A local drone pilot hopes more people’s suspicions of drones relax following a recent incident where a landowner tried to shoot one down while the pilot searched for a lost pet.
Macon County photographer Eric Haggart is an eight-year licensed drone operator. Along with providing photography to local publications (including The Franklin Press), he uses his drone technology to search for missing pets.
Haggart said earlier this summer he went to search for a missing dog who was deaf and going blind. Unbeknownst to him, the family had just found the dog, but he went with his thermal-imaging drone to check.
“And as I was moving slowly, and the drone was actually only a couple hundred yards away from where I was standing. And I heard a volley of shots go off,” Haggart said. “So, I yelled down the road that we were on. ‘Hey, we’re searching for a lost dog. Stop shooting at the drone.’ So then I brought the drone closer to where I was, moved it away from the property that it was on. And actually, it was over my head when the second volley of shots went off.”
Haggart said he drove down the street, seeing a man in a driveway who said he had fired at the drone.
“I said, ‘It’s a federal offense to shoot at a drone.’ And he said, ‘Well, I’m in my yard. I can do what I want,’” Haggart recalled. “And I kind of lost my cool with that statement. And we exchanged some back-and-forth words. And then he threatened to blow my brains out. And that’s when I decided it was not worth this argument to continue. So I drove off because I hadn’t even gotten out of the car. And as I started to pull away, four or five more shots from a firearm went off.”
Haggart said if property owners are concerned about a drone, they need to call the authorities and report it, not shoot at it.
“Because it could be law enforcement searching for a criminal. It could be law enforcement searching for a missing person. It could be someone like myself searching for a missing animal.”
Law enforcement drone usage
Franklin Police Department Chief Devin Holland said their department currently has one drone, purchased in March 2024 with donated funds.
“The drone we have is featured for public safety. It has an infrared camera, as well as an optical camera with an incredible zoom capability,” Holland said. “Myself and Sgt. Matthew Bingham attended training and successfully completed the FAA exam to be licensed as a remote pilot which is required for operation. I have three other officers attending training and examination in a couple of weeks.”
Holland said since deployment in April, FPD has used the drone twice, one being a search for missing persons, and one attempting to locate suspects of a crime.
“There are many public safety uses for the drone to include search and rescue, suspect apprehension, traffic collision scene reconstruction, tactical observation situations, event monitoring, and much more,” Holland said.
According to Macon County Sheriff’s Office Major Jonathan Phillips, they do not have any drones, but that will change as the drone package was approved in the 2024-25 county budget.
Phillips said it would include a large and smaller drone, plus operator training and licensure.
At a June 4 budget workshop when talking about the MCSO drone package, Commissioner John Shearl said he believed drone use is an infringement on citizen freedoms.
Legal recourse?
Haggart said people also use drones for real estate purposes. Previously in WNC, Haggart said years ago he was taking real estate photos from a drone when someone shot at that one. He recalls knowing this person was shooting at the drone because twigs and leaves near the drone fell to the ground.
According to the FAA, they are responsible for the National Airspace System, which includes “all airspace from the ground up.”
“While local laws or ordinances may restrict where drones can take off or land, they cannot restrict where a drone can fly,” the FAA stated.
“It’s illegal under federal law to shoot at an aircraft. A private citizen shooting at any aircraft – including unmanned aircraft – poses a significant safety hazard. An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air. Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in a civil penalty from the FAA and/or criminal charges from federal, state or local law enforcement.”
When asked if they had received a report about the attempted shooting of a drone in Macon County, the FAA said to contact Macon County law enforcement to see if a report had been filed.
Haggart said he spoke with an MCSO deputy after what happened that evening but said “There’s no real recourse locally for me.”
As a licensed drone operator, Haggart has to go through the FAA to file charges.
“Just for example say if the drone’s not over their property but they see it and they start shooting at it, and they hit it and bring it down and it goes down in somebody else’s yard and hits some kids that are out playing or lands on somebody’s car, causes property damage,” Haggart said. “Well, because it was shot down, it’s that person’s fault. They’re liable for that and they’re liable for the damage to the drone and they would be charged with a crime.”
Haggart called the incident disconcerting, noting he had just helped search for a cat the previous week with zero problems.
“Nine times out of 10, most people when they see the drone, say ‘Oh, look, there’s a drone,’” Haggart said. “And people want to talk and I’m happy to talk with anybody and engage with them and help educate folks to say this is what drones are used for mostly.”
Haggart said there are phone apps people can download to track drones if they see one flying in their neighborhood that’ll tell them whose drone it is.
“If you see one flying in your neighborhood, don’t just assume it’s doing something nefarious or doing something bad,” Haggart said. “And some people don’t even care if it is or isn’t. They just want to assume, they just want to fire off some shots on the guns for whatever reason.”
Local drone use
Haggart said he got involved in drones after flying in a helicopter and realizing there was a new way to take photos.
“And, you know, it was such a different aspect of photography, but not a very affordable one,” Haggart said of the helicopter flight. “Drone technology was just kind of coming in to play with real good cameras. So, I went and I bought one and started integrating that into my real estate photography and landscape photography that I had been doing for years.”
An eight-year drone user, Haggart said he recently purchased a thermal imaging drone to help people who have lost pets.
“I’ve come across some of the county Facebook pages where people were being called in from way outside of Franklin and the county to come in and help at a more expensive cost to help search for lost dogs and lost cats,” Haggart said. “And so I took the plunge, invested in a very nice thermal drone to meet the need should it arise. And I’ve already been out with it a few times to help look for lost dogs in the area.”
Holland added that he utilizes a drone in his free time, something he’s done for the last two years.
“I use my personal drone for video and photography purposes,” Holland said. “Having my own drone made me realize the many utilizations that they can be used for. Many public safety agencies across the nation are using drones in many capacities.”