Drones and air space - no simple answer.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/drones-boom-raises-new-question-who-owns-your-airspace-1431535417
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However - we are waaay off topic. Further discussion in this direction needs to be in the Social Lounge.
Warning, right upfront. This will likely turn into a TLDR.
Agreed, Grapeshot. Anything the FAA touches becomes complicated. For a hobbyist flying any RC aircraft there are no "official" rules or regulations except for what your city or county may pass. There is a AMA Best Practices guideline that has recommendations that most responsible hobbyists try to follow.
http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/105.pdf I have my FAA exemption, operating unmanned aerial systems is my career so I have some knowledge on the subject matter. As a commercial drone operation I can tell you that the /moment/ you choose to accept any payment for drone operations you fall under FAA purview and it's an entirely different game. Linked is the FAA FAQ for commercial drone operations,
https://www.faa.gov/uas/faq/media/1009_UAS_Fact_Sheet.pdf
Frankly it's about as dull as you might imagine so I'm going to try and break down some food for thought and hopefully provide a little education on why you probably have nothing to fear in terms of invasion of privacy for the next few years.
Te begin with the VAST majority and I'm talking 95+ percent of drones you will encounter on a day to day basis have NO zoom ability whatsoever. This means if I'm flying 60 feet up, (which is fairly average if I want to avoid trees and power lines), I can see nothing more than if I was standing 60 feet away from your fence looking into your backyard. Honestly, I'd see considerably less from a drone than if I were on the ground say sitting on a hilltop using my good ole Mk I eyeballs. The cameras on most drones are designed to shoot panoramic landscapes, not designed for close, detail work, also when looking straight down on a subject you lose all sense of depth and perspective so guys? Your wife's or daughter's girly bits just aren't going to look that impressive from that far overhead, sorry.
For a drone operator to see anything with any detail they'd have to be just a few feet away, and here's the kicker. These things operate line of sight. For me to be able to operate a drone without any fear of losing it, my radio transmitter has to be able to "see" it. If you have one hovering over your backyard, look around. I guarantee you the operator is not far away.
Now to the meat of the subject for our forum here, shooting one down. Like I said, I do this for a living, that being said? I have a family, I have children. I am a very protective papa bear, if I said one hovering over my backyard, it'd be my first instinct too. DON'T. Thus far, the body of court rulings has come down in favor of the drone operator. At the very least its' willfull destruction of property. People the average Phantom 3 or similar drone starts at a thousand dollars and goes up. Once you figure jail time, lost wages, and court costs? You could've bought yourself a really nice firearm for a few seconds of gratification.
Part two of that is that very nearly every drone that has a camera has a built in gps system accurate to within three feet, the really good ones get that down to within inches. They also constantly transmit back telemetry to the receiver as to exactly where they are, how they were oriented which direction they were facing, the list goes on and on. So you're really not destroying the evidence.
Now we move on to the commercial drone operator. I am bound by FAA regulations and guidelines as to what I can and cannot do, where I can fly, at what altitudes, etc. This is a PITA, the flip-side however is that I am protected by FAA regulations as well. My drones have a federally registered N- tail number and they are treated exactly like any other aircraft. What this means is IF you shoot down or disable a commercial drone as far as the FAA is concerned you have just downed a General Aviation Aircraft, they treat it no different than if you'd shot down a Cessna and their fines are much less forgiving. My commercial drones can cost as much as ten to twelve thousand dollars, something else to keep in mind. I also fly the base models as well for simple photo shoots.
How can you tell the difference between mine and a hobbyist? You can't. Except that I will have knocked on the doors of any neighbors next to any home or farm I may be filming tell you who I am, what I'll be doing, how long I expect to be there and hand you my card in case you have any questions or concerns.
TLDR: Do not shoot down drones. So far, court cases have found in favor of the drone operator in terms of damages. If you shoot down a drone flown by a commercial, FAA recognized company you face federal fines and penalties on top of eight grand or more for a commercial drone and camera gear. Again, you can get yourself a really nice firearm for an instant's gratification. Not to mention any applicable unlawful discharge of firearm laws in your area.
One last thing to consider, even if you think I am over your property, it does not mean I am filming it. From one hundred feet in the air I can take in a vast area, most likely I am filming infrastructure or urban planning.