ePlaya

Hello all,

At the bonfire during the Burning of the Man I was piloting one of the aerial quad-copters that was taking video footage (brand is DJI Phantom). There was interference and my setup went down, but I still had battery and video connection so I started running towards the live video feed. It was facing an art car that was shaped like a big rectangular box outlined in lights, parked around 9:00 and the line of cop cars. The last footage I saw was somebody's hand reach down and power the camera off.

Written on the quad-copter was my name and address at BM, "Matthew Hotsko 9:15 and i"

The GoPro is the Hero 3 Black edition and is missing the little removable cover for the SD card/charging ports. The camera is attached to the quad-copter by an L-shaped arm under the body.

I will gladly share my footage after some editing and stitching together, anything to help in getting the device back!

Hopeful,

Matthew

Did you register it with Media Mecca??? If so it would have a sticker on it with a number registered to you. You then could contact the Mecca Dept. and ask if anyone had turned it in. But if did register it with Media Mecca then you would of know that the night of the burn was a no fly zone for all RC and drones around the man. As requested by the Pyrotechnicians running the fireworks show..........

PM

Hi Psychoman, thanks for the comments,
I did not register the phantom with Media Mecca, I was not aware of this protocol until after the burn while reading the forums. Upon finding out I immediately registered and signed a PUA and moving forward will gladly abide by all the rules set forth by the core.

I am not one to break the rules, I happened across the information after the fact. I wouldn't have knowingly flown anywhere near the man had I received the rules in my package (registered early-bird)!! Perhaps this would be a good way to let everybody know the rules for UAV, not just pilots. I know it is impossible to get the information to everybody but every bit helps.

I plan on attending the drone summit for next year's burn as well. After seeing the amount of craft in the air this year, advances in availability of commercial drones, I foresee a lot more UAV to be present. There will have to be stricter protocol to preserve the openness without the feeling of being watched/recorded. I believe they may limit the amount of craft allowed at BM 2014.

That being said, BM did provide some excellent opportunities for unique shots and videos to be made and I was asked by several artists to film their work and share the footage with them after the event. I made a lot of new friends and shot some wonderful footage that is being edited to share, soon to be released.

PS - the person that found and looked over my drone wrote and notified me that it was picked up by a BM staff member. As my name and camp location were clearly written on the side, that serves as proper identification even without a media sticker. I sincerely hope that the staff can get it back to me. I did fly before the burning of the man, but not during the burn itself. It is still breaking the rules so I can expect some repercussions for flying during the man, but I did keep my distance. All I ask is that the equipment is returned to me soon so I can get back to work.

Given that you were ignoring at least three of the best practices set out and communicated to the population (via Jack Rabbit Speaks) don't be surprised if you never get your drone back ! You make a good point though - the BMORG does need to communicate this more clearly. Perhaps a blurb in the survival guide is warranted for 2014.

I saw two drones crash on burn night in the area you mention. The one that sounds like yours spent a good few moments hovering around at eyeball height before drifting down to the ground so people could poke it with their feet.

Sure, safety third and all, but you should probably at least take a look at the AMA safety guidelines http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/105.PDF.

otakup0pe wrote:Sure, safety third and all, but you should probably at least take a look at the AMA safety guidelines http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/105.PDF.

From the guidelines: All pilots shall avoid flying directly over unprotected people, vessels, vehicles or structures and shall avoid endangerment of life and property of others.

otakup0pe wrote:Perhaps a blurb in the survival guide is warranted for 2014.

Don't count on this. Survival guide real estate being valuable. Not saying it wont happen, just saying it's unlikely. Question arises about how you, or the op, can spread the word...

I watched 5 LEOs form a circle in the crowd before the Man burned to allow a drone to take off.....but that's all cool.......

otakup0pe wrote:Given that you were ignoring at least three of the best practices set out and communicated to the population (via Jack Rabbit Speaks) don't be surprised if you never get your drone back !

Playa Lost and Found does an amazing job at returning any lost valuables to their owners... it just takes time. They are probably still out there cleaning up the mess left behind at BRC and I am patiently awaiting a response from them. I am told that the drone is currently in their custody so I look forward to hearing from them.

As I said before, I didn't ignore any rules, this is such a new area that the rules hadn't been shown to me until after BM. I'm not trying to fly dangerously, I practice caution. I was even approached by rangers who wanted to know more about the drone and I was happy to talk to them about my setup and how it works. They hinted at getting one themselves.

I wasn't under the influence of any drugs while flying either, that would be like getting behind the wheel of a car drunk. Flying over a crowded area can be dangerous, in the wrong hands, same as a irresponsible driver behind the steering wheel of an art car.

Anyone care to read the FAA Advisory Circular regarding flying civilian model aircraft?

http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/medi ... /91-57.pdf

Thanks Meat Hunter, great post, I will forward to a few friends on other blogs.
They don't set an ultimatum but they encourage common sense and safety standards before and during flights. It is the pilot's responsibility to make sure our craft don't damage people or property.

For those that enjoy flying drones at Burning Man (and really anywhere) it is up to you to self-police yourself and any other Drone Operators. Failing to do so will result in total bans (not just the jerks - everyone). You need to figure out a way to;

not have people feel you are spying on them
not have drones crash on people or vehicles or structures
not endanger the Man Pyrotechnics Crew

Doesn't matter if none of these violate "the Law" - this is what people are complaining about, this is what will lead to the total ban...it may be too late already due to the behavior of a few Drone Operators this year....

I own and fly a UAS (unmanned aircraft system) on my own property. And as a result, I am very sensitive and mindful regarding how I fly.

An interesting legal aspect regarding FAA Advisory Circulars:

If one causes injury, property damage, is being a nuisance, is reported and/or discovered as acting in difference to a section of a FAA Advisory Circular, the FAA has the legal authority to take a good bit of your wallet and/or remaining time on this earth.

Fly safely and have a good & safe time doing so.

The best practices for UAV operation adopted by Burning Man participants were promoted in the JRS, on the website, on the Facebook page and on Twitter.

They were developed after the Survival Guide went to press.

Unfortunately, there were multiple UAVs going down (one missing a participant by about 15 feet), multiple UAVs flying over crowds of people, and one report of a drone flying through the Church Trap when it was on fire.

Expect changes to come for 2014.