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NFL is coming for your drones!


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Just now, Mr. WEO said:

 

I have wondered about teams using drones and AI. Rumors about Jim Harbaugh’s recent cheating at Michigan included AI use. The speed at which AI works enabled them to (allegedly) make significant halftime adjustments. It’s not a stretch to think NFL teams are doing the same. Coincidentally, he has a very successful brother coaching the Ravens and I seem to remember an issue with a drone during one of their playoff games. Honestly, if teams are not already optimizing play calls and game plans through AI, then they’re probably behind the curve. Adding real time filming (drone or otherwise) is obviously against the rules, but I don’t see where AI use is. And I don’t know how teams could be caught even if it was. 

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As I read the link, it simply enabling local law enforcement to utilize anti drone measures. That authority, to date, is reserved for the Feds.

The fact is that operating a drone over a stadium without FAA authorization is illegal, and has always been, and for very good reasons.  

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27 minutes ago, sherpa said:

As I read the link, it simply enabling local law enforcement to utilize anti drone measures. That authority, to date, is reserved for the Feds.

The fact is that operating a drone over a stadium without FAA authorization is illegal, and has always been, and for very good reasons.  

 

correct, but there is no functional federal enforcement--hence the push for the bill to transfer to local enforcement.  Local LE is always present.  FAA is never going to be able to regulate droning effectively, so it goes on unabated currently.

 

But make no mistake, safety is not the reason the NFL wants the drones out....

 

 

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Posted (edited)
3 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

 

I have wondered about teams using drones and AI. Rumors about Jim Harbaugh’s recent cheating at Michigan included AI use. The speed at which AI works enabled them to (allegedly) make significant halftime adjustments. It’s not a stretch to think NFL teams are doing the same. Coincidentally, he has a very successful brother coaching the Ravens and I seem to remember an issue with a drone during one of their playoff games. Honestly, if teams are not already optimizing play calls and game plans through AI, then they’re probably behind the curve. Adding real time filming (drone or otherwise) is obviously against the rules, but I don’t see where AI use is. And I don’t know how teams could be caught even if it was. 

 

I'm a huge Michigan fan and read just about everything that's published about the team.  This is the first I've heard of them using AI.  All I've read about was people attending other teams' games and using their iPhones to film the other teams' sideline.  I just did a few Google searches and could not find anything.  If you have a link to the AI stuff, please share it.  I recently read a book about AI and I could see where it might be used to help gain an advantage in sports.  I'd say that the Sabremetrics used by Billy Beane with the Oakland A's (no relation to the Buffalo Sabres or the Bills' Brandon Beane) to build a cost-effective team would be a form of AI, and most major sports teams now have analytics staff.  That said, as far as I know, the AI used by Beane was limited to assessing statistics and not applied to film.

Edited by msw2112
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2 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

correct, but there is no functional federal enforcement....

 

 

 

I won't comment on NFL games or stadium venues, but there is absolutely functional federal enforcement re unauthorized drone usage.

I have a commercial drone license and am aware of this.

 

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Just now, sherpa said:

 

I won't comment on NFL games or stadium venues, but there is absolutely functional federal enforcement re unauthorized drone usage.

I have a commercial drone license and am aware of this.

 

 

yes, but my guess is that these are not commercial drones, but those under 250 grams, who's operators are  not licensed and who's drones don't need registration.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

yes, but my guess is that these are not commercial drones, but those under 250 grams, who's operators are  not licensed and who's drones don't need registration.

 

 

It doesn't matter if they're commercial or not, which I'm sure they aren't.

Operating one over a stadium, or any other non participating human is illegal.

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5 minutes ago, sherpa said:

It doesn't matter if they're commercial or not, which I'm sure they aren't.

Operating one over a stadium, or any other non participating human is illegal.

 

no one is disputing this-----hence, "the NFL is coming for your [over the stadium] drones".  

 

FAA has no mechanism to come after an unregistered drone operated by an unlicensed individual.  So the NFL wants the locals to clean this up, once given the authority to do so........

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47 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

no one is disputing this-----hence, "the NFL is coming for your [over the stadium] drones".  

 

FAA has no mechanism to come after an unregistered drone operated by an unlicensed individual.  So the NFL wants the locals to clean this up, once given the authority to do so........

 

I'm sure you have as much interest in digging deep into this as I have, which is zero.

But....The FAA certainly has a mechanism to enforce drone regs on any unregistered drone, by any individual.

 

To the bigger picture, these things are dangerous in the hands of idiots, like the 15 year old who gets one for Christmas and thinks it would be fun to fly it over a stadium. Quite easy to do.

 

I've seen them saw small branches off of trees.

They have limited battery life, and crashing one into stadium stands would be really bad.

not some 

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1 hour ago, msw2112 said:

 

I'm a huge Michigan fan and read just about everything that's published about the team.  This is the first I've heard of them using AI.  All I've read about was people attending other teams' games and using their iPhones to film the other teams' sideline.  I just did a few Google searches and could not find anything.  If you have a link to the AI stuff, please share it.  I recently read a book about AI and I could see where it might be used to help gain an advantage in sports.  I'd say that the Sabremetrics used by Billy Beane with the Oakland A's (no relation to the Buffalo Sabres or the Bills' Brandon Beane) to build a cost-effective team would be a form of AI, and most major sports teams now have analytics staff.  That said, as far as I know, the AI used by Beane was limited to assessing statistics and not applied to film.

Not sure if I can find it at this point. Initial googling is coming up empty. If I find it I’ll drop it in here. 

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4 hours ago, sherpa said:

As I read the link, it simply enabling local law enforcement to utilize anti drone measures. That authority, to date, is reserved for the Feds.

The fact is that operating a drone over a stadium without FAA authorization is illegal, and has always been, and for very good reasons.  

This gives enforcement to the regulations to locals - which can get annoying.

 

i've seen drones used at pregame to record parties and make social media posts. Pinto Ron's son in law uses them to post some pretty amazing content, for example. however, he does not show footage of the game, or even the stadium, in a way that would infringe upon trademark violations. people forget that filming and photography from public spaces is legal - and as far as in the air from a drone it is still being tweaked and changed rapidly.

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4 hours ago, sherpa said:

 

I'm sure you have as much interest in digging deep into this as I have, which is zero.

But....The FAA certainly has a mechanism to enforce drone regs on any unregistered drone, by any individual.

 

To the bigger picture, these things are dangerous in the hands of idiots, like the 15 year old who gets one for Christmas and thinks it would be fun to fly it over a stadium. Quite easy to do.

 

I've seen them saw small branches off of trees.

They have limited battery life, and crashing one into stadium stands would be really bad.

not some 


again: no one is arguing the legality or the danger involved in drones over crowds of people, so you can let that go.

 

FAA is not law enforcement.  They may write the rules for fixed wing, rotary, glider, balloon or drone operation, but are in little position to physical enforce their rules:  i.e. find and penalize the violators.  The FAA is an office downtown in your city—they don’t track people down. The locals want their LE to enforce the FAA rules because….they are local. 
 

that’s it

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Just so people know, it is illegal to fly a drone within three nautical miles from any stadium having a capacity of 30,000 or more from one hour prior to scheduled start until one hour after.

Many other events trigger what are called Temporary Flight Restrictions, which also prohibit drone operations. Obvious ones would include Presidential appearances, but  there are many others.

You can request a waiver from the FAA for any number of requests, but it would never be granted in this case.

Regarding size and registration, if it weighs more than .55 lbs, it must be registered.

I can't imagine anything worth flying, or having any capability weighing less than that. The battery weighs that much.

 

If someone does it, local law enforcement can stop it, use the FAA's Law Enforcement Assistance Program to report it, and the FAA can pursue certificate or even criminal action. The NFL wants local police to have authority for enforcement.

 

The NFL has had many games delayed because of this, and it is extremely dangerous.  In most cases the drones were not registered, so flying them anywhere would have been a violation, let alone within the temp flight restricted area of an NFL stadium.

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"Is coming for" suggests you think the NFL is doing something wrong, by asking for help to combat already illegal activity.  Unless you support the illegal activity is is an odd way to phrase it. 

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38 minutes ago, Chaos said:

"Is coming for" suggests you think the NFL is doing something wrong, by asking for help to combat already illegal activity.  Unless you support the illegal activity is is an odd way to phrase it. 

 

Agreed.

 

Very clickbaity.

 

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