A nightmare in the Catskill mountains..NY

[swings16]

I don't know if this would have helped or made matters worse but this might be one situation where wearing a bright safety vest with "FAA License Drone Pilot...Caution" or something similar on it might have avoided a confrontation. Some people might approach with a different attitude if they view what you are doing as connect with a government agency or work related.

Disrupting a flight operation is a federal offense although I can't say for sure that regulation applies to drone operation. I'd consider throwing that out since if the vast majority of drone flying is now regulated by the FAA you might as well try to use it to your advantage.

Beyond that I'm glad the situation ended with you having not gotten into a physically violent confrontation. That said allowing someone to "get in your face" puts you at a serious disadvantage tactically, especially if there are two people involved. This individual decide against attacking but when you let someone get that close to you the options for defending yourself are dramatically reduced.

I have heard this before and i think that it is a great idea...IF it deters ( Mod Removed )..GREAT.. IF Questioned re the FAA License jacket ? I wonder if that would be a problem...OVERTHINKING all of this but i do think that the FAA jacket is a great idea...Where are there sold ? have a link ? Thanks

 

[Radpuppy]

You took the High Road for sure and commend you for that, you never know why some people act the way they do, there is no way of knowing without knowing more of their life history, I would say the son was taught that mentality by his Dad,
Sorry they ruined your vacation

 

[Dano]

A week ago my family and i flew the NYC Coop for some fresh air and mountain lakes

I found a spot off a very lightly traveled road off Rt. 28 that is a local park

This was last week...it was dusk..a HUGE beautiful moon hanging in the sky and i am up a couple hundred feet taking it all in

As i am filming and enjoying myself + i notice 2 people sliding down the side of the road and coming towards me

I am always happy to see people watch me and answer questions and as they come closer i see angry faces

One man was in his 30's and there was smoke coming out of his ears...the other was an older man with the same attitude

At first i thought they would ask questions about flying but their only motivation was to threaten me about "flyin over MY property "

Do you have a camera in that thing ?

I responded honestly and both of them started in with me..Who gives you the right to invade my personal property ?

YOU are up to no good etc on and on and i am responding that i have no ill will or intent in my flying near their homes

The Younger one...ITCHING to fight starts to ask me for my name...he is in my face and smoke is rising from his head getting angrier by the minute

I try to keep cool but i am outnumbered...i am in my late 60's and this kid wants a piece of my ***

after a few insanely tense minutes this Psycho P.O.S. Hillbilly looks me in the eye...6 inches from my face...if i see that thing over my house again i will get my shotgun and take it down...DO YOU HEAR ME ?

Totally messed up my few days there...i did fly and film over a small lake and found some beautiful areas there but i was off...upset and ANGRY...Thinking of how i SHOULD have reacted...all a fantasy///

What would be the result of engaging him ?...all bad and negative ones and POLICE...I Swallowed deeply and i TRY to let it go..but a week later and i am still having trouble with it all

You have discovered the local miscreant dope dealers....

 

[old man mavic]

I have heard this before and i think that it is a great idea...IF it deters a holes..GREAT.. IF Questioned re the FAA License jacket ? I wonder if that would be a problem...OVERTHINKING all of this but i do think that the FAA jacket is a great idea...Where are there sold ? have a link ? Thanks

i wear a hi vis vest that says drone pilot on the back they are readily available ,the idea is that you are letting people know you are flying a drone and are not doing anything covertly ,plus the other benefit of wearing one is the fact that you are making yourself visible to low flying rescue aircraft the ones that are most likely to be flying in the 400ft airspace they get a better chance of seeing you and obviously,it is you who has to respond and move out of their way

 

[swings16]

You did the right thing, I'm in remote areas all the time and keep my drone flying discrete. Rednecks/hillbillies tend to dislike them a lot, never quite figured out why. The hunting/fishing forums I'm on when discussing UAS are always full of "I'll shoot it down!" which is comical since anything above 100' and moving is very hard to shoot even with a shotgun. Just keep cool, stay legal, and fly above 150' and they won't touch you. Of course, it doesn't hurt to carry, I do!

I have learned a lesson.. there are Paranoid fools everywhere...people like those i encountered don't like NEW things in life...it scares them...they know chewing tobacco and they have farming skills...Oil Changes...Go to church on Sundees...They missed out on communication skills and being kind and not threatening...I guess I Made their night and their week...Bravo...bully for them ! nice place to visit i'll make sure to AVOID next time...i have put it behind me and thanks to all here who helped show me the light on this situation..Life Lessons when in your late 60's are as important to a kid in his teens...i was a little bit late on it,BUT...I got it ! thanks ALL

 

[swings16]

i wear a hi vis vest that says drone pilot on the back they are readily available ,the idea is that you are letting people know you are flying a drone and are not doing anything covertly ,plus the other benefit of wearing one is the fact that you are making yourself visible to low flying rescue aircraft the ones that are most likely to be flying in the 400ft airspace they get a better chance of seeing you and obviously,it is you who has to respond and move out of their way

HELLO Old Man Mavic

I like your DRONE PILOT jacket idea

When you get a chance...Please point me in the direction where i can pick one up ?

I thank you in advance

Martin...NYC

 

[CC Rider]

Bob Marley said it best in his song, “Heathen:”

“Rise up fallen fighters
Rise and take your stance again
‘‘ ‘Tis he who fights and run away
Live to fight another day...

As a man sow, shall he reap
And I know that talk is cheap
But the hotter the battle
How much sweeter (God’s) victory”

You did right. It doesn’t really feel good to hit, and it sure as heck never feels good to be hit.

And always remember: Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it.

 

[Joe4flight]

A week ago my family and i flew the NYC Coop for some fresh air and mountain lakes

I found a spot off a very lightly traveled road off Rt. 28 that is a local park

This was last week...it was dusk..a HUGE beautiful moon hanging in the sky and i am up a couple hundred feet taking it all in

As i am filming and enjoying myself + i notice 2 people sliding down the side of the road and coming towards me

I am always happy to see people watch me and answer questions and as they come closer i see angry faces

One man was in his 30's and there was smoke coming out of his ears...the other was an older man with the same attitude

At first i thought they would ask questions about flying but their only motivation was to threaten me about "flyin over MY property "

Do you have a camera in that thing ?

I responded honestly and both of them started in with me..Who gives you the right to invade my personal property ?

YOU are up to no good etc on and on and i am responding that i have no ill will or intent in my flying near their homes

The Younger one...ITCHING to fight starts to ask me for my name...he is in my face and smoke is rising from his head getting angrier by the minute

I try to keep cool but i am outnumbered...i am in my late 60's and this kid wants a piece of my ***

after a few insanely tense minutes this Psycho P.O.S. Hillbilly looks me in the eye...6 inches from my face...if i see that thing over my house again i will get my shotgun and take it down...DO YOU HEAR ME ?

Totally messed up my few days there...i did fly and film over a small lake and found some beautiful areas there but i was off...upset and ANGRY...Thinking of how i SHOULD have reacted...all a fantasy///

What would be the result of engaging him ?...all bad and negative ones and POLICE...I Swallowed deeply and i TRY to let it go..but a week later and i am still having trouble with it all

I love this forum! The text exchange here goes beyond drone flying and served as a lesson in human nature we can all get educated and wiser from. I’m certain at some point a lot of us will be in a similar situation. Flying drones in much of the world carries a negative connotation. Being in the cannabis industry I’ve developed thicker skin and when confronted with the ridiculous stigma that’s still out there, I approach the bullies and naysayers as simply uneducated people. Rarely a sensible conversation containing facts and education is going to turn the tide. It’s a waste of time trying to reason with unreasonable people. So I just ignore these idiots and say I understand your concerns, then walk away smiling knowing there’s a lot of ignorant and uneducated people out there.

 

[swings16]

I love this forum! The text exchange here goes beyond drone flying and served as a lesson in human nature we can all get educated and wiser from. I’m certain at some point a lot of us will be in a similar situation. Flying drones in much of the world carries a negative connotation. Being in the cannabis industry I’ve developed thicker skin and when confronted with the ridiculous stigma that’s still out there, I approach the bullies and naysayers as simply uneducated people. Rarely a sensible conversation containing facts and education is going to turn the tide. It’s a waste of time trying to reason with unreasonable people. So I just ignore these idiots and say I understand your concerns, then walk away smiling knowing there’s a lot of ignorant and uneducated people out there.

You nailed it !

In the late 60's 70's i couldn't NOT get arrested for possession of weed

I had a serious situation at the Canadian border coming back to NY State

i had hair to my shoulders...typical hippie looking and border agents walked down the aisle looking for PERPS

I and my 2 friends were given a pointer finger with a gesture...COME WITH ME

Sadly i was HOLDING...i hat weed in my underwear...i was strip searched to the delight of 2 other border cops and the hit of the show was me NAKED and a 1/4 ounce of a FELONIOUS SUBSTANCE...WEED

My 2 friends were let go...i had the duty of calling my parents to inform them that their son would not be coming home anytime soon

The first thing in the morning of the next day i was issued my Jail slippers..ONE bar of soap and a bible

I was resigned and i swallowed the facts of my new life

before noon that day i was taken from the cell and brought for a formal Arraignment in front of a Judge WITH my parents as witnesses

The Judge was an old Man...he was kind...he was supportive...he felt badly for me

My Mom + Dad (unknown to me ) had a sit down conference together..My Dad with hat in hand crying...my Mom a mess

The Judge inquired about me and my parents detailed all my POSITIVES...Catholic School Education...My employment (luckily at that time you could not get a print out of prior arrests IN SECONDS as you can now)...my Mom + Dad cried me out of the jail...They were HONEST...i WAS a good kid.. just had DUMB F'n *** Luck when it came to Weed

The judge did the right thing..he saw a good family and supportive parents and i was on my way home !!!!!!!

At that time i was facing SMUGGLING Charges...20 + years...Nixon's OPERATION INTERCEPT program was in force...POT + Hippies were the dangers in our society and he Doubled sentence for DRUG (pot !) possession...and Bring DRUGS into the U.S. would have carried a DEATH SENTENCE if Nixon had his way

I was released..The Judge told me to write to him weekly to keep him informed on my rehabilitation...i wrote for a while...i did get arrested again after this ...once again..simple possession...nothing ever hit up re the border thing...all is ancient history BUT...i am one lucky man...having loving and caring parents and having the dumb luck of having a judge that saw through the arrest as not the end of the line...I am Blessed and Lucky...My Mom + Dad and that Judge...FATE...it could have not turned out better if i tried

Sorry to be so long winded and personal but it hit me while reading the post and people in fear of NOTHING and would go to the mat into a bloody fight...Ignorance and the BOOGIE MAN...They are both alive + well and FLOURISHING...They have a new BOOGIE MAN...D R O N E S !

 

[kingsnake11]

Part of the problem is that flying UAV's has gotten a lot of negative press...from the accounts of perverts filming into apartments, to phantom drones near airports...Gatwick fiasco in particular and the resulting closing of some NJ airports when a drone was reported 20 miles away. I run across this negativity often, but never with the hostile intent that these folks showed. I think swings16 did the right thing to de-escalate and accept that they had the power and far better to live another day than to be half beaten and lose your UAV. You've go nothing to prove to idiots. In fact, think of it as a victory that you were able to 1) get your filming, 2) get your UAV and 3) come to no physical harm. The posters here have given you a lot of good advice about contacting people for permission. What I find disturbing is the notion that somehow it's an invasion of privacy if your UAV has a camera that is usually filming the landscape. A good friend of mine was flying his whoop, a small 85 gram quad with a camera for the FPV googles he was wearing. I think it was a blade inductrix….regardless, he was approached in a very belligerent manner and verbally abused about him flying this tiny UAV around and filming people. I arrived as he was calmly explaining to this guy that he was not filming, only projecting the video to his goggles. This idiot was having none of it and was indignant that his privacy was being invaded. I noticed he had a tim hortons coffee in has hand and interrupted to ask when and where he got his coffee....he told me...and I asked if he went to the bank that morning...he said he did....so I pointed out that indeed his privacy was breached...by about 30 security cameras in the bank and the coffee shops...so maybe he would be better off yelling at them rather than a some guy flying a nonrecording device while his image was for sure stored on some securing systems. People just don't get it sometimes. You know, big companies like DJI rarely put out any marketing info about good things that UAV's do...while insurance companies always seem to point out to the bad...like that insurance commercial with the UAV stuck in the window. Regardless...I think you did the right thing.

 

[superstarpup]

Should have called the cops.

 

[old man mavic]

HELLO Old Man Mavic

I like your DRONE PILOT jacket idea

When you get a chance...Please point me in the direction where i can pick one up ?

I thank you in advance

Martin...NYC

hi Martin i got mine from amazon look for drone accessories and put in hi vis vest they should come up they do different colours yellow or orange get a larger size than you would normally wear so that it fits over a jacket if it is cold i think i paid about a fiver for mine @swings16

yours Tony OMM

 

[Jim Flannery K0UNX]

Good advice and if i could i would arm myself...getting a carry permit in NYC is out of the question unless you have a friend within the Police force or if you deal in the transport of large sums of money...i am sure there are other ways to get one but honestly i don't know one person in my area of Glendale that has a carry permit..

I love it here in Colorado. I have a Concealed Handgun Permit (see my avatar) but routinely OPEN CARRY wherever I go. I lead a very peaceful life. Nobody even tries to give me guff.

 

[swings16]

Part of the problem is that flying UAV's has gotten a lot of negative press...from the accounts of perverts filming into apartments, to phantom drones near airports...Gatwick fiasco in particular and the resulting closing of some NJ airports when a drone was reported 20 miles away. I run across this negativity often, but never with the hostile intent that these folks showed. I think swings16 did the right thing to de-escalate and accept that they had the power and far better to live another day than to be half beaten and lose your UAV. You've go nothing to prove to idiots. In fact, think of it as a victory that you were able to 1) get your filming, 2) get your UAV and 3) come to no physical harm. The posters here have given you a lot of good advice about contacting people for permission. What I find disturbing is the notion that somehow it's an invasion of privacy if your UAV has a camera that is usually filming the landscape. A good friend of mine was flying his whoop, a small 85 gram quad with a camera for the FPV googles he was wearing. I think it was a blade inductrix….regardless, he was approached in a very belligerent manner and verbally abused about him flying this tiny UAV around and filming people. I arrived as he was calmly explaining to this guy that he was not filming, only projecting the video to his goggles. This idiot was having none of it and was indignant that his privacy was being invaded. I noticed he had a tim hortons coffee in has hand and interrupted to ask when and where he got his coffee....he told me...and I asked if he went to the bank that morning...he said he did....so I pointed out that indeed his privacy was breached...by about 30 security cameras in the bank and the coffee shops...so maybe he would be better off yelling at them rather than a some guy flying a nonrecording device while his image was for sure stored on some securing systems. People just don't get it sometimes. You know, big companies like DJI rarely put out any marketing info about good things that UAV's do...while insurance companies always seem to point out to the bad...like that insurance commercial with the UAV stuck in the window. Regardless...I think you did the right thing.

If i had the dexterity and control to be able to fly an object that sounds like a lawn mower and to bring it close to a window where i could possibly see a naked woman or people having sex or for ANY reason whatsoever i should get a medal for having such incredible control and dexterity to do so...The drone Christmas present or Birthday gift of a drone guy flies it 4 or 5 times and it is on the shelf...People HERE are painfully aware of being safe and respectful each and every time WE fly

WE get the bad Reputation thrown in with Bozos who think it is a toy and act accordingly hurting us all

Thanks for the kind words..we all are on the same page...Have SAFE Fun and respect for the people and places we may be near while flying

 

[swings16]

Part of the problem is that flying UAV's has gotten a lot of negative press...from the accounts of perverts filming into apartments, to phantom drones near airports...Gatwick fiasco in particular and the resulting closing of some NJ airports when a drone was reported 20 miles away. I run across this negativity often, but never with the hostile intent that these folks showed. I think swings16 did the right thing to de-escalate and accept that they had the power and far better to live another day than to be half beaten and lose your UAV. You've go nothing to prove to idiots. In fact, think of it as a victory that you were able to 1) get your filming, 2) get your UAV and 3) come to no physical harm. The posters here have given you a lot of good advice about contacting people for permission. What I find disturbing is the notion that somehow it's an invasion of privacy if your UAV has a camera that is usually filming the landscape. A good friend of mine was flying his whoop, a small 85 gram quad with a camera for the FPV googles he was wearing. I think it was a blade inductrix….regardless, he was approached in a very belligerent manner and verbally abused about him flying this tiny UAV around and filming people. I arrived as he was calmly explaining to this guy that he was not filming, only projecting the video to his goggles. This idiot was having none of it and was indignant that his privacy was being invaded. I noticed he had a tim hortons coffee in has hand and interrupted to ask when and where he got his coffee....he told me...and I asked if he went to the bank that morning...he said he did....so I pointed out that indeed his privacy was breached...by about 30 security cameras in the bank and the coffee shops...so maybe he would be better off yelling at them rather than a some guy flying a nonrecording device while his image was for sure stored on some securing systems. People just don't get it sometimes. You know, big companies like DJI rarely put out any marketing info about good things that UAV's do...while insurance companies always seem to point out to the bad...like that insurance commercial with the UAV stuck in the window. Regardless...I think you did the right thing.

If i had the deter

Should have called the cops.

I would have but this happened in the middle of NOWHERE...Nearest cop station or COP several miles away

IF i knew who he was and or where he lived i would most definitely have reported it and get him straightened out

He and his partner appeared over a hill and slid down an embankment to b line to me

i am sure he lived within a 1/4 mile of the incident but knowing which hole he crawled out of i had no recourse

Learned a lesson....

I will arm myself and a stun gun is legal...they just ruled on it in NY STATE

it had been Illegal but this year it was considered unconstitutional to ban them

Anyone 21 or over...Stun gun when needed and i would have come close to use it last week

Happy i did NOT have to

Thanks ALL

 

[Drifter]

Might be worth checking the footage more closely and see if you can see anything that shouldn't be there, and then how on earth did the police get hold of that footage with the location??? i wonder

 

[swings16]

Might be worth checking the footage more closely and see if you can see anything that shouldn't be there, and then how on earth did the police get hold of that footage with the location??? i wonder

The footage is still in my camera and i only WISH the Police would have been on the scene

as i mentioned there are NO police for many miles from where i was

IF they were near i would have reported the incident but cops are very rarely seen there

I was happy to get home without this moron pushing it further

i will be getting a Stun Gun...they are finally LEGAL in NY

Getting a gun is who you know ..who you pay off...it is a secretive process

i would have used it if it progressed further but i am ok with letting go of the whole mess of a night

for some reason people get all nervous and suspect when a DRONE is in the mix

What is the problem ? It is a flying movie camera !!! That is IT...nothing weird or strange

GOOGLE has already took Photos of almost EVERY house in the U.S. and the lawn ..the garage...The roof...the driveway...sides of the house...the chimney...THAT is ok with everyone...Little old me taking a movie of a glorious MOON last week was too much to handle by a couple of Freaks but GOOGLE goes on ...no protest...Probably too dumb to know that it is happening and HAS been for quite a while ,but THAT is ok...F'n weird world eh ?

 

[yankfanp]

A week ago my family and i flew the NYC Coop for some fresh air and mountain lakes

I found a spot off a very lightly traveled road off Rt. 28 that is a local park

This was last week...it was dusk..a HUGE beautiful moon hanging in the sky and i am up a couple hundred feet taking it all in

As i am filming and enjoying myself + i notice 2 people sliding down the side of the road and coming towards me

I am always happy to see people watch me and answer questions and as they come closer i see angry faces

One man was in his 30's and there was smoke coming out of his ears...the other was an older man with the same attitude

At first i thought they would ask questions about flying but their only motivation was to threaten me about "flyin over MY property "

Do you have a camera in that thing ?

I responded honestly and both of them started in with me..Who gives you the right to invade my personal property ?

YOU are up to no good etc on and on and i am responding that i have no ill will or intent in my flying near their homes

The Younger one...ITCHING to fight starts to ask me for my name...he is in my face and smoke is rising from his head getting angrier by the minute

I try to keep cool but i am outnumbered...i am in my late 60's and this kid wants a piece of my ***

after a few insanely tense minutes this Psycho P.O.S. Hillbilly looks me in the eye...6 inches from my face...if i see that thing over my house again i will get my shotgun and take it down...DO YOU HEAR ME ?

Totally messed up my few days there...i did fly and film over a small lake and found some beautiful areas there but i was off...upset and ANGRY...Thinking of how i SHOULD have reacted...all a fantasy///

What would be the result of engaging him ?...all bad and negative ones and POLICE...I Swallowed deeply and i TRY to let it go..but a week later and i am still having trouble with it all

Truly sorry to hear this! There are was going to be uneducated knuckleheads where ever we try to fly. I live in upstate NY and travel to the Catskills often to fly my drone, so far no problem. It's hard anywhere to find places to fly and not have issues with ignorant people or just finding a suitable place. I spend so much time looking for a locale where I am not on someone's property or other constraints.

 

[silverdragon]

Or just stay in the city where everything and everyone is perfect.

I dont get it, why would he stay in the City when he has the right to venture outside of it.

 

[fly less combo]

A week ago my family and i flew the NYC Coop for some fresh air and mountain lakes

I found a spot off a very lightly traveled road off Rt. 28 that is a local park

This was last week...it was dusk..a HUGE beautiful moon hanging in the sky and i am up a couple hundred feet taking it all in

As i am filming and enjoying myself + i notice 2 people sliding down the side of the road and coming towards me

I am always happy to see people watch me and answer questions and as they come closer i see angry faces

One man was in his 30's and there was smoke coming out of his ears...the other was an older man with the same attitude

At first i thought they would ask questions about flying but their only motivation was to threaten me about "flyin over MY property "

Do you have a camera in that thing ?

I responded honestly and both of them started in with me..Who gives you the right to invade my personal property ?

YOU are up to no good etc on and on and i am responding that i have no ill will or intent in my flying near their homes

The Younger one...ITCHING to fight starts to ask me for my name...he is in my face and smoke is rising from his head getting angrier by the minute

I try to keep cool but i am outnumbered...i am in my late 60's and this kid wants a piece of my ***

after a few insanely tense minutes this Psycho P.O.S. Hillbilly looks me in the eye...6 inches from my face...if i see that thing over my house again i will get my shotgun and take it down...DO YOU HEAR ME ?

Totally messed up my few days there...i did fly and film over a small lake and found some beautiful areas there but i was off...upset and ANGRY...Thinking of how i SHOULD have reacted...all a fantasy///

What would be the result of engaging him ?...all bad and negative ones and POLICE...I Swallowed deeply and i TRY to let it go..but a week later and i am still having trouble with it all

I would have ***** slapped his Adam 's apple with the back of my hand , hope you meet some nice people next time your flying