Kids flying drones like kites...

[KiterTodd]

With the prices of drones dropping while becoming more portable and easier to use, the Mavic and the Spark are increasingly becoming toys for teenagers. My concern is not that they shouldn't get to play with them, heck they know joysticks better than I do, it's that they care less about their surroundings and the long term impact of their fun on others.

For example; I was at a small beach town this weekend. I got out early to take a few aerial photos. There weren't many people around but I was conscious of the noise of the Mavic in an otherwise quiet town. I took my shots and landed in a few minutes. Didn't run through my battery like I usually would.

That is typically how I fly. I try to not fly around people who are not part of my group, but if I do want to get a shot I do a couple quick passes and I'm out of there. I just assume the drone it annoying to people so I keep it to a minimum or in its case.

Same day as my example, I'm on on the beach in the middle of the afternoon and I hear the Mavic noise I'm familiar with. A young kid is walking out to the beach with his parents while flying his drone. His mom sets up his chair for him, he sits down, all the while flying his drone. She adjusts his seat back, gets him all comfortable, and the kid (who I'm guessing is 14) flies two batteries over a populated beach. I like drones and still found it kind of rude. I know better than to care about any footage he could capture but was more thinking of all the other people on the beach, who don't know any better, distracted by the drone. Probably wondering if the thing is filming them in their bathing suits or just keeping an eye on the buzzing craft.

It was just odd to see a family sit down while their kid flies the drone over the beach for 45 minutes and not have them consider that it might be annoying to others. The kid doesn't know any better. He doesn't know that as people continue to do this, drones will probably get actively banned/enforced over most public beaches because of complaints. His parents don't know any better either, and just bought their kid a toy he begged for. They're not in the drone community and would have no way of knowing the sensitivity of access.

And yes, I know he shouldn't be flying over other people's heads, but that's a different issue discussed in many other threads.
In this case, it was more like he was just flying a kite on the beach, but very different.

What would you have done?

 

[Kestrel]

I wouldn't say Mavics and Phantoms are becoming children's toys, maybe if they have rich mommies and daddies but the majority of parents get them the cheap Wal-Mart drones, they'll crash them in a few days and be done with the hobby because they didn't enjoy it and dont have the money to fund the hobby. So i'm not too worried about it.

As far as the situation goes I would of just minded my own business, as long as it didn't fall and hit me i'd be cool with it.

 

[Kilrah]

Nothing to do with drones specifically, just a general trend of not caring.

Was in the train the other day, there was a mom with a small kid who was blaring like mad continuously, so much you basically had to cover your ears from the other end of the car. The mother was right next to "it" screwed to her phone and couldn't give a ****, took 20 minutes before she even raised an eyebrow and started considering maybe trying to get him to calm down.

 

[Pathogen]

Laser pointers my friends, and a steady hand.

 

[KiterTodd]

I suppose I've had a few people specifically ask me about which one to get for their kids. I think the cost is now in the electronic toy category for many... in line with game systems, phones, tablets, laptops, etc.

I like the laser pointer suggestion.

 

[KiterTodd]

I wouldn't say Mavics and Phantoms are becoming children's toys, maybe if they have rich mommies and daddies but the majority of parents get them the cheap Wal-Mart drones, they'll crash them in a few days and be done with the hobby because they didn't enjoy it and dont have the money to fund the hobby. So i'm not too worried about it...

Funny thing is, I didn't remember until you mentioned it, but I saw ANOTHER kid flying a Phantom earlier that day around 10, same town, this time over a busy intersection (not busy traffic, busy in that it was around the only breakfast place in town so lots of cars and people).

I remember thinking that yeah, you can get Phantoms 3 for pretty cheap now. Thought that's what it was.

Same thing. Kid just lingered over everybody flying out his battery. Behind him was an empty train yard he could have been flying. No people around, but he was buzzing around street side diners.

 

[TestPilot]

Yes, it can be annoying. $1500 may not seem that much to people in developed countries, but luckily it's not so much a problem here where I live. I'm more annoyed with the fact that whenever I take my drone out to practice, I get adults gawking from a distance, and kids gawking from way, way up close. Where I live the population density is high and I can't get away from humans.

 

[Dw911]

Whilst i quite agree with you, this sort of thing may be the very thing that could help us.
What i mean by that is with every kid and his dog flying these things and with deliverys soon being made by drones by the big players and all the other things people/companys are finding everday uses for them, they may eventually become so main stream that they just become another piece of technology that no one bats an eye lid too.
Think about it, it wasn't so long back that someone walking on the beach using a phone , would raise eybrows, maybe even get called a nob or people would be complaining they were disturbing the tranquillity of the place, but now, no one even notices or cares.
Maybe the same will happen with drones

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Nothing to do with drones specifically, just a general trend of not caring.

Yes unfortunately people can be either that self centred or too stupid to realise their impact on others.
These same people will be the ones arriving at a bush campsite and proceeding to play loud music when those around them want to enjoy the tranquility.
They usually leave rubbish behind too.

It’d be nice to have a word to the parents, sort of say hello, you’re a Mavic pilot too, but do you realise . . . how many rule violations, how great a risk, etc.

I don’t think waiting for drones / this hobby to be a major factor in the public domain is the answer.
We’ll probably see many more incidents in the interim and outright bans at many locations.

 

[KiterTodd]

...I don’t think waiting for drones / this hobby to be a major factor in the public domain is the answer.
We’ll probably see many more incidents in the interim and outright bans at many locations.

I think you're right. I also think 2018 is going to be a bad year and a year from now most public areas are going to have "no drone flying" postings.

Think of this, the Mavic and the Spark haven't been through a holiday buying cycle yet. Mavic was still new and hard to get last December. This year there are plenty of them in stock on shelves, lots of data out there, and the Spark is established. As odd as it may sound to many, $500-$1000 is right in the "one big gift" price range for a lot of families. It's going to be a sh*tstorm.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Think of this, the Mavic and the Spark haven't been through a holiday buying cycle yet. .

Yes 2018 could be bad for the drone flyer.

People that find this and other such forums must be interested in their drones as a true hobby, they want to get the best from them, and soon find all the relevant information on safe and legal flying.
The well off family / kids toy market is another matter altogether.

 

[Jack Mackinnon]

With the prices of drones dropping while becoming more portable and easier to use, the Mavic and the Spark are increasingly becoming toys for teenagers. My concern is not that they shouldn't get to play with them, heck they know joysticks better than I do, it's that they care less about their surroundings and the long term impact of their fun on others.

For example; I was at a small beach town this weekend. I got out early to take a few aerial photos. There weren't many people around but I was conscious of the noise of the Mavic in an otherwise quiet town. I took my shots and landed in a few minutes. Didn't run through my battery like I usually would.

That is typically how I fly. I try to not fly around people who are not part of my group, but if I do want to get a shot I do a couple quick passes and I'm out of there. I just assume the drone it annoying to people so I keep it to a minimum or in its case.

Same day as my example, I'm on on the beach in the middle of the afternoon and I hear the Mavic noise I'm familiar with. A young kid is walking out to the beach with his parents while flying his drone. His mom sets up his chair for him, he sits down, all the while flying his drone. She adjusts his seat back, gets him all comfortable, and the kid (who I'm guessing is 14) flies two batteries over a populated beach. I like drones and still found it kind of rude. I know better than to care about any footage he could capture but was more thinking of all the other people on the beach, who don't know any better, distracted by the drone. Probably wondering if the thing is filming them in their bathing suits or just keeping an eye on the buzzing craft.

It was just odd to see a family sit down while their kid flies the drone over the beach for 45 minutes and not have them consider that it might be annoying to others. The kid doesn't know any better. He doesn't know that as people continue to do this, drones will probably get actively banned/enforced over most public beaches because of complaints. His parents don't know any better either, and just bought their kid a toy he begged for. They're not in the drone community and would have no way of knowing the sensitivity of access.

And yes, I know he shouldn't be flying over other people's heads, but that's a different issue discussed in many other threads.
In this case, it was more like he was just flying a kite on the beach, but very different.

What would you have done?

What would I have done? Well Personally I am a 16 year old with a Phantom 3 Standard and a Mavic Pro, both I busted my *** for at a retail job. I fly for fun, but I also fly to film. I don't really think that a kid flying a Mavic is an issue. It all comes down to what kind of mindset the person flying the drone has. Whether we like it or not, there are idiots out there, and there are idiots with money out there. Having owned a Phantom 3 for almost 2 years, over 140000 meters on it before all my data got erased after a phone failure about a year ago. I have never had a crash with either of the drones, so I feel that at 16, I am a fairly confident pilot, and I am extremely experienced, I know what to do in an Emergency, I follow all rules and regulations and all that jazz that we push on this site. What i am getting at is that age isn't really an important factor while flying, it's more experience. That kid could have had a ton of experience on the sticks, you really don't know. Would you have been saying the same if you saw a Wife and Husband sit at the beach and fly 2 batteries with their Mavic? For all we know if somebody came to that kid he could have handled the situation phenomenally. It kind of sucks that while somebody is enjoying the hobby that they and you love, you are criticizing them for their age. If they know what they are doing, why care? I really only would have stepped in if they were flying recklessly. Personally I would be emotionally distraught if I heard that age restrictions were coming for drones. It would ruin the hobby for me, many others like me, experience drone pilots, looking to make a career. Just food for thought.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

That kid could have had a ton of experience on the sticks, you really don't know. Would you have been saying the same if you saw a Wife and Husband sit at the beach and fly 2 batteries with their Mavic? It kind of sucks that while somebody is enjoying the hobby that they and you love, you are criticizing them for their age.

Jack, I think MOST criticism (mine at least) in this matter is aimed at the parents . . . THEY are the ones that should look around and think is it right to buzz around people relaxing at the beach ? Is it safe ?
I certainly don't expect the average 16yo to think about these things much.

Good on you for having the maturity you have with your flying, you probably wouldn't go flying like this scenario, even with your vast previous experience.

 

[themixguy]

People that fly with disregard to others are the same people that talk on a speakerphone in a restaurant, leave the “click-click” sound on their smartphone keyboard turned on, smoke a cigar in a public place, blast music in a campsite, and take up two parking spots without a care. It’s THEIR world and we’re just in it.

I think it’s up to us to gently educate them. Find a creative way to share with them a better solution. In regards to drone fliers, start a local user group and promote safe flying habits and events. Drone manufacturers could do a better job of including educational material in the kit and notifications on the box that with great power comes great responsibility.

 

[KiterTodd]

...Would you have been saying the same if you saw a Wife and Husband sit at the beach and fly 2 batteries with their Mavic?..

I would have been saying exactly the same thing.

I can see you taking offense because you are young and of the way I titled the post.

My point, is that the kid doesn't know any better and he has two parents with him who know even less. Doesn't matter how good a flier he is. To the three of them it is just a toy. No regard for others. He flew 40 minutes low over a lot of people on a small beach. It was inconsiderate. It's not just the crash risk, it's everyone having to listen to the thing for that long while trying to enjoy a relaxing day on the beach.

Glad to hear you have worked hard for your drones and fly them responsibly. I'm sure you'll set a positive example for others.

 

[Lapeer20m]

Laser pointers my friends, and a steady hand.

What effect would a laser pointer have on a mavic?

 

[KiterTodd]

What effect would a laser pointer have on a mavic?

I am guessing @Pathogen was just joking, but if you had a VERY steady hand, you could likely hit a sensor and confuse the Mavic.

 

[FlyGuy8675309]

You should have told him about the submarine mode.

 

[geigy]

Not a biggie in my book. If there were no particular danger or mischief, I wouldn't do anything at all, any more than I would if I saw someone jay walking, or throwing a football around.