Flying in your own neighborhood

[cavenger]

Do you fly in your own neighborhood and have you had your neighbor watch or ask about your drone?

 

[owg666]

Yes I do. Neighbors are fascinated but not paranoid. The reason is I fly far away, not in the immediate area. My house is just a launch site. The mailman and UPS driver are always asking about it.

 

[dronerdave]

I avoid flying over people, occupied dwellings, and vehicle traffic so basically no. I have launched from my backyard and maybe take a look around from time to time but that gets boring.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I've taken mine up above the home for a few photos early on, and never had a neighbour seem interested.
It has only be 2 or 3 times, and only up to 30m to 45m or so, 5 mins, and down.

In general I see no reason to fly near my home or any other urbanscapes really.
I can see why some might though, time and / or travel constraints, or an interest in urban scenes / architecture.

It's simply a LOT harder to fly legally to most countries drone rules in an urban environment.
Really, unless you fly straight up, watch for locals nearby, etc, it'd be near impossible to fly any sort of distance and keep to general rules.
Ok in 99.9% of flights (all stats made up on the spot ), but then if there was an incident, flyaway, crash etc and someone was injured, or property damage, well that's when things can get complex.

 

[Hbg078]

I have about 6 hours logged in my neighborhood, nobody has said anything yet but I also don’t fly over peoples houses, people, or cars. There is a pond behind my house that I practice over and woods right outside of my neighborhood.

 

[Johnmcl7]

It's not legal to fly my drone in a neighbour hood here so I've not done it although even it was legal I doubt I would, I can understand why people wouldn't be happy about that.

 

[Camino Ken]

I fly a lot in my neighborhood but I am very lucky because I live on 4ac of rural land in the mountains. When I venture away from my property I try to stay above the small twisty road that runs through the neighborhood. I always maintain at least 200 ft AGL since at that altitude it is difficult for folks to hear or notice my M2P.

 

[cavenger]

It's not legal to fly my drone in a neighbour hood here so I've not done it although even it was legal I doubt I would, I can understand why people wouldn't be happy about that.

Most of my neighbors are in the 80s. I doubt they even know they have cameras on them.

 

[Camino Ken]

Most of my neighbors are in the 80s. I doubt they even know they have cameras on them.

Ha Ha, most of my neighbors are around my age, i. e. old. At our age it is difficult to see or hear drones, much less complain.

 

[MacCool]

No real photographic merit, just tooling around the neighborhood

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

No real photographic merit, just tooling around the neighborhood

Many would be happy to have such a semi rural place to fly I guess.
Are those fishing tents out on the frozen lake ?

In Australia, unless you were the bloke near the buggy / red tent, that would have broken our 30m rule flying over people within 30m laterally.
I don't think you have a set distance rule for flying over people there, just not "directly over any part of a person".

 

[MacCool]

Many would be happy to have such a semi rural place to fly I guess.
Are those fishing tents out on the frozen lake ?

In Australia, unless you were the bloke near the buggy / red tent, that would have broken our 30m rule flying over people within 30m laterally.
I don't think you have a set distance rule for flying over people there, just not "directly over any part of a person".

Well, right now they are indeed fishing tents because early snowstorms slushed up the lake and the ice fishermen can't tow their regular houses out there yet. It's causing a lot of angst around here, for sure. The houses that usually appear by this time are basically RVs. Most have cooking facilities and satellite TV, in addition to the hatches in the floor for the actual fishing. Certainly they're heated, and these portable houses (tents) are cold. The image of an ice fisherman bundled up and hunched over a hole in the ice just doesn't jive with the reality of the Minnesota ice fisherman.

Products | Ice Castle Fish Houses

icecastlefh.com

I don't know if I was over the guy or not...but I do have a personal policy, more like a rule, about not hitting anyone with RC vehicle I'm flying.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Thanks for the link.
Very nice fishing houses.

No, I'm pretty sure you weren't directly over that person at any time.
Funny though that US FAA (I went to double check) don't allow for any sort of momentum, or wind drift etc . . . no safety margin if something happens.
---
The term "over" refers to the flight of the small unmanned aircraft directly over any part of a person. For example, a small UAS that hovers directly over a person's head, shoulders, or extended arms or legs would be an operation over people. Similarly, if a person is lying down, for example at a beach, an operation over that person's torso or toes would also constitute an operation over people. An operation during which a small UAS flies over any part of any person, regardless of the dwell time, if any, over the person, would be an operation over people.
---

a personal policy, more like a rule, about not hitting anyone with RC vehicle I'm flying.

Good plan.

 

[brettbrandon]

I am on a one block long dead end street in the back of a gated retirement neighborhood. I got my M2P in Sept last year and was able to fly it in the backyard and over the pond and field next to it for the first few months. I even helped neighbors check gutters for leaves so no ladders were needed. They really liked that. After the third or so geo-fence change, that all ended. Can't fly my M2P here anymore but I am having a blast flying my little whoops fpv up and down the street and around the house. Its not quite Mayberry here but most neighbors know each other. I don't fly anywhere near them and when they see it they know its me and its only 50 grams and almost silent. One woman told me she was originally trying to figure out what kind of bird it was.....

 

[Deleted member 93449]

I have flown in my neighborhood and my neighbors have looked on but no one has ever questioned me about it or shown any anger/animosity regarding it.

 

[Alan_M]

I was flying in a field just down the street from where i live yesterday. I live just outside of the town so it's pretty much fields all around me. Only had one dog walker come across the field, and to be honest I don't think he even saw the Mavic Mini up in the air.

 

[Jet skier]

Do you fly in your own neighborhood and have you had your neighbor watch or ask about your drone?

My neighbors don’t mind me flying at all probably because most of them are young Some have kids and I let the kids fly the spark once in a while and they love it

 

[cavenger]

I admittedly never knew how complicated this hobby was going to be...

 

[Jet skier]

No real photographic merit, just tooling around the neighborhood

I only dream of living in a neighborhood like that I would go skating on that lake

 

[buddb55]

Been flying my neighborhood since my first drone, never a problem.