Karens and Kevins

[Max Headroom]

Below is a quote from a post i posted a few minutes ago in the video forums i don't know if i have been lucky but i have never been challenged when flying i hope this continues.

My question is have members been challenged by a Karen or Kevin, did they have a valid point for the complaint and how did you deal with it.

I have had people come up and ask about the drone and so far they have been genuinely interested and not at all upset about me flying it i hope this continues and i never meet one of those Karens you see on some videos.

 

[tstr14]

That has been my experience as well. If I happen to be in an area that might raise questions, such as a residential area, and am asked what I am doing, I simply reply that I did a repair on the drone and am in the process of testing it out. It seems to satisfy their curiosity and I invite them to watch or look at the controller screen. Most people are interested in the drone and ask questions like what does it do and how much does it cost.

As I've gotten older, I have developed a very low tolerance for people like "Karens/Kevins" however. If approached, and asked what I was doing, I would offer some flippant answer like "Flying a drone." or "I'm not sure!" I'm sure it would all go south from there, but I'm pretty confident I can succeed in getting to storm off fuming. I have a master's degree in jerking chains.

 

[Droning on and on...]

I have a master's degree in jerking chains.

With a MA in Chain Jerking you can get an honorary PhD from CUNY with just one Disorderly Conduct arrest. No classes necessary.

An actual conviction for Assault and Battery makes you eligible for a paid Guest Lecturer position.

 

[mavic3usa]

Don't forget a lot of people are passive aggressive so don't mistake those questions feigning interest in your drone with someone trying to mind your business. I've had several people approach me although I am not the most approachable person. The two I remember are the police once who saw I was getting a bit uncomfortable and he quickly left even though he made it clear he was curious and this was just consensual. I usually setup in a spot where you have to really go out of your way to approach me but the one time I setup in the parking lot in the city park and the city official came over in his truck and we can go from there.....I posted about it here a few years ago.

 

[Rchawks]

In all the years of flying both rc sailplanes on cliffs and powered gliders as well as Drones, I have never been approached in a neg way. When I would slope soar on the bay people stopped to watch and ask questions, always positive. I made quite a few friends flying there. With Drones no one pays any attention when I flying, but then I'm very careful about where and how I fly, always have.

 

[4 inch pistons]

I have been approached often by admirers and those curious but never by anyone hostile.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

My tricks of the trade : Having a go to Script

When approached by Police : I move despite any legal right I have

When approached by Karens I use the Search an Rescue Tactic and that I am canvassing the area to determine if it would be good to use a drone for Search and Rescue, it helps if your Drone has a Wet Suit or lights to look the part for Search and rescue but Fool Proof lol

I also let them Know I am on the Neighbor Hood watch.

The key to this is little eye contact as your Perimeter flight is much more important than their nonsense.

I also like to fly from inside my car , which provides me a personal space .

Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly in the Rain, Land on the Water,

 

[Grimmi]

I come from Germany and first had to find out who Karen and Kevin are

 

[KJC Imaging]

I carry everything I need to prove I'm legal and permitted to fly, airspace and land owner permission wise. That might be a page printed from a web site that states drone flying is permitted.

 

[hiflyer201]

Drones flying directly overhead make a lot of noise. Most people probably shrug it off, but if you’re planted somewhere with a Capt. Drone jacket and a landing pad, you are making yourself a target for the crank in every crowd.
I say picking a suitable launch area is a responsibility for all of us.
As dirt bikers started realizing in the 70’s.
Less sound more ground.

 

[Bad Santa]

If someone gets in my face while flying a drone, I'm just as likely to say "I'm looking for good places to hide a body" as anything else. I might even say "I'm spying inside people's bedroom windows".

I come from the "if you're going to cry, I'll give you something to cry about" generation.

 

[Max Headroom]

"I'm spying inside people's bedroom windows".

The problem with that is it plays right into the hands of those type of people that don't trust drone pilots and have concerns about privacy.

Why give them the ammunition to fire back at us?

 

[hiflyer201]

If someone gets in my face while flying a drone, I'm just as likely to say "I'm looking for good places to hide a body" as anything else. I might even say "I'm spying inside people's bedroom windows".

I come from the "if you're going to cry, I'll give you something to cry about"

 

[Paul Stocum]

I’m a freelance photographer that shoots real estate to fill in the gaps. I’ve had more “confrontations” with my DSLR on the tripod, than I’ve had with my drone. The only thing that happened with my drone was when I was photographing a house when the neighbor across the street arrived home. I was lining up a shot that had the drone directly over the neighbor’s house when he came back out and very dryly asked why my drone was over his house. I told him what I was doing and offered him may card should he want to put his house on the market. Without a word he just went back inside.