Have you had a neighbor ask you to not fly over their property?

[TheWolfen]

// Semantics, I suppose. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.

Unfortunately, it does. Words and attitudes are often closely related. Once someone calls themselves a "pilot", their ego and cockiness skyrocket. It's better to be humble and down-to-earth. These are just toys and we're simply having fun playing with them.

I guess that can be true of a lot of people. Not all, though. Even if I feel we're technically pilots, the difference between what we do and a normal pilot does is vast. I think, for me, it comes down to the word having a more flexible definition in my mind. I'd never discount the immense training required to be a regular pilot. I've long wanted to become one and still hope to some day in retirement.

 

[Gary cato]

wow all this over a word,,,,,,,,, and for many its not a toy its a proffesional tool used for business a bit like my D**K i could describe myself as a **** pilot when i am working i guess because boy does being a **** pilot take some serious training and hard work unlike many of the other kinds of d88k heads that seems to be posting a lot recently.

the cometition is hotting up with everyone from private pilots to wing wong wingsuits getting into handbags at dawn over a word

bout time you all grew up a bit, and lightened up and stuck to the thread. instead of all the my d88k is bigger than yours stuff.

 

[htommy]

Maybe he should just rocket up to 400ft and then start his flight. I had someone in the neighborhood drive around looking for the pilot (me).

me too ,i was hovering over my own house

 

[htommy]

i was threatened that he would shoot it down,i was just learning the App hovering in the street about 70 ft and he drove from the next street over[emoji15]

 

[westonmavicpilot]

// If an operator/hobbyist/enthusiast isn't "piloting" the aircraft, then what term would you use?

Playing? It's a toy, after all. "I'm playing with my drone."

To me, "pilot" means someone inside an aircraft controlling it. Once they're in the air, their life is in danger. RC stick wanker is not a pilot.

I jump from airplanes and off of big mountains wearing a wingsuit, and although the term "wingsuit pilot" is common these days, to me it sounds funny as "piloting" my own body is nonsense. (I'm piloting this pilot which is myself?) Wingsuit flyer, wingsuit jumper - yes, but not pilot. It doesn't matter what the not-keeping-with-times Webster or we-want-to-control-everything FAA calls it; it's what makes sense.

'Rc stick wanker'? Really? Yup, insulting the whole community is really 'humble and down to earth' as you like to call yourself. Only one wanker here dude, and that would seem to be you. Happy piloting.

 

[marklyn]

OK so I know I am now guilty of being off topic, but I started it so, I'm entitled
I did some searching on the internet regarding "military drone pilots" and there is a whole lot of websites that pretty much define a person who remotely controls a drone as a bonified "drone pilot".
Now that does seem to be different than an "Air Force Pilot" which requires a whole lots of more training but, nonetheless, "drone pilot" is a real thing albeit with much less qualifications/training.
Here is one of many links that speak to this.
As someone mentioned earlier, I agree it's semantics. I don't pretend for one minute that me being a hobby drone pilot compares with a pilot who flies light aircraft up to a 787.
Now, back to my topic... anyone have any experiences in regard to flying your drone in a suburban neighborhood, how to deal with a neighbor that isn't happy about it?

 

[tcrescon]

I don't understand grown up people wasting time arguing with a guy that don't want us being called pilots or not... just call yourself what you want pilot, astronaut. Formula 1 drivers call themselves pilots and they don't even fly a drone.Lets be happy and focus on piloting our drones.

 

[NestleQuik]

A simple solution, would be to take off within his property line, fly straight towards the street over his property and proceed to fly as he choose. Now the neighbor has no complaints. and if he does, from that point he is just being a prick ( but to answer your question ,to this date, No i don't have that issue and I fly from my yard)

 

[jmalonear]

I actually made a video because I had several of my facebook friends start talking about flying over people's property once I started flying around my community! I even had some of them tell me that this explained how the drone camera works to them. So like one of the other commenters mentioned, showing and explaining things could help with your neighbors.

 

[marklyn]

Nice explanation!

 

[cderoche]

// If an operator/hobbyist/enthusiast isn't "piloting" the aircraft, then what term would you use?

Playing? It's a toy, after all. "I'm playing with my drone."

To me, "pilot" means someone inside an aircraft controlling it. Once they're in the air, their life is in danger. RC stick wanker is not a pilot.

I jump from airplanes and off of big mountains wearing a wingsuit, and although the term "wingsuit pilot" is common these days, to me it sounds funny as "piloting" my own body is nonsense. (I'm piloting this pilot which is myself?) Wingsuit flyer, wingsuit jumper - yes, but not pilot. It doesn't matter what the not-keeping-with-times Webster or we-want-to-control-everything FAA calls it; it's what makes sense.

I'm all for calling it playing with my toy if it keeps the FAA, and everyone else trying to jump in the regulations business for my hobby off my back

 

[cderoche]

// Semantics, I suppose. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn't really matter.

Unfortunately, it does. Words and attitudes are often closely related. Once someone calls themselves a "pilot", their ego and cockiness skyrocket. It's better to be humble and down-to-earth. These are just toys and we're simply having fun playing with them.

Well what does the word pilot mean? I think people think too highly of the term pilot and lots of other titles. They're just titles. Like President for example. You can be the President of a country, or the President of a Home Owners Association. Just like an airline "Captain" - to me, both a police and military vet, you aren't a Captain unless you obtained some sort of commission in the armed forces, or at least a police department. I think it is all where your background is as to how impressed you are with a simple word. To a housewife someone that refers to himself as a Doctor might sound dazzling. If that same Doctor is a foot doctor but replace the housewife with a Neurosurgeon, he probably won't be as impressed.

Perhaps the solution is to call yourself what you are in its entirety and don't leave the rest for people to guess. If you're an Airline Pilot, say Airline Pilot. If you're a quad copter pilot, say that. Fighter Pilot, you get the point... All it really means is the guy controlling the thing. ANYTHING really.





pi·lot
ˈpīlət/
verb
gerund or present participle: piloting

1. 1.
   act as a pilot of (an aircraft or ship).
   synonyms: navigate, guide, maneuver, steer, control, direct, captain, shepherd; More
   • guide; steer.
     "the task of piloting the economy out of recession"
2. 2.
   test (a plan, project, etc.) before introducing it more widely.
   "other schools were piloting such courses"
   synonyms: test, trial, try out; More

Origin
early 16th century (denoting a person who steers a ship): from French pilote, from medieval Latin pilotus, an alteration of pedota, based on Greek pēdon ‘oar,’ (plural) ‘rudder.’

 

[seanwong97]

So hard having fun playing with my drone once my neighbour get annoyed

 

[cderoche]

So hard having fun playing with my drone once my neighbour get annoyed

I have lots of neighbors that do lots of annoying activities nears me, so if anyone complains of my drone, I will start letting them know how I feel about the annoying things they do to me, that I chose to not start **** with them to be a "good" neighbor.

 

[cderoche]

Thats your opinion with which there is no defining logic.

Considering the original intent of the term pilot, unless you are commanding an ocean going vessel you are not a pilot. Factual for centuries.

Contraption and plane flyers adopted that term, so there is no reason why anyone else cant adopt the same term and use it how they see fit.

The only people that are butt hurt about drone pilots calling themselves a pilot are small plane private pilots that paid a lot of money to move into a fancy neighborhood and buy a fancy little plane so they can get the same view a 16 year kid can get with a quad copter. That's what I believe. Otherwise who cares. Does an Aeronautical Engineer get offended by a Janitor being called now a Custodial Engineer? Just roll with it, everyone knows the difference.

 

[seanwong97]

I have lots of neighbors that do lots of annoying activities nears me, so if anyone complains of my drone, I will start letting them know how I feel about the annoying things they do to me, that I chose to not start **** with them to be a "good" neighbor.

Yep，sometimes being a good neighbor makes no sense ,it needs more understanding,

 

[Jake Galloway]

I feel like I should chip in here because of one fabulous concerned citizen in my neighborhood. It started out when I was flying my Inspire. A man that lives down the street from my came down to my house in a kind of aggressive manner, but seemed to settle when he saw I was out flying with my girlfriend. He asked a few questions (does that have a camera, how far does it go and how long does the battery last) and makes a snarky comment about throwing a trash can lid at it because he didn't know what it was, no big deal here. Fast forward to a month later, he comes down again in a pretty pissed off manner and tells me straight up "I've told you before and I'll tell you again, I don't want you flying over my ****ing property, if I see it again I'm calling the police", In which I responded calmly and told him I wasn't breaking any laws and I'd appreciate it if he would leave me alone. He sat there for another 5 minutes before storming off. I landed and put in another battery to continue flying. 15-20 minutes later the police show up at my house. They assure me I've done nothing wrong and they're not here to stop me from flying. In fact, the officer told me the guy is a lot of trouble for the department, he apparently works for waste management and is a frequent caller. After chatting about how amazing technology has progressed to this point, the officer tells me to continue flying and if my neighbor starts anymore trouble just call the department and they'll handle it.

The next day I log onto Facebook and what do you know, that very same guy complained to our neighborhood Facebook page about how I was using my drones to spy on his wife showering and that I was a pedophile for spying on his daughters. Lucky for me, a majority of the people in my area have seen my YouTube videos and know who I am personally, so watching the heated argument in the comments was priceless.

I haven't changed my flying habits, and he hasn't been a bother since. Some people are just in the mindset that everyone in the world is out to get them. And when they see something they don't understand, it's an automatic assumption that its no good. I simply don't allow that kind of person to ruin my enjoyment of the hobby.

 

[marklyn]

That's great! Thanks for sharing that.

 

[Ping^Spike]

but I generally try not to commit felonies when I know I'm in front of someone's 4K High Definition Camera

Lol

I will be using my drone to watch for the UK badger cull operates and where they hide the trapping cages, so that I can stop them from being used

Top man! Thank you