Comments you get while flying your drone

[dronerdave]

I don't get too many negative comments while flying but I tend to fly at places where it's rare to see more than a few people all day. Those who do ask, their main questions are:
> does it have a camera, & what can you see?

If I'm not busy taking a shot, I tell them to come over and take a look. The next question usually is:
>does it zoom up?

After that, most of the questions are similar to what others get... how much does it cost, and how far can you go?

I fly with four very bright strobes so it's obvious that I'm not trying to be stealthy.

 

[JSKCKNIT]

i have found that since i started to wear a hi vis vest with drone pilot on the back that people tend to stay away from me but i have heard all the airport comments and plenty of others as well if someone is really interested in finding out about the drone then i like others will land and then talk to them.

Same here.

 

[SpinItUp]

Have/did you lost/lose it? (something along those lines)
my reply;

 

[iowahill]

I was flying yesterday in a fairly public situation and for not the first time I noticed that so many people swagger on up to you and say: sweet, does that thing like take good pictures?, You know there was this guy that crashed one of those on the whitehouse lawn eh?, they call that a “drone” right?, I got a Mavic Pro back at home (FYI), can you put that on Facebook?


My answer: Just give me a sec plz I’m just getting this shot, i don’t have Facebook, and I don’t fly at the whitehouse.

Ok, your turn what are some things people say, ask, or do when yer trying to fly yer drone?

"Hey man. My car just ran out of gas up the road and I'm broke. Can you spare a few bucks so I can take my wife to the hospital? She's gonna give birth pretty soon. Oh man! That's pretty cool! What is it?"

 

[Photo Booth]

The most common comment I hear is, "That is cool! I've gotta get me one of those!"

Mark

 

[clingermac]

Best way to get rid of the incessantly curious is to tell them, " you know if my parents had bought me one of these when I was 15 instead of that shotgun, they'd still be alive today". They usually say goodbye right after that. Now you can pay attention to the $1,500.00 you have up in the air.

 

[Sky1]

"Sounds like a bunch of bees"

 

[ron77584]

I was flying yesterday in a fairly public situation and for not the first time I noticed that so many people swagger on up to you and say: sweet, does that thing like take good pictures?, You know there was this guy that crashed one of those on the whitehouse lawn eh?, they call that a “drone” right?, I got a Mavic Pro back at home (FYI), can you put that on Facebook?


My answer: Just give me a sec plz I’m just getting this shot, i don’t have Facebook, and I don’t fly at the whitehouse.

Ok, your turn what are some things people say, ask, or do when yer trying to fly yer drone?

"how much did it cost"? I say $300.00 because my wife could be lurking around the corner and if she hears the drone was 800+, plus almost 100 each battery and $35.00 sd card, $450.00 4k monitor and $125.00 4k video card because I couldn't watch 4k with my old ****.
$40.00 phone mount, $50.00 nd filters, $100.00 smartthings gps tracker.

 

[Sniperfritz]

Took my wife into hobby shop once. I was looking for airplane parts. Asked the owner what the price was. Al of a sudden my wife says "WHAT!". Omg all I could think was, please don't tell my wife I in here yesterday.

 

[dronerdave]

Sometimes I tell people my setup costs about a hundred bucks or so...

 

[Dale D]

I try to avoid people at all costs. I need total concentration at all times. If someone actually asks me any question whatsoever, I politely say, "I cannot speak with you while this is in the air." I don't promise to speak with them at all. Most take the hint and walk off.

 

[ron77584]

Sometimes I tell people my setup costs about a hundred bucks or so...View attachment 63965

very funny

 

[wombat]

I just point to my yellow sign, I also have a high vis vest printed on the back is "Mavic Pro Pilot, stand clear, Please wait until I land to ask questions.
result no questions until I have landed.

 

[BD0G]

I was flying today in South Lake Tahoe and 2 women walked up. One with a DSLR around her neck.

She asked me why I got the drone. My Answer " To fly over to windows and find young girls disrobing -why else" They about fell on the snow laughing.

We then got into a more serious discussion and they had lots of questions. By the end of question time they were looking over my shoulder and all they could say is "Thats so cool" I agreed with them and bid them adieu.

 

[Willie14228]

Strange how all the poeple that does not own a drone thinks alike. Same stupid questions all over the world. The mind boggles

....
What we do not know we fear, just exactly who would you rather answer those questions a person passionate about the hobby or some reporter interested in nothing more than ratings???
Which would you rather be said about your run-in when that person tells others? "Those drone pilots are ********" or would you rather that person say, "You know I met a guy yesterday flying and he was really cool"
Yes, it may take some time away from your flying time
Be an ambassador, by all means hey sorry but for safety I can't talk to you while flying but I will be glad to in a bit
But don't be an ***
Driving a truck for as long as I have I use every chance to show people as much as I can about our blind spots and how today's drivers are nothing like Smokey and the bandit

 

[PWIdmayer]

I get the " is that yours? " .. .yeah they don't just rent these things out ... but there is a business idea!! Anyway - how far can it go? how fast? the usual.

 

[AMann]

....
What we do not know we fear, just exactly who would you rather answer those questions a person passionate about the hobby or some reporter interested in nothing more than ratings???
Which would you rather be said about your run-in when that person tells others? "Those drone pilots are ********" or would you rather that person say, "You know I met a guy yesterday flying and he was really cool"
Yes, it may take some time away from your flying time
Be an ambassador, by all means hey sorry but for safety I can't talk to you while flying but I will be glad to in a bit
But don't be an ***
Driving a truck for as long as I have I use every chance to show people as much as I can about our blind spots and how today's drivers are nothing like Smokey and the bandit

This is the best response to take with the public. If we all used a positive replies to curious people’s questions, the sport will benefit through good public opinion.

 

[ScoutCommander]

So some of you sound pretty jaded. I'm pretty new to this but it occurs to me that you all most likely had the same questions in mind when shopping for a drone, no?

 

[TheWolfen]

Overwhelmingly, I get very positive comments from people when flying. I just got back from a trip to Hawaii and the questions were generally about what I could see and amazement at how far away I could fly. I let people watch over my shoulder, especially when I was flying over the new lava flow on the Big Island.

I had one negative encounter, though. The condo we stay at overlooks some terrific tide pools and I had flown out several hundred feet to get some wide shots of the pools and coastline. I was just bringing it in for a landing (the Mavic was about 75 feet up and 100 feet from the complex itself and not hovering) and some guy yells 'Hey!' from the balcony of his condo. I look up and he makes a slashing motion across his throat to tell me to kill it while yelling 'shut it down!' Now I don't take kindly to someone telling me what I should do or the insinuation that I'd be looking in their condo. I hollered back something like 'I'm not filming you or even looking at you! Flying here is completely legal so mind your own business!'. I then ignored him, but couldn't resist pausing to take a photo of my wife who was sitting next to a tide pool with 3 sea turtles in it. Then I landed as planned. He sat on his balcony glaring at me but that was the end of it.

If I had been hovering close to the condos I might have at least understood someone's concern or a question about it, but I don't tolerate hostility or the assumption that I'm spying on people. I resisted the temptation to buzz his place later that night ;-) but didn't. I didn't plan to fly there more than once anyway. We are all ambassadors of our field and I generally try to behave like one. Maybe I shouldn't have paused for that last shot but I couldn't have him thinking he was going to control my actions.

 

[TheWolfen]

Q1: Is that hard to learn to fly?
>>>>>Me: No, not at all, would you like to try it?

You'd actually let some stranger fly it?? I can't imagine doing that. My wife doesn't even get to fly mine! Of course, she doesn't actually want to so... [emoji57] [emoji2]