Whats the best way to handle negative encounters?

[Deleted member 177263]

Have you had any negative encounters?
please share the story so we can learn how to deal with it better

Personally I haven't had any negative encounters (YET) though I've only had a handful of flights so far.
I did have 1 snide comment made while flying at a train station by an old man sitting with his wife at the next table he said
" don't let the camera's catch you doing that "

so I decided to tell him it's fully legal, then I landed the drone, sat with him & explained the rules & how we have to get an operator ID & be registered so it's all legit, we talked for 20 minutes and it ended with him arguing with his wife because he wanted a drone haha! (all in fun)
happy days another person educated, but I know I'll get bored of doing that with people at some point, bored of stopping my flight to explain these things to people who believe they can curtail the enjoyment of my hobby, but I'll always be nice to people I think this Scottish man in the vid has it down to a T.

here's a video of 1 way to handle a negative encounter:

 

[Skydreamer]

best way to make people leave you alone is to talk crazy,like there is invisible person next you,move your head like you have slight seizure ,twitch your left eye…..you wouldn’t believe how people know to mind their own business when they encounter situation they are not prepared to deal with.

 

[WanderLost]

Your question is multi-layered.
My first question is - are you flying the drone legally? Are you just zooming around near people or close to buildings?
You're much more likely to attract negative attention in those cases and an appropriate response would be to apologize, land and move on. Although I've see a lot of droners get all up in it defending their right to do anything they want which just ruins it for the rest of us.
Looking professional really helps. I used to fly an Air 2S and a Mavic 3 but realized that I had to get too close to things so I moved up to a Matrice 30 which has a great optical zoom that keeps me far away from my subjects.
People do come up to me, mostly out of interest, but I'm usually doing something they can understand - surveying damage from recent storms, documenting flooding from recent biblical rains, mapping and photographing for a local conservation area and building progression in new subdivisions or real estate.
I have had some guys walk by and mutter under their breath about wishing they had a shotgun - I ignore them.
A measured response helps - like the way you dealt with the gentleman at the train station. But some people are irrational, and like my old boss used to say, "you can't save everybody."
If people are certain I'm doing something illegal, I invite them to see my qualifications, and/or permission to fly in certain areas and if that doesn't work, and I need to be there (to finish a mapping mission for example) I'd welcome them to call the police, or I would call if they get strident or bullying or dangerous.
We have to be aware that there's a lot of negative publicity from the occasional drone-fool and some people generalize all drone pilots as someone who must be doing something illegal no matter where they are flying.
De-escalation is important if a Karen has got in your face - but again, not all people can be reasoned with - act accordingly.

 

[Deleted member 177263]

Your question is multi-layered.
My first question is - are you flying the drone legally?

yep, I'm not a criminal.

Are you just zooming around near people or close to buildings?

no I fly for pleasure not to annoy anyone.
out of the 15 flights I've had so far I've only had that 1 negative interaction, which ended in a positive
but I've had 3 other positive ones so I'm happy I'm doing something right, I'm sure I'll get bored of reassuring people & just end up saying "go away" to everyone.

 

[Starz]

One thought would be to fly where there are no conflict candidates.
May take some extra effort, but well worth the time.

 

[DARKSeifer]

Just stay cool and deescalate, nothing good comes from arguing with random people that the only thing they know about drones is some nonsense they read on a clickbait article.

If they are police officers or similar, play the dumb "Oh sir, I'm really sorry, I'm new to the hobby and didn't know I couldn't fly here, the app didn't tell me anything was wrong, just wanted to take some pictures of the sunset, blah, blah, blah"

 

[WanderLost]

Yes - I'm sure you're not a criminal LOL. I was speaking generally. Since I live in a rural area, I don't usually run in to people. I make it a point to launch and land away from people as much as possible, get up in the air and down quickly.
When I'm filming things like quarries for example, I fly on Sundays when no one is around.
If I'm flying over towns, I don't linger and I don't fly low unless I'm doing real estate photography.
I get permission if I want to fly in areas that are not allowed here in Canada, like parks and conservation areas. My offers to shoot video, still shots and mapping have been welcomed - and the superintendents are pretty flexible, especially if I have a purpose, and fly off season.
I'm really enjoying this extension to my photography hobby.

All the best! Post back soon with some cool footage!

 

[Felix le Chat]

The best defense is preparation. Know all current laws and regulations backwards. Know where you can legitimately TOAL and fly... AND where you can't. Look official (photo I.D is a good starting point). Make sure you're not hammering around like an enraged wasp.... if you're there to get footage or stills of a landscape or feature, concentrate on your objective. If someone's being snotty with you: stay calm and speak quietly. If the snotty bod escalates to strident, tell them you're calling the police and that the whole encounter has been captured in video and audio - point at the drone. Remain calm, remain quietly spoken and reasonable. If you get flustered, pack up and scuttle off: this feeds into their fantasy that they're in the right and you were in the wrong. If someone still won't back off. Hit the pause button and phone the police for real.

 

[Paul Harvey]

Most people who have approached me were curiosity seekers. But i did have a few Karens, so I started to wear this fluorescent vest with my 107 license in the clear pocket. Still get the curiosity seekers, but no Karens.

 

[RangerEd]

"can I see your drivers license" ... that's a good one.

 

[Deleted member 177263]

If they are police officers or similar, play the dumb "Oh sir, I'm really sorry, I'm new to the hobby and didn't know I couldn't fly here, the app didn't tell me anything was wrong, just wanted to take some pictures of the sunset, blah, blah, blah"

but, I wouldn't fly anywhere I wasn't allowed to if it's the police I know exactly how to act and what to say.

 

[Deleted member 177263]

Most people who have approached me were curiosity seekers. But i did have a few Karens, so I started to wear this fluorescent vest with my 107 license in the clear pocket. Still get the curiosity seekers, but no Karens.View attachment 169019

this is awesome I wonder if I can get one with CAA Licenced on it! (for UK).

 

[Paul Harvey]

Try Amazon. If they don't have the exact wording that you need. They will make one to your specifications with the lettering you want.

 

[Yaros]

Depends on the person, if they approach you angrily, ignore, land, and walk away. If they talk respectfully, deal with the situation.

 

[BigAl07]

My attitude isn't the most popular one but here goes:

If they are respectful and genuinely inquisitive I will stop flying and take the time to be an Ambassador of our community. I'll show them the aircraft, the controller, the display, and everything else involved hoping to spread the knowledge and spark an interest in the hobby.

When R/C (like it or not R/C aviation is the foundation of MultiRotors and Drones in general) was just airplanes and helicopters and we had to find open/safe areas to fly we generally embraced new comers and spectators alike. Many future Fighter Pilots and Astronauts caught the "Aviation Bug" from visiting an R/C flying field and cutting their teeth learning to build and actually FLY R/C aircraft. We had a very welcoming attitude and absolutely LOVED bringing others into our fold.

Unfortunately, as evidence by posts on this forum in previous threads, some of our industry just can't be bothered sharing this great sport/hobby/industry and will even go out of their way to simply Hide & Fly. Some are concerned about "violent interactions" but those are incredibly rare. Others just can't take the time out of their personal hobby to share the experience.

If it's an aggressive person I will try to De-escalate it and if that doesn't work I call the Police and we will let them handle it. In my 14 years doing this Commercially all over the USA I've only had 3 genuinely "negative" encounters and all 3 of them were able to be "talked off the cliff".

 

[rgarjr]

 

[Deleted member 177263]

it's the same in the UK, Silence is golden the first line of your Miranda rights they say to you is "you have the right to remain silent" but them saying that doesn't grand you that right, you have it all the time.

 

[landmark orbiter]

I was flying on a farm with the permission of the farmer. Got talking to one of the workers and it transpired that it’s probably not well known that drones can hold their position using GPS. So, imagine if an “angry bystander” approaches you and they are not aware of this basic piece of safety tech!

 

[hiflyer201]

Don’t launch with people nearby. If they come while you are flying, move away. You are not locked into position unless you’re using a launch pad and why would you do that? That’s my mode of operation anyway. Drones are annoying, and it’s up to you to make them less so.

 

[Player-Pe]

I had a funny encounter with a lady who approached me with the usual rhetoric about no drones allowed in the area, yada, yada. I was polite (yes maam/no maam) and told her I'm certified to fly and have been obtained permission to fly in the area. SHE THEN proceeded to tell me all the nearby areas to get good video/pics and to even come during sunrise to get some fantastic shots. So I guess you never know