i will admit, i have one of these drones, but have never flown it outside of the CASA restrictions on its operation, they are great fun. But some people will never be responsible with them, either through sheer ignorance of the dangers they are posing and the rules regarding their use, or just dont think they will get caught.. normally i am against CASA's tactic of trolling youtube looking for crimes of strict liability, as they usually present no solid evidence of the perpetrators, but that doesnt stop them.. but in this case, i am glad they have.
In Australia, Posting Drone Video On YouTube Might Get You Fined | Gizmodo Australia
received a $850 fine after uploading footage to YouTube of him operating a DJI Phantom drone that flew within the Townsville restricted control zone, flying above the 400-foot ceiling for civil or hobby use, over populous areas, and within three miles of Townsville Airport.
its funny, with the use of these drones, there seams to be a bit of a backlash in their use, privacy concerns, they could be used by people of religious persuasion, or fall on someones head, funny, this issue never arises when remote control helicopters and aircraft can do the exact same things.
Last week, i launched my drone from my back yard, to get a good look at my new solar panel installation, and get a nice sunset shot across the park from just 100 ft. when the drone returned from its short trip 500 mtrs down the road to get the shot, it returned home and hovered above my yard so i could aim the camera at the panels. this is when my neighbor came over the back fence and complained i was invading his privacy. as the drone hovered, i showed him the pics, he wasn't impressed, he was in them looking up, then i compared the photo with the google maps image, it was almost identical, then i showed him the pics i have taken from light aircraft passing overhead our properties, (showing far more detail from a decent DSLR with a long lens) after which, he became mode accepting of the drone.
yes, i do fear hitting one of these things, especially flying the V1 coastal route regularly, and having seen a few youtube vids myself shot from drones in the vicinity.
I dont want these things banned, they are fun, i love mine, but CASA doing stuff like this, just might educate someone enough to not put anyone in danger.
IMO, as these rely almost entirely on GPS for positioning and flight control, im sure a max limit of 400Ft AGL could be easily hardwired into drones sold around the world at manufacture. just in case...