Ok. So he should have been at least 150 ft in the air.
Sent from my iPad using PhantomPilots mobile app
The relevant section of the MMPA law is the one regarding the distance of the drone from the seals:
"Observing whales, dolphins, porpoises,
and seals from a safe distance of
at least 333 yards (1,000) feet by air"
There are several mentions on other forums of enforcement with harsh penalties.
As much as we'd all like to get great video, the risks of real harm or further regulation aren't worth it to the wildlife, the rest of the flying community (everyone reading this, and anyone who flies any type of device, manned or not), and to the non-flying public.
As a certified pilot, and fellow drone flyer, I have (we all have) an obligation to not sit idly by and say nothing when one of our own (yes, we will all be considered part of the same group by non-flyers) does something like this. Frankly, it's embarrassing to watch and think of what an observer might have been thinking about drone pilots, knowing that I'm lumped into that group. This sort of non-compliance with reasonable expectations should be met with clear disapproval, as each of the responders to the original post have attempted to do.
My first reply was an attempt to provide information in case the original poster was unaware of the legal issues. The original poster's responses have made it clear in this case, as we've all seen from others on this forum, that some don't care about the risks.
As a community, my opinion is that we need to actively disengage from those who act this way, and disassociate those individuals from our community for the betterment of us all. If we don't self-regulate our hobby (and in many cases, profession), we'll soon find the regulations so strict that our hobby effectively doesn't exist. Just how long they are allowed to be a member of Phantom Pilots is something worthy of discussion; there is hope they would learn from others and adjust behavior to acceptable standards. What do you think?
Bobby