you've seen a hand full of times in months.

D3V!L

listermint wrote: »

No offence but how do you know it's even looking down. Most drones with cameras only ever look forward i.e out over the horizon. Some like DJ come with a gimble which allows camera to move down to view.

The drone could be on its way somewhere from your neighbors back garden or looking out over the horizon.

You are making alot of assumptions here for a device you've seen a hand full of times in months.

On top of that, Drones don't have sound and I know of one on the market that has a zoom lens. It's not very popular due to the price.

So a drone over your house can only see as much as anything else that overlooks your house.

frozenfrozen

listermint wrote: »

No offence but how do you know it's even looking down. Most drones with cameras only ever look forward i.e out over the horizon. Some like DJ come with a gimble which allows camera to move down to view.

The drone could be on its way somewhere from your neighbors back garden or looking out over the horizon.

You are making alot of assumptions here for a device you've seen a hand full of times in months.

Just take my word for it. I dont own one but I'm always seeing drone footage at work so I have a good understanding what they see.

D3V!L wrote: »

On top of that, Drones don't have sound and I know of one on the market that has a zoom lens. It's not very popular due to the price.

So a drone over your house can only see as much as anything else that overlooks your house.

Nothing overlooks this area except helicopters and this drone

Homer

Your single biggest difficulty will be identifying the operator. Most drones have a range of greater than 1km so they could have taken off from anywhere in the locality realistically. Unless you want to hop in your car and try follow the drone as it leaves the vicinity of your property the chances of finding out who owns it are slim unfortunately.

D3V!L

As a drone operator and a security-conscious homeowner, you have my sympathies. Unfortunately, we don't own the air space over our property in Ireland.

The best thing to do is report it to the IAA and Gardai if you think it's a security concern.

I had similar experience OP and called the guards- if one of their cars is out on patrol they may be lucky and spot the operator. The gardai thanked me for my call- if they don’t know they can’t do anything about it. I’m with you, it’s a freaky experience and even though it may be innocent enough, you just don’t know. The more people complain the more the gardai will take notice

This link may be useful- from my experience they definitely weren’t keeping the drone in their sight and were flying too low over a built up area

https://uavcoach.com/drone-laws-in-ireland/

frozenfrozen

Any recommendations for a racing drone I could use to escort it away?

Yeah I think ill just have to accept it would be impossible to stop it without seeing it land and asking politely to stop


Shannon airport control this air though so it shouldn't be more than 15 metres high. Hard to gauge how high i think it was but certainly as high as the coast guard fly directly over the house.But thats me looking for a separate reason why it shouldn't be here the main issue is it looking in rather than thinking he may crash it into the coast guard

sumo12

Lads like that flying over peoples houses are what gets drones a bad name. I will never go near houses and 99% of responsible droners won't.

Although, I do admit when I first got my DJI I was curious to see what rocket mode did, in my back garden.... nearly shyt myself!!

frozenfrozen

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Any recommendations for a racing drone I could use to escort it away?

DroneShield is a good spot for C-UAS devices, including handheld anti-drone guns, vehicle mounted detect and destroy systems and base protection devices for AI-based situational awareness.

The DroneCannon RW is a particular favourite:

DroneCannon RW from DroneShield offers a lightweight, soft kill, UAV jamming solution. The DroneCannon RW module will force drones (single or swarm attack) into a fail-safe mode where they will either hover or slowly descend. This function will allow the operator to utilize a kinetic weapon or other mounted equipment to more easily neutralize the target. DroneCannon RW defeats UAVs moving at any speed. Included DroneShield jamming technology has been developed specifically for drone mitigation, offering a effective response to an urgent threat.

All a bit out of my budget, but maybe not the OP's

sumo12

sumo12 wrote: »

Lads like that flying over peoples houses are what gets drones a bad name. I will never go near houses and 99% of responsible droners won't.

Although, I do admit when I first got my DJI I was curious to see what rocket mode did, in my back garden.... nearly shyt myself!!

Even though I’m a non-drone owner I certainly believe you- however as drones drop in price I’d say this problem will only progress - saying all of that this thread has piqued my interest in drones- I must explore this forum to see what’s what on all things buying your first drone

TychoCaine

I'm a drone owner and live in the Shannon area so I hope it wasn't me. Snooping on people isn't my thing.

Regarding the legal side of things -

All drones have to stay below 15 meters within the airport control area. That's an IAA regulation as opposed to a law, so you'd have to report it there. The police won't help. Drones are supposed to be registered with the IAA. Mine is, but most people don't bother. I may be wrong, but I'd say reporting is pointless. I've never heard of the IAA taking action against a private operator.

You don't own the airspace above your house. If I park a drone above your back garden and leave it there all day there's nothing you can do from a trespassing standpoint. It's technically 100% legal.

Where you do have rights is nuisance and privacy. You have the right to enjoy your property without harassment. If the drone is annoying you then you can make a nuisance complaint to the Gardaí. The drone will obviously be long gone by the time they get to you. You also have a right to privacy in your back garden. If you can prove the camera on the drone is recording video that is otherwise not visible from public areas then you have an invasion of privacy situation. You're legally entitled to a copy of the video, but you'd need to catch the guy, demand the SD card, then take a civil action against him.

In practical terms, you're out of luck. If I were you I'd wait until it comes close, throw a blanket over it and bash it with a hurley. That's the only way you'll get satisfaction.

Hellrazer

I thought the latest IAA rules were to basically stay far from people or property not under your control depending on the drones weight category - is 30 meters not the minimium?

D3V!L

Hellrazer wrote: »

I thought the latest IAA rules were to basically stay far from people or property not under your control depending on the drones weight category - is 30 meters not the minimium?

Yes it is. But you know Irish people and rules. They're for others. :rolleyes:

Hellrazer

True - actually a funny one happened me there last Saturday in a similar situation.

Took out the Zino Pro and decided to make sure all was good before taking it out on Sunday.

Anyway Im testing it in the garden - (hadnt been used since I got it in February) at around 3/4 foot off the ground - just testing controls etc. Neighbours quite interested in it in a good way. So I was explaining that there were height limits etc and that if I was in the garden it would be kept below the wall level - around 7/8 foot.
What happens next?

I hit the RTH button by mistake and it takes off to up to 30 metres - you should see the looks I got!!! I never checked what height the return to home was set at!!!

TychoCaine

Hellrazer wrote: »

I thought the latest IAA rules were to basically stay far from people or property not under your control depending on the drones weight category - is 30 meters not the minimium?

Far from people, no mention of property.

Hellrazer

TychoCaine wrote: »

Far from people, no mention of property.

I thought there was a property limit as well - A3 seems to be the one that has a limit on buildings and residential areas.

Sub-category A3 addresses operations that are conducted in an area where the remote pilot reasonably expects that no uninvolved people will be endangered within the range of the unmanned aircraft where it is flown during the mission. In addition, the operation must be conducted at a safe horizontal distance of at least 150 m from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas.

So it all really depends on what weight the drone was that was hovering near the OPs garden.

Sub 250gram (actually 500 grams is mentioned) can fly close to buildings but over 250grams need to be a minimum of 150m away.

Its all a bit confusing.

Correct me if Im wrong but Im logged into mysrs here and that's even confusing me.

Both of mine are greater than 250 grasm - 564 for one of them and 764 for the other.
So Im kinda fecked if I want to fly in an urban area.

Das Reich

Homer wrote: »

Your single biggest difficulty will be identifying the operator. Most drones have a range of greater than 1km so they could have taken off from anywhere in the locality realistically. Unless you want to hop in your car and try follow the drone as it leaves the vicinity of your property the chances of finding out who owns it are slim unfortunately.

Maybe the OP can buy a drone and follow the other drone with his drone and see who is operating.

frozenfrozen

Das Reich wrote: »

Maybe the OP can buy a drone and follow the other drone with his drone and see who is operating.

And that kids is how I met your mother

An Ri rua

Buy a cheap drone and accidentally crash into it as you 'greet' it and welcome it to your neighborhood.
Job done

Homer

An Ri rua wrote: »

Buy a cheap drone and accidentally crash into it as you 'greet' it and welcome it to your neighborhood.
Job done

Any half decent drone (even cheap ones) will have collision avoidance sensors to stop that happening. There is virtually nothing you can do to stop people carrying out this sort of stupid behaviour unfortunately.

Bruthal.

Homer wrote: »

Any half decent drone (even cheap ones) will have collision avoidance sensors to stop that happening. There is virtually nothing you can do to stop people carrying out this sort of stupid behaviour unfortunately.

Effective at avoiding walls etc. Probably not so great against small objects.

TychoCaine

TychoCaine wrote: »

I'm a drone owner and live in the Shannon area so I hope it wasn't me. Snooping on people isn't my thing.

Regarding the legal side of things -

All drones have to stay below 15 meters within the airport control area. That's an IAA regulation as opposed to a law, so you'd have to report it there. The police won't help. Drones are supposed to be registered with the IAA. Mine is, but most people don't bother. I may be wrong, but I'd say reporting is pointless. I've never heard of the IAA taking action against a private operator.

You don't own the airspace above your house. If I park a drone above your back garden and leave it there all day there's nothing you can do from a trespassing standpoint. It's technically 100% legal.

Where you do have rights is nuisance and privacy. You have the right to enjoy your property without harassment. If the drone is annoying you then you can make a nuisance complaint to the Gardaí. The drone will obviously be long gone by the time they get to you. You also have a right to privacy in your back garden. If you can prove the camera on the drone is recording video that is otherwise not visible from public areas then you have an invasion of privacy situation. You're legally entitled to a copy of the video, but you'd need to catch the guy, demand the SD card, then take a civil action against him.

In practical terms, you're out of luck. If I were you I'd wait until it comes close, throw a blanket over it and bash it with a hurley. That's the only way you'll get satisfaction.

Thought you weren't allowed to fly over people?

Homer

SoulWriter wrote: »

Thought you weren't allowed to fly over people?

You are, but subject to some rules depending on the number of people and class of licence held.

Homer

Homer wrote: »

You are, but subject to some rules depending on the number of people and class of licence held.

I don't think you can hover all day over a garden if there are people there. I thought you couldn't fly over parades either like Paddy Day Parade. Am i wrong?

frozenfrozen

frozenfrozen wrote: »

Any recommendations for a racing drone I could use to escort it away?

Might be a little out of your price range but available for sale...:P


https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Jets&make=MIKOYAN&model=MIG+29&listing_id=2374614&s-type=aircraft

323

Hellrazer wrote: »

I thought there was a property limit as well - A3 seems to be the one that has a limit on buildings and residential areas.



So it all really depends on what weight the drone was that was hovering near the OPs garden.

Sub 250gram (actually 500 grams is mentioned) can fly close to buildings but over 250grams need to be a minimum of 150m away.

Its all a bit confusing.

Correct me if Im wrong but Im logged into mysrs here and that's even confusing me.

Both of mine are greater than 250 grasm - 564 for one of them and 764 for the other.
So Im kinda fecked if I want to fly in an urban area.

Agree, at first glance, the new rules are clear as mud.

Your not necessarily excluded from urban areas. Get yourself certified for the open A2 subcategory. Did it a while back,

Ravendale

"Maybe the OP can buy a drone and follow the other drone with his drone and see who is operating."

And travel and hover over everyone else's garden. (when the sub stops, 😊), causing them also to buy a drone to follow the sub and all the others who were annoyed at drones flying/hovering over their homes , resulting on a tail back somewhere over the m17. And a new drone club. 😅

Luttrell1975

You better get used to drones.

This privacy concern is up to a home owner to resolve, and cannot stop everyone who wants to run a drone using one.

Start taking photos of the drone. Not hard to do. Prove it has a camera. Speak to the Gardai.