Drone operator caught near České Budějovice Airport during military exercises

Police in South Bohemia tracked down and detained a man who was flying a drone near České Budějovice Airport at an altitude exceeding legal limits. The incident took place at around six in the evening near Stecher's Mill — right at the time when international military exercises were underway in southern Bohemia.

According to South Bohemian police spokesman Jiří Matzner, a police drone specialist first spotted the pilot and called the operations centre for backup. He noted that the man's behaviour was particularly reckless and potentially dangerous, given the drone's proximity to the airport and the fact that the flight coincided with the military manoeuvres.

He just wanted to photograph the mill

When questioned by officers, the detained man explained he had no malicious intent — he simply wanted to take some photos of the area around the mill. He voluntarily handed over the drone along with its memory card to police; the device will now serve as evidence in the administrative offence proceedings.

According to police, the man breached several serious provisions of the civil aviation law at once: the drone was unregistered, the pilot held no operator's certificate, the device carried no registration number, and the flight itself took place both above the permitted altitude and over a densely populated area.

Fine and aviation safety risk

"Operating a drone as an unmanned aircraft is subject to strict rules. If you want to fly one, you're obliged to know them," Matzner stressed. He added that the man faces a fine running into the tens of thousands of crowns for these violations. Furthermore, flying a drone near an airport can be considered a serious threat to air traffic safety.

Source: novinky.cz