How do you deal with drone shyness?

[karlblessing]

I was referring to the loud alarm coming from the controller, which I find a bit excessive. I understand why they made it this way, but it's one thing that would make me less willing to fly in public places. A single beep and an on-screen notification in the app would be more than enough for me.

I didn't know the range can be improved by pointing the controller at the done directly, thanks for that. I probably would have had the screen up close to my face because it's hard to see the video feed in bright daylight.

We're also supposed to keep line of sight to the drone in Europe. I suppose technically I could be breaking this rule when flying from the forest if the drone's more than a couple hundred metres away, but I'm not putting anybody at risk and it's impossible to even see the drone at this distance anyway, so I cut myself some slack.

Pretty sure you can just mute overall sounds from the controller itself setting the phone to vibrate only/etc. For example I never hear mine do any of the audible updates like "Homepoint updated" etc etc. I'm mostly deaf so it's mostly useless to me to have it on the phone/controller.

 

[old man mavic]

@DaveG actually the whole idea of the return to home alarm ,is to let you know that while the bleeping is happening then the drone is still in the RTH mode and all you have to do is once the drone is close enough for you to guide it home yourself just cancel the RTH and the bleeping stops, basically a RTH is an automated flight mode, and that constant bleeping is a reminder of that fact , its just like the seat belt reminder bleep, that you get if you have not put it on ,or the side lights on chime, when you open the car door with them still on

 

[jaswalt]

You might call its shyness. I would call it strategic or stealth. It is good to stay away from mankind when flying our drone.

Dale

It's good to stay away from mankind, period!

 

[Faster]

Pretty sure you can just mute overall sounds from the controller itself setting the phone to vibrate only/etc. For example I never hear mine do any of the audible updates like "Homepoint updated" etc etc. I'm mostly deaf so it's mostly useless to me to have it on the phone/controller.

He is referring to the lower battery beeping sound. It comes from the control and cannot be lowered. It has nothing to do with your phone settings.

 

[karlblessing]

He is referring to the lower battery beeping sound. It comes from the control and cannot be lowered. It has nothing to do with your phone settings.

I'm aware of what he was talking about but I've only had that come from my drone, not the controller.

 

[Faster]

I'm aware of what he was talking about but I've only had that come from my drone, not the controller.

You had the Low battery alarm coming from the drone and not the controller? That's weird. For what reason the drone should emit an alarm sound when it's hundreds or thousands feet away and can't heard?

 

[old man mavic]

@karlblessing @Faster ,gentlemen,the low battery alarm does technically come from the drone,
but not the actual sound itself, that is provided by a speaker in the RC
so in a way both of you are right ,please lets not split hairs on this subject

 

[Faster]

Completely agree with you @old man mavic

 

[mathomas]

This is very similar and interchangeable with drone anxiety, and there's another thread of that name on here recently you might like to read. (A search will find it I'm sure.)

Nothing wrong with your approach at all, in fact it's that sort of thoughtfulness towards others that is good for drone pilots to have.
The number of times I've gone down to some scenic spot, at the beach etc, to fly a sunset, and end up not flying due to the crowds there also enjoying the space.
Rules aside for OOP here (strict !), I simply don't wish to impede on others peace & quiet. At all.

I generally fly remote areas, where it's harder for the general population to get to anyway, but I think I will continue to fly when it feels 'right' when around others.

That is my philosophy, 100%. The golden rule.

 

[Torque]

So your spotter stands around with a Yuneec drone while you fly your Mavic?

LOL,. I have that drone, the Yuneec Q500? I believe? Was quite advanced for its time with tracking, etc. Batteries puffed and were disposed of long ago. It was a nice drone.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Not sure how Drone Shyness turned into wearing : Neon Colors : FAA T- Shirts : 4 Orange Cones : A Captains Hat , and a Bull Horn and Flashing Lights as I would be Dead

Drone Shyness comes from not wanting the Attention , to be invisible , to lightly step .
When people feel anxiety, they cannot think clearly, or focus well,, this is why learning to fly from inside your car is the best way to start, from there you can get more comfortable. .

Flying from a car in general will keep you more focused on everything that is happening on your screen and for beginners that is a smart move. As wind , sun, people, pets , and comments can be taxing .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain.

 

[old man mavic]

@Phantomrain.org ,hi my fellow flyer,with all due respect to your flying abilities ,actually advising new pilots to learn to fly their drone from inside there vehicle,is something that you and I will have to disagree on,its fine for you, especially as you like to fly in adverse weather conditions, and the car provides the necessary protection from the elements

 

[Phantomrain.org]

@Phantomrain.org ,hi my fellow flyer,with all due respect to your flying abilities ,actually advising new pilots to learn to fly their drone from inside there vehicle,is something that you and I will have to disagree on,its fine for you, especially as you like to fly in adverse weather conditions, and the car provides the necessary protection from the elements

Not sure what there is to dislike about flying in the car for beginners.

Whats nice is that you have to maintain perfect Visual line of sight , that alone is huge plus.

Being able to really hear and focus on what your controller is showing you is a boost of confidence .

Not having to worry about chatting with a stranger also contributes to more focus on the drone and the controller as well as the flight. This also limits Anxiety and create more focus.

Not having to worry about Sun Glare , allows you to maintain increased focus on the flight as that has gotten me a Seasoned pilot more than a few times.

Being in the Car limits your ability or Temptation to go out further than you should .

If there is a Negative in that list , im not seeing it or I am not aware of it.

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain from the Car.

 

[old man mavic]

thanks for your reply ,learning to fly a drone can result in many situations where the drone will not respond as expected, and how would someone new manage, if the drone suddenly started to get blown back over the top of the car and out of sight ,i would still not recommend that a complete novice should learn to fly their drone from inside their car

 

[mick_mc]

Try shooting street photography, you know, the kind where you shove the camera about 1' in front of someone's face. After doing this for over 10 years I've learned their reaction depends on your attitude. Project an aura of fun and confidence and nobody will mess with you. Flying a drone is nothing compared to that.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I have often wondered about signal from inside a vehicle . . . perhaps this could be an issue with wifi signal drones, like my Spark, but Occusync seems ok for this . . .

Have flown as a passenger when 4WDn over desert dunes on trips etc, and while I started trying to keep my controller aimed out the open window, and kept the drone in LOS to the drone, I found I could fly almost anywhere around me, or out in front even over a dune crest slightly.

A little different to flying from a stationary vehicle, setting safe failsafe settings etc as well while mobile.
Lol, at least no trees in those deserts.

I would probably agree best not to muck about with potential signal problems until you 'test the waters' safety / incrementally if wanting to fly from inside a vehicle.
A safe open space (carpark), fly different areas around vehicle, simple RTH settings, watch signal and evaluate risk.

 

[noahzho]

Watch this, might help (NOT my video):

exactly what i was gonna post lol

 

[Jpack63]

Some of you people are creating a problem for other quad-pilots.

Doing something LEGAL and "hiding" creates SUSPICION. ( Stigmatism )

I do with my quad what i bought it to do (whenever DJI APP isn't being crappy), and i have never had a negative interaction.

Get out the closet.

Rights: Use em or lose em.

Absolutely, we are not doing anything wrong. Be responsible, respectful, and enjoy your bird

 

[Robert Prior]

If there is a Negative in that list , im not seeing it or I am not aware of it.

Being in a car limits your situational awareness of what's happening around you. I periodically scan the sky all around for planes (and birds) just so I have a good mental picture in case things change in a hurry.

 

[FlyingFilmmaker]

Here in the US I fly legally but I still like to fly in less populated areas. I don't mind people seeing me fly a drone, I just am not very social about it. lol A lot of what I really like to shoot is "wilderness" anyway, so that works out pretty well. In other countries though where I've flown semi legally (didn't comply with all rules and requirements because they were almost impossible) I've especially tried to fly from secluded spots even when I was filming fairly urban areas. For example, you can fly from next to some trees in a field rather than from a sidewalk. Or from a hiking trail a ways away rather than from a tourist spot where drones are banned. Even when people do come by while you have the drone in the air, they usually don't pay much attention. Another thing I've done if I felt someone might try to track the drone is to drop altitude a ways away from my location and flying in a differnt direction and then fly very close to the ground in sport mode to where I was flying from, making the drone much harder to visually track to the landing point. Obviously you wouldn't need to do this if you're flying legally (as you should be), but if you're in a situation where for whatever reason you prefer not to draw attention, it can work pretty well..