Someone threatening to report me (over nothing)

jhcheung · Mar 13, 2016

I'm a Canadian drone enthusiast/photographer who has been flying my DJI P3 advanced since last summer, and have saved up some really nice footage i'm very proud of. I shared a video yesterday to a Facebook Group and one of the member private messaged me and threatened to report me to the government.

I don't even know where I should begin, but I have checked all the regulations and didn't see a need to apply for an OSFC permit, nor have I broken any violations (from what I have read anyways).

A few of my drone owner friends said that he could be luring in a possible bribe and possibly scamming me, but i'm still weary of this issue and would like to reach out to anybody here who may know more. I'll also be calling Transport Canada tomorrow to ask a few questions.

I can gladly provide the conversation we've had and the 3 videos I've posted online(before they were taken down)

Thank you so much in advance

m0j0 · Mar 13, 2016

If you didn't do anything wrong I would not worry about it. I would not respond to the pm at all. Let him report it.

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beazergood · Mar 13, 2016

Some people!

ScopeTech · Mar 13, 2016

Which Facebook group?

jhcheung · Mar 13, 2016

I don't know, he said the last guy he reported got fined $5000 and he said "good luck ever getting your SFOC again"... I don't care if he's real or not, I just want to reassurance as to what might happen to me and what I can do so this I don't get into any issues with the law or hateful people like these...

If any Canadian drone owners out there can give me some pointers i'd really appreciate it.

ScopeTech said:
Which Facebook group?

Official DJI Owners Group

Meta4 · Mar 13, 2016

jhcheung said:
I'm a Canadian drone enthusiast/photographer who has been flying my DJI P3 advanced since last summer, and have saved up some really nice footage i'm very proud of. I shared a video yesterday to a Facebook Group and one of the member private messaged me and threatened to report me to the government.

Call his bluff and ask what it is that he believes needs to be reported.
He might know something you don't ...... or he could be a waste of space.
If you don't know what accusation he's threatening to make it's hard to suggest anything.

Air Ontario · Mar 13, 2016

I don't see his event referenced thru Feb 2016 however I skimmed very quickly.......

Non-corporate Offenders - Transport Canada

I did see 3 drone fines of 400-750 for no SFOC.

Reed L · Mar 13, 2016

Don't waste you're time with people like this, its Facebook... Block him and report him to Facebook and the moderators of your forum and have him removed for abuse. End of story, he crossed the line. Put your videos back up for everyone...

terrylowe · Mar 13, 2016

I had a highway patrolman and a county judge stop to watch me fly today. They were really interested and were asking the usual....how high does it go questions.

Canadiandroner7 · Mar 14, 2016

If you google "transport canada uav" it will take you to a website where you can see a flowchart that tells you if a SFOC is required or not. If you aren't using your phantom for commercial use, are staying away from airports, respect privacy and property of others and keep it line of sight, I'll bet you have no worries. Out of curiosity, what province do you live in?

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jhcheung · Mar 14, 2016

Canadiandroner7 said:
If you google "transport canada uav" it will take you to a website where you can see a flowchart that tells you if a SFOC is required or not. If you aren't using your phantom for commercial use, are staying away from airports, respect privacy and property of others and keep it line of sight, I'll bet you have no worries. Out of curiosity, what province do you live in?

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Hey thanks man. I flew under 300feet, and did all of the above. Only catch is I did in fact filmed a wedding but it was not paid and i was just trying out the drone at that point. I have read the chart and even went as far as reading the fine prints... Again.. im likely going to call transport Canada to see what's going on.

I'm from Edmonton, Alberta. That was shot in Calgary (where i now reside in since a few months ago due to job relocation)

Have you applied for an SFOC by any chance? I'd really like to try for one just for anything possible videos in the future. Better to have permission than argue with butt hurt people on the internet right?

ScopeTech · Mar 14, 2016

jhcheung said:
Only catch is I did in fact filmed a wedding but it was not paid and i was just trying out the drone at that point.?

Yeah, unfortunately you can't do this without an SFOC, for a myriad of reasons not the least of which is the fact you likely were flying very close to people with no failsafes in place (like a spotter).

I would suggest immediately doing a ground school course (Heli Video Pros out of Vancouver has a great one), get your certificate of completion from that, and then armed with the knowledge from it learn the ins and outs of applying for an SFOC so that if you are contacted by Transport Canada you can prove your knowledge and guarantee to them that it won't happen again and that in the future you will follow the rules to the letter.

jhcheung · Mar 14, 2016

From the video it shows clearly that the photographer, his two assistants and I are looking at the drone whilst flying. I was also not too close to the subject and the drone was merely going in straight lines.

I did watch videos online (think it was Lynda or something like that) but yeah I'd love to know places that I can get certifications for! Thank you to pointing that out to me! I would definitely love to go Vancouver and get this done in the summer when I can take time off work to get certified.

Thanks so much scope tech and I look forward to speaking with you again!!

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FASTFJR · Mar 14, 2016

Tell him to kiss your ***. I've gone thru the same BS on my FB page.

rcheing · Mar 14, 2016

FASTFJR said:
Tell him to kiss your ***. I've gone thru the same BS on my FB page.

Agreed, there always seem to be a "hero" in every group.

jhcheung · Mar 14, 2016

FASTFJR said:
Tell him to kiss your ***. I've gone thru the same BS on my FB page.

This guy sounds pretty **** sure he will report me. Now I'm scared as hell and don't even know what I'm doing anymore.

I have sent out an email to transport Canada but right away I'm getting a "we are experiencing a high volume of application blah blah blah" so I highly doubt I'll hear back anytime soon

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m0j0 · Mar 14, 2016

Why would you be scared. FCOL.

Phantom 3 Pro / iPad Air 2

jhcheung · Mar 15, 2016

He seems to stand a ground, and I havne't yet found the proper support from officials through phone or email so far. I also looked up some places that offers UAV courses and they are extremely hard to find, very expensive($600-$1000), and courses offered during weekdays when i have to work...