Getting cold feet about owning a Drone

mswlogo · May 27, 2020

I admit I’m a bit all over the map. It started out I needed a drone to take some real estate photos of property I was selling. So without much research I bought a MA2. Photos went fine. Loved flying it. But then realized I should have bought it with the fly more. So I returned it planning on reordering with fly more. Then before re-ordering I took time to do some research. After researching I decided I really wanted the goggle option. And thought I’d enjoy the M2P camera. I posted a separate thread on that. Goggles not worth it but I liked a lot of features of the M2P. Decided to return and wait for M3P or M3Z.

Meanwhile been reading this forum. And a concern of mine has increased. That is pissing my neighbors off. One thread a neighbor wrote a threatening letter and another was shot down. I plan to mostly use the drone around a vacation home on a lake. Back at my main home we have ring door bell and the neighborhood watch is discussing concerns over a drone. These events might be rare that rise to this attention level. But for the ones that don’t, how many neighbors are you making uncomfortable and being thought of as “that guy with the drone”.

I really enjoyed flying the drone. And planned on another M2P without goggles or a M3P or M3Z.

If I always had to fly it away from home I’m not sure how much I’d use it. Like on hikes and bike rides. But would I piss some folks off in those situations too? I know some folks would be fine and interested but some will never be happy.

Now I’m not so sure what to do. Don’t care what’s “legal”. I just don’t want to be seen as a nuisance.

P.S. We already have 2 yappy dogs that one neighbor hates near our vacation home that like to call the cops. Luckily they are not around very often.

Not A Speck Of Cereal · May 27, 2020

There's no question that there's always a risk of people coming up to you telling you that you're doing something wrong.

The choices are

You don't want to have to deal with that, so drop the whole drone idea
You accept that those people exist and there's little you can do to change that, except to try and calmly convince them -- one at a time as they come -- that you're not the threat they perceive you to be. And you will often fail at that attempt. If you don't want to do that, see point number one.

My choice is that I live with that because I rarely just fly around at/near home (in fact, never any more). My run-ins with these people at the places I go to are relatively few. I'm in it for photography and video, and if all I ever did was do that at home, it would get boring quick.

I also just stopped giving a shnitz about it. I've been called a creep and it hurt at first, but now I realize that it's just a shallow bias on their side that I had no part in creating, other than from just being there. I continue to be reasonable and be a good ambassador of the craft; but for some people, it will never matter and that's not my problem.

Chris

bmwbob · May 27, 2020

I'd post on the neighborhood site explaining drone are not very good spy tools! Google Earth has a better view of the surroundings. At altitude a drone has the same view as an airplane and drone are classed the same. There just needs to be more drone education for the general public. Sadly there will always those that abuse the use of drones with all the cheap ones on the market. You don't want to be flying low over anyone's house as a drone makes a lot of noise. I take mine up high before flying away from the house!

Not A Speck Of Cereal · May 27, 2020

bmwbob said:
Sadly there will always those that abuse the use of drones with all the cheap ones on the market

The number of people that jump to the conclusion that you are up to no good, far outweigh the almost non-existent number of people that are actually invading someone's privacy with one.

THE CYBORG · May 27, 2020

In my experience most people are interested and want to chat while I am flying, this is more annoying to me than the fiew who grumble, I want to concentrate on what I am doing not be distracted by chat.
Best option in either scenario is land have a good conversation, explain things then carry on flying.
Buy your drone ,Go Fly, Have Fun

Fred Garvin · May 27, 2020

Many people have an overinflated sense of self-importance. For some reason, these people think their opinion matters and wish to impose it on you. They make up non-existent laws or community ordinances and present them as facts in a forceful way, just because they believe they should exist. They have a deeply ingrained need to control others and force them to fit into their expectations of behavior. They approach this aggressively in a bid to influence your actions, a sort of "bullying" by mature adults. In most cases, these poor souls are miserable in their own lives and have this reaction to anyone enjoying themselves. Quite often they are a dominating presence in their own household, so used to being in control, they try to extend this beyond their Sphere of Influence. They seem to thrive on anger and conflict. These are the people in the car that swerves at you and brake checks you, just because you changed lanes.

How you deal with these people is really up to you. How much energy are you willing to expend? How badly do you want to hold your ground? Quite often it will just degenerate into a "pissing match", so to speak. Sometimes, a calm explanation of what you're doing and your right to do so can calm the situation, but more often than not, these people do not want to listen to anything you have to say, and any response will be met with an escalation.

Try to do your best. Keep your cool. Sometimes it's better to just apologize and walk away, sometimes you need to stand your ground. It may be best to agree with them that they should call the police, and allow them to do so. Let them flip out and discredit themselves with the police, then you calmly explain what you're doing and your legal right to do so. Let the Law Enforcement Officer decide how to proceed, and comply with their wishes. It's best to extract yourself from the situation, calm down, and then escalate your position through the proper channels later. Even when you're right, it may not go your way in the immediate moment. Keep your cool, smile, and nod your head.

(That drives the psycho nutbags even crazier)

mrharri · May 27, 2020

mswlogo said:
I admit I’m a bit all over the map. It started out I needed a drone to take some real estate photos of property I was selling. So without much research I bought a MA2. Photos went fine. Loved flying it. But then realized I should have bought it with the fly more. So I returned it planning on reordering with fly more. Then before re-ordering I took time to do some research. After researching I decided I really wanted the goggle option. And thought I’d enjoy the M2P camera. I posted a separate thread on that. Goggles not worth it but I liked a lot of features of the M2P. Decided to return and wait for M3P or M3Z.

Meanwhile been reading this forum. And a concern of mine has increased. That is pissing my neighbors off. One thread a neighbor wrote a threatening letter and another was shot down. I plan to mostly use the drone around a vacation home on a lake. Back at my main home we have ring door bell and the neighborhood watch is discussing concerns over a drone. These events might be rare that rise to this attention level. But for the ones that don’t, how many neighbors are you making uncomfortable and being thought of as “that guy with the drone”.

I really enjoyed flying the drone. And planned on another M2P without goggles or a M3P or M3Z.

If I always had to fly it away from home I’m not sure how much I’d use it. Like on hikes and bike rides. But would I piss some folks off in those situations too? I know some folks would be fine and interested but some will never be happy.

Now I’m not so sure what to do. Don’t care what’s “legal”. I just don’t want to be seen as a nuisance.

P.S. We already have 2 yappy dogs that one neighbor hates near our vacation home that like to call the cops. Luckily they are not around very often.

I feel your pain. That is exactly the issue I am dealing with. I actually ordered an ma2 and then cancelled......twice. This was after reading those posts you are talking about. The problem is not only with your neighbors but folks living around parks or open areas where you fly. I hate the thought of kowtowing to ignorant people but these are your neighbors and most of us don’t want to have an adversarial with them. Because I love the hobby I will probably end up buying the ma2 but the thought of pissing off some people will always be in the back of my mind.

bmwbob · May 27, 2020

If you can. Go to uninhabited countryside! Problem solved

MAvic_South_Oz · May 27, 2020

Fred Garvin said:
Keep your cool, smile, and nod your head.

(That drives the psycho nutbags even crazier)

Hmm, I'm picturing turning towards these people with the best Jack Nicholson smile you can manage.
They'll probably leave quickly.

Boxer1200 · May 27, 2020

I nearly backed out too because of this. Lately, I’ve been trying to do this orbit shot of my house. As not not to creep anyone out, I run the drone out away from the trees and then a fast climb to 250-300’. You can only barely hear it up there and anyone not looking for it will not see it. I Do my thing and then drop back down and shut down. I do this mid day while many are working. Other than that it’s been parks where I know I’m good, and again no low altitude work where I might bother anyone. Someone in the neighborhood lost a mini in one the yards, and actually got it back via the neighborhood web site. No one lost their minds about it.

I’ve really enjoyed the drone. It’s a cool piece of technology. Now I’m about to head out on a 3 week trip with the RV and it’s coming with us. Hope to get some cool shots in some remote areas in the western US.

Fred Garvin · May 27, 2020

@bmwbob gorgeous image! That one is frame worthy...

Robert Mitchell · May 28, 2020

Since you didn’t mention it, I’m assuming you don’t have your 107. If you get another drone, consider doing that, since you mentioned doing real estate.

I’m not suggesting that those without it have any less right to fly, (except for commercial activities) but it does, at least give a sense of confidence, that you know and understand the ropes, and have the certification of the Fed government behind you, even when doing recreational flights.

The certification does give you a bit of legitimacy. In my case, it has disarmed a couple of nervous bystanders once I disclosed my status to them. I’m not saying, “Hey look at me! I have a license!” because that can work against you, but I usually bring it up subtly in the conversation. I’m sure some wouldn’t give a rats.

Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t make you better than anyone else and plenty of us still encounter bad actors with or without it.

Zbip57 · May 28, 2020

Robert Mitchell said:
I’m assuming you don’t have your 107. [...] it does, at least give a sense of confidence, that you know and understand the ropes, and have the certification of the Fed government behind you

Then the crazies will believe it's the government spying on them. ?

jmsessa · May 28, 2020

mswlogo said:
I admit I’m a bit all over the map. It started out I needed a drone to take some real estate photos of property I was selling. So without much research I bought a MA2. Photos went fine. Loved flying it. But then realized I should have bought it with the fly more. So I returned it planning on reordering with fly more. Then before re-ordering I took time to do some research. After researching I decided I really wanted the goggle option. And thought I’d enjoy the M2P camera. I posted a separate thread on that. Goggles not worth it but I liked a lot of features of the M2P. Decided to return and wait for M3P or M3Z.

Meanwhile been reading this forum. And a concern of mine has increased. That is pissing my neighbors off. One thread a neighbor wrote a threatening letter and another was shot down. I plan to mostly use the drone around a vacation home on a lake. Back at my main home we have ring door bell and the neighborhood watch is discussing concerns over a drone. These events might be rare that rise to this attention level. But for the ones that don’t, how many neighbors are you making uncomfortable and being thought of as “that guy with the drone”.

I really enjoyed flying the drone. And planned on another M2P without goggles or a M3P or M3Z.

If I always had to fly it away from home I’m not sure how much I’d use it. Like on hikes and bike rides. But would I piss some folks off in those situations too? I know some folks would be fine and interested but some will never be happy.

Now I’m not so sure what to do. Don’t care what’s “legal”. I just don’t want to be seen as a nuisance.

P.S. We already have 2 yappy dogs that one neighbor hates near our vacation home that like to call the cops. Luckily they are not around very often.

I have had the same response from people here in Connecticut. When I was asked to leave a park, ( " Sir, land your drone! " ) the park attendant told me someone in a nearby town had loaded a weapon of some sort on a drone that obviously freaked people out. And there's the folks who think their privacy is at risk. Anyway, because there are fewer places to fly and people are " drone scared", I bought a new Mav Air 2 instead of the Mav 2 Pro to save some cash. Constantly on the look for places to fly.

SpitFire · May 28, 2020

Sorry, about hearing pilots issues with people. I live in a senior citizens complex, when entering our area, sign says neighborhood watch. That is not exaggerated, because this is a 55 and over community. And, that's all they have to do is sit in their garage on nice days and watch the neighborhood for what is going on. I do not have any issues with them, because I make it a point to let them know, I am in there corner. Using my drone to be part of the neighborhood watch. Not insisting on my rights to fly, but being a ambassador for the drone industry, having a love for people helps getting along with them.
I fly the max height, don't fly over individual homes, from 400 feet can see our entire community. A famous man said "Do on to others as you wish them to do to you". Also, like to fly in the country area, always try to fly on days with limited number of people around. Not showing off my drone, by flying to attract attention. I enjoy flying, in rural areas, search out bridges, canoe shots.
Main thing is to respect people, and their privacy. I do not have any problems
flying, if you LOVE flying, you can figure out a way to do it, and not upset people.

Deleted member 114292 · May 28, 2020

It’s happened to me before the neighbor freaked out And said she was going to call the sheriff.
My reply was you can do that it’s OK but I’m pretty sure I’m not breaking any laws.
I also assured her that I was not following her with my drone and had some empathy.

Jet skier · May 28, 2020

mswlogo said:
I admit I’m a bit all over the map. It started out I needed a drone to take some real estate photos of property I was selling. So without much research I bought a MA2. Photos went fine. Loved flying it. But then realized I should have bought it with the fly more. So I returned it planning on reordering with fly more. Then before re-ordering I took time to do some research. After researching I decided I really wanted the goggle option. And thought I’d enjoy the M2P camera. I posted a separate thread on that. Goggles not worth it but I liked a lot of features of the M2P. Decided to return and wait for M3P or M3Z.

Meanwhile been reading this forum. And a concern of mine has increased. That is pissing my neighbors off. One thread a neighbor wrote a threatening letter and another was shot down. I plan to mostly use the drone around a vacation home on a lake. Back at my main home we have ring door bell and the neighborhood watch is discussing concerns over a drone. These events might be rare that rise to this attention level. But for the ones that don’t, how many neighbors are you making uncomfortable and being thought of as “that guy with the drone”.

I really enjoyed flying the drone. And planned on another M2P without goggles or a M3P or M3Z.

If I always had to fly it away from home I’m not sure how much I’d use it. Like on hikes and bike rides. But would I piss some folks off in those situations too? I know some folks would be fine and interested but some will never be happy.

Now I’m not so sure what to do. Don’t care what’s “legal”. I just don’t want to be seen as a nuisance.

P.S. We already have 2 yappy dogs that one neighbor hates near our vacation home that like to call the cops. Luckily they are not around very often.

surely you must have a local park that is where I fly where I just wanna get some quick flying in just go to the local park there’s usually a large segment of the park where there no one is and you can fly without bothering anybody

mswlogo · May 28, 2020

Robert Mitchell said:
Since you didn’t mention it, I’m assuming you don’t have your 107. If you get another drone, consider doing that, since you mentioned doing real estate.

I’m not suggesting that those without it have any less right to fly, (except for commercial activities) but it does, at least give a sense of confidence, that you know and understand the ropes, and have the certification of the Fed government behind you, even when doing recreational flights.

The certification does give you a bit of legitimacy. In my case, it has disarmed a couple of nervous bystanders once I disclosed my status to them. I’m not saying, “Hey look at me! I have a license!” because that can work against you, but I usually bring it up subtly in the conversation. I’m sure some wouldn’t give a rats.

Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t make you better than anyone else and plenty of us still encounter bad actors with or without it.

I was planning on and working on 107 just to be generally knowledgeable. No plans do to commercial work.

We should have a bib or something like service dogs have. Something official looking like “FAA 107 Pilot”.

Jack Ray · May 28, 2020

THE CYBORG said:
In my experience most people are interested and want to chat while I am flying, this is more annoying to me than the fiew who grumble, I want to concentrate on what I am doing not be distracted by chat.
Best option in either scenario is land have a good conversation, explain things then carry on flying.
Buy your drone ,Go Fly, Have Fun