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Drone Pilot Arrested After Flying Over Two Stadiums, Dropping Leaflets (cbslocal.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the no-fly-zones dept.

"A man with an anti-media agenda was arrested in Oakland after he flew a drone over two different stadiums to drop leaflets" last Sunday, writes Slashdot reader execthis. A local CBS station reports: According to investigators, [55-year-old Tracy] Mapes piloted his drone over Levi's Stadium during the second quarter of the 49ers-Seattle game and released a load of pamphlets. He then quickly landed the drone, loaded it up and drove over to Oakland. He flew a similar mission over the Raiders-Broncos game. Santa Clara Police Lt. Dan Moreno said after Mapes was apprehended he defended the illegal action as a form of free speech.
USA Today reports there's now also an ongoing federal investigation "because the Federal Aviation Administration prohibits the flying of drones within five miles of an airport. Both Levi's Stadium and Oakland Coliseum are within that range."

"The San Francisco Chronicle added that the drone was a relatively ineffective messenger because 'most of the drone-dropped leaflets were carried away by the wind.'"

5 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Free speech does not exclude laws by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Yes you can have free speech but you cannot break laws in expressing that. Are people really this stupid these days?

  2. Never mind the illegal flying by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Charge him with littering.

    --
    #DeleteFacebook
  3. Re:What did the leaflets say? by Known+Nutter · · Score: 4, Informative
    Most media outlets aren't reporting the content of the leaflets, probably to avoid promoting this sort of thing, but the initial report I saw indicated something about corrupt media and assault on freedom.

    A rep for the Santa Clara Police Department (SCPD) told the San Francisco Chronicle the leaflets included, "something about free speech and his belief that television stations are corrupt."

    source

    --
    Beware of the Leopard.
  4. FAA still to speak by HornWumpus · · Score: 4, Interesting

    You're not supposed to fly directly over crowds.

    I always maintain a horizontal offset while trolling crowds of paranoids with my model predator drone. Protip: Put a plant into the crowd to 'spot the drone' or 90% of flights are wasted.

    --
    John McAfee 'It was like that time I hired that Bangkok prostitute; to do my taxes, while I fucked my accountant'
  5. TFR by mattwarden · · Score: 4, Informative

    Regardless of the proximity to the airport, all stadiums are under a TFR up to 3000 AGL above and around a stadium during NFL games. See https://www.faa.gov/uas/where_...