What Happens If You Shoot Down a Drone?

89 thoughts on “What Happens If You Shoot Down a Drone?”

1. Something similar happened to me once. In my conversation with the individual what I said was “If I was walking around the construction site and shooting photos with my iPhone would you have said anything to me?” He said that it wasn’t the same thing and then called the police. When the police showed up and I presented my Part 107 card they asked the accuser to not waste their time and to know the rules before approaching a drone pilot.

   1. The act of interrupting a sUAS operator while in flight can also result in a fine…

   2. Sweet!!!

   3. @@AxisImagery I had a guy walk up to me and a friend with a loaded crossbow. He was fishing with it and thought we were filming him. He asked me if I was filming him, and I told him no, because I charge for my services and don’t film anyone for free. LOL. Okay, maybe that wasn’t the smartest thing to say. But I hate getting interupted when I am flying.

   4. @@MYPROJECTS101. that’s the best response I have ever heard. Hahaha. Made him feel worthless and unimportant I bet.

   5. @@MYPROJECTS101. that WAS Smart thing to say mate 👍

2. I think it’s not the fear of the drone it’s a privacy matter for many

   1. Yep. Ill shoot one down in a heartbeat !

   2. @@kilozulu9990 over my backyard is a privacy issue

   3. @@glenngrant7778 well yea obviously lol

   4. Fly where you want

3. ….. I was just target practicing on my private property and a drone flew into the line of fire…. Sorry bout your luck 😂

   1. 🤣

   2. Quit lying 😂🤣

   3. The damn thing looked like a crow to me……….. LOL

   4. Airplanes keep flying over my house. Can I shoot them down?

   5. @@stanmason4701 apples to oranges bud

4. We live in a Rural area, and yes ,quite frankly we do question EVERY car that drives pass our house.

   1. Wow, how sad and paranoid.

   2. @@2Bluzin .I’m guessing he doesn’t get a lot of sleep .

   3. @@renenadeau323 I live on 500 hectares and see maybe 1 car a week, you can bet your pants I want to know what theyre doing on my property!

   4. @@mysty0 Does that road belong to you.?

   5. @@renenadeau323 sure does

5. It ultimately comes down to rules and the rules are a dynamic, moving target that are consistently changing. I have a Mavic Pro that I bought a few years back. I have the remote pilot license and I also have a private pilot’s license that I’ve had for 47 years and I currently own three actual airplanes. I think drones are cool and all but I’m sorry, they don’t belong in an urban environment. If you are in your back yard and a drone from an unknown source is flying around or over you with it’s 4k video camera it is not a pleasant experience.

   So my advice to drone enthusiasts is to go out into the woods and don’t bug people because otherwise there are just going to be more rules and you won’t have justification against them. It’s a privacy issue.

   1. @@adcraziness1501 Sorry I’m neither whining nor do I make the rules, just sayin…Shooting the messenger won’t change the message. Drones irritate people, that’s just a fact and I have nothing to do with it.

   2. @@adcraziness1501 A legitimate concern that is being addressed as an unleaded avgas formula has been approved and leaded avgas will soon be a thing of the past. In regards to drones, the same. Remote ID is already here and will be in full effect next year. To use an old adage – the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

   3. @@adcraziness1501 It all comes down to acceptance of other people’s views and respect for them. Sure, there are “karens” which in itself is a sexist term but overall we just have to all get along. Have anice day my friend d;-)

   4. @@adcraziness1501
      See, it’s also because people know that it’s twots like you, who would be the operator of a suspect drone, that’s deliberately riding that thin line of, invasion of privacy. The “Karens” of the drone community, if you will.

6. Imagine seriously calling the police and expecting them to do anything for a drone when they can’t even arrive to your house for a home invasion in less than ten minutes

   1. They wait for the threat to pass

   2. Or imagine the police NOT charging you for defending your privacy. If I sneak a camera into your private space, you can crush it. Not be criminally charged.

   3. I dont believe the local police can enforce these laws.

   4. 10 minutes were do you live? I’m in NY they don’t arrive at all. If they do they just let the criminal go so they can murder and rape again

   5. I had a drone hover over my yard I gave it the middle finger and it left ….not a fan of them in Residential arias ….you can’t fly an aircraft low over a Residential zone…

7. Thanks for the video. I have a drone, never ran it, but I did get my license and am prepared. A fellow visited us while we were camping in Arizona and did a drone video on Christmas of 2018. He posted it, and I go to it regularly. Why? Well he has my wonderful wife of 51 years and I waving at the drone as he zooms down and back up. I lost my wife to cancer in 2020 and I miss her more then life itself, I have been healing myself, but now find myself with cancer, just had a kidney removed because of that, but when I really miss her I go to that site and she waves at me with such joy on her face, it helps. . .

   1. Sorry to hear that bro 😔.My mom has stage 4 cancer and she is someone that I never ever thought would catch something like cancer she never smokes,never drank,never did drugs,and I know those things don’t lead to cancer but she lives a clean life and still she caught cancer and I now understand just how important it is to appreciate the people in your life cuz when their gone their really gone and your entire world is flipped upside down and it hurts…..a lot.Hope you have a great rest of your day buddy and hope things get a little better for you with time.

   2. @@khanhknapp For what it’s worth: keto and intermittent fasting helps with an awful lot of physical problems.

   3. seriously get into fasting as after day 3 your body starts discarding damaged cell tissue first like tumors, cancers, etc. It kicks into autophagy.

   4. Wow bro sorry to hear that I hope all is well

   5. ​@@khanhknapp a third of us will die of cancer. Half will get cancer.

8. Looks like there will be some interesting court cases testing the conflict between navigation vs privacy/personal protection rights. The federal government states that in non-congested areas, the area above 500 feet is navigable airspace. If someone shot down a surveillance (camera enabled) drone flying over their property, at less than 250 feet altitude, trespassing and personal protection (anti-stalking, unauthorized surveillance, privacy) rights could be in conflict with a drone owner’s navigation rights.

   At trial, it seems fairly likely that a jury would side with a property owner’s privacy concerns over the rights of a drone owner to fly over anyone’s property, with a camera, and without the property owner’s permission.

   1. In our society – as of 2023 – a prosecutors chance of winning a case “drone pilot” vs “property owner” is very unlikely. Also, I own a portion of the property above the ground – you can’t crash into my radio tower without being liable for damages.

   2. drones can’t fly over 400 feet in the United States or be given a fine. I think people here need to google and take the TRUST test for drones at many websites. It’s free.

   3. @@davidyanceyjrto this point, recently a family member had a drone shot down at work by a land owner who then also preceded to shoot at the pilot.
      The land owner is currently being federally prosecuted just for shooting down the drone and will face prison time. Since it’s federal it’s a felony so they’re also losing their guns.
      They’re also being separately charged for the attempted murder on top of all of that.

   4. Doubt it! How will these ignorant landowner scientifically proved the drone flying height? You want something remain private, use your fu*king brain to keep it private

   5. @@JollyGiant19 nonsense.

9. If a drone passes by a property that is one thing. But if a drone flies into your property and begins maneuvering around to view your private domain then it is getting impaled with bird shot.

   1. No kidding, calling the police won’t work. Um officer so I saw a drone looking through my window and it went away

   2. that’s just going to get you a fine or even a felony, did you not watch the video?

   3. No Trespassing means NO TRESPASSING.

   4. @@kevinmckinzie yup, but hope you got deep pockets cuz youre gonna be getting alot of fines in the future

   5. Only if they find the bodies.

10. I live in a Rural State and I’m sure that many people would shoot my drone down if I flew it close to their property, so I will have to be careful about where I fly if I decide to order one.

    1. Yep

    2. Just strap a couple mercury vials under the drone so if they shoot it down it contaminates their land

    3. Those are the EXACT people who need to be banned for life from touching guns. These are the folks who think its ok to shoot at people in cars who simply took a wrong turn or are just turning their car around.

    4. Or fast boiiiiiiiiii

11. A few tips: I try to follow the roads when flying over neighborhoods, most people don’t care when the drone is flying over a “common area” vs their own pool or back yard
    -If you want to hover, do it over parking lots, farm lands, malls, etc. Don’t hover over yards
    -A 100 feet elevation is my minimum

    1. Word!!!

    2. This situation – people even considering shooting at drones – is another good reason why guns should be taken away from the general population.
       Yes, I know it will NEVER happen.

    3. @@oldrrocr if your flying little surveillance devices over peoples properties you should be allowed to own a drone.

    4. ​@@oldrrocrGod I hope your trolling and not actually this daft.

    5. @@asamcdaniel5167 Hard to tell if he/she is a troll. Anti-gun people are usually at least that daft!

12. As a former Drone Pilot it has been my experience that people do not fear the drone it’s self. It is the fear of not knowing what the drone is recording meaning they do not know if the drone is actually recording them personally. Also, most people do not fully comprehend the lawful rights for themselves and/or others meaning when it come to the laws most people have little to know comprehension of what is legal or illegal. Education and full comprehensions of the rights for self and others is paramount. As a suggestion of when and where a plane or drone can and can not fly over a section area of land and/or water that restrictions apply such as no-fly-zones are important to point out to people that do not comprehend the full scope of the given situation. Thank you for helping people to learn the lawfully rights of Drone Pilots. Many blessings…

13. I fly, but drones getting too close to anyone could be considered an invasion of space. Small drones require no license and could be considered stalking or voyuer, etc. A house should be granted a personal air-space.

    1. A house is granted airspace directly by state regulations, and the FAA has flight height restrictions. File a voyeurism complaint with the police, and maybe an E warrant can be served to see if the operator(s ) have been conducting unlawful surveillance/pedophilic operations. Also, you can’t hear a slingshot

    2. ​@@joesavary6081or a compound crossbow

    3. How much are you willing to pay for that air space? Property prices are high as it is I couldn’t imagine having to buy air space as well. Then where would planes fly? Idk, I take it as if you go outside you house just assume your being watched I got birds and squirrels constantly watching me and I’m not trying to get them banned

14. I’m really surprised that no one seems to be concerned that a drone might be used to surveille your home as part of a plan to break into your home or commit other crimes against you. While it has been discussed quite a lot recently, various government agencies are using drones to monitor what you’re doing on your property for agriculture and animal husbandry issues, my first concern is whether I am being cased by thieves or other nefarious individuals.

15. I live by a park, and sometimes drones come down in my back yard, it should never be over my property, and I now longer return them as I always did before.

    1. Don’t forget, our tax dollars pays for the satellite systems and cell towers that fly those drones. Therefore because our tax dollars are involved, we have the right to say NO, and do what you’re doing.

16. if I am sitting no a jury about someone shot down a drone I am voting not guilty no matter who owns the drone.

    1. Your gonna get cooked bro💀

    2. Doesn’t matter if the drone operator is someone just doing his job? Like perhaps powerlines inspections or whatnot?

    3. @@aarovar1357 Keyboard warriors will say it doesn’t matter. If they can see it they gone done gonna shoot it and dang anyone who says anythin.

    4. It wouldn’t be a jury trail. A judge would just throw the book at you.

    5. Same here.

17. When someone tells you that they are going to shoot your drone down stop flying over their property. That is just common decency.

    1. It always comes down to the simplest principle – respect thy neighbor! Do onto others as you want others do onto you.

    2. Kinda like walking by their house or parking in front of it…

    3. @@jackfunk5765 walking by their house and parking in front of it is two entirely different things unless you are walking back and forth repeatedly.

    4. ​@@jackfunk5765Not really

    5. I don’t have a drone but if one fly’s over my house, So What ? I’m not doing or growing any thing Illegal.

18. whether someone is a drone enthusiast or not, drone operators have no right to invade other persons’ privacy. especially if
    you are over private property or filming someone without their express permission.

    1. Its fine to fly a reasonable hight over houses but if the drone lands or is recording then its wrong

    2. ​@@Andhavetogo123the main difference to cars passing by is that the cars aren’t remote operated and they’re restricted to ground level. So if there was some concern you’d see who it is and you’d probably be able to chase them down. Try chasing down a drone pilot. Nearly impossible for the average Joe!

19. If I see a drone hovering outside my windows in the middle of my very rural property, you’d better believe there will be consequences for the drone and/or its owner.

    1. Unless you can prove that person is stalking you.. the only one gonna face consequences is you buddy.. you don’t own the airspace over your property you never will buddy.. you will face prison time for shooting a firearm in the air like that especially if it’s someone from the state trying to estimate your property value

20. In Spain is absolutely forbiden to fly a drones over residential areas.

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