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Kids throwing Stones at Drones

Amarand

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Joined
Feb 8, 2018
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Location
Galloway, Ohio, USA
Flying over my property, I was taking pics of my HOA's pond today, and heard some kids yelling.

Then I heard something hit the side of the house.

The little brats were trying to throw stones at my Mavic Air...WTF?!

When they came closer to the fence, I asked them "Are you kids okay?" Twice.

Translation: stop throwing stones at my drone little (expletive removed)s!

After landing, I realized I had caught a five-shot AEB of the kid throwing the stone.

I then shamed them on Nextdoor - with pictures.

Nice throw, kid!

Looking at the flight logs, I never left my property.

Anyone have any thoughts about this situation?
 

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Agree likely just kid stuff , but If I knew the children (where they live) I would also have gone to their parents. They could have hit you or others in your yard and it creates projectiles for your lawnmower to throw hitting windows, people, etc.

Our neighborhood has 74% coverage on Nextdoor, so hopefully one of the folks seeing it will know the kids, and there will be a discussion. I keep to myself. I guess that's one reason to NOT keep to yourself - so you know your neighbors. But I also know my legal rights so...meh.

We've had discussions with kids at the pond to please not toss the rip-rap into the pond, because it's designed and installed as an anti-erosion measure. They still throw stones - and the larger ones too - but not as often. So mission accomplished-ish?

Asking if the kids were okay, and having them react, means they knew where they were and which direction they were throwing the stones, and if the parents ask them to stop by for an apology, I'll accept it. No big deal.
 
"Oh a thing, let's throw stuff at it, it's fun!"
Typical stupid and somewhat uneducated kid stuff. They'll do that with cats as well...

I wouldn't have even known they were tossing stones if they hadn't hit the house/fence. But that kid has a phenomenal throwing arm! I throw poorly.
 
If you were close enough to talk with them you should have they were kids bro.
If you know them and it bothers you so much talk with the parents direct .
Just tell them their kids were trowing rocks at your high dollar toy and hopefully it will stop .
 
I don't think this is in any way specific to a drone. As others have said, kids do some remarkably stupid and destructive things. Back in the early 60s I was playing on the railroad tracks, throwing stones at things I shouldn't. All of a sudden a voice says, "stop, or I'll shoot." My friend bolted, but I froze, and ended up with a railroad policeman** sitting on top of me with his revolver in his hand.

It was a great lesson.

Since you can't do things like that anymore, I think the Nextdoor shaming is a perfect response, and should do the trick.

** I used the traditional term for a "railroad policeman," but the forum software censored that term since, when used in a different context, it can be considered vulgar.
 
Wait and see what kind of response you get from the posting in Nextdoor. If you don’t get any response from it in a week, make another post that the pictures are being taken to the police and the next time your property is hit by kids throwing rocks there will be charges filed.

If the privacy card gets pulled, bring up the fact that if you had been taking pictures with your phone or any other regular camera the privacy card would not even be in the equation.

Another alternative might be to gain altitude, then calmly walk to where the boys are and try getting them to see how the MA is controlled and what the video feed is like. It may get them more interested in flying a drone instead of taking it down with projectiles.
 
Maybe he threw stones to prevent you from filming him to do something unlawfull at the pond.

In Germany, you would now have a problem, since the publishing of the pictures is a violation of data protection laws, but that is just a sidenote.
 
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Your HOA will respond by banning drones! I'm actually shocked they haven't yet.
 
As other's have said, it seems like it's just "kids being kids", and personally I'd just handle it as such - talk to parents, etc. Pretty sure we all did some dumb stuff while growing up (I sure did)! Make sure to point out that, if they should damage the aircraft, then they could easily sustain serious injuries if it were to come down on top of them.

If they're old enough to know better, or the warning doesn't help and they continue the stone throwing, then keep in mind that a drone is usually (certainly in the US and EU) classes as an aircraft, and "endangering an aircraft" (which is what they are doing) can have some serious legal issues attached. Refer the matter to the police or other suitable authority making the same points as above.

On your half, as a responsible pilot, you ought to remove the risk of an incident ASAP. Grab some shots / video of the kids for evidence and land the aircraft to remove the risk, both from stones and crashing drones. If it does become a legal matter, then you'll have done all you possibly could to avoid an incident so there's no possibility of awkward questions about why you continued to fly in a know hazardous situation.
 
That depends on the State. In Florida and Michigan there are State laws that prevent communities and municipalities from doing that.
I was being sarcastic!

However, there are plenty of HOA communities in Florida that have banned drones from taking off and landing within the community.
 
Maybe he threw stones to prevent you from filming him to do something unlawfull at the pond.

In Germany, you would now have a problem, since the publishing of the pictures is a violation of data protection laws, but that is just a sidenote.
In the USA, there is no expectation of privacy when in a public environment. If the kids were in a publicly accessible area, they’re cooked! If not . . .
 
Century Village Boca Raton tried to prevent me from flying my Phantom drone back In 2014 over my condominium. I was sent a cease and desist letter. I told the lawyer to complain to the FAA as I was following all UAS rules. Two inspectors, PHOTO ATTACHED, from the Miramar, Florida office called me up and said they needed to interview me about the complaint from the Century Village’s lawyer.

I spoke to them and showed the aerial photos and politely answered all their questions. Although all field inspectors are licensed pilots, neither one had any hands-on experience with UASs. They wanted to know how I knew altitude, battery life, etc., so I showed them the DJI app. They told me that the FAA controls the airspace over Century Village “right down to the grass.” They said as long as I complied with the 400’ maximum altitude and did not fly over people or structures I was legally permitted to fly.

I still fly my Mavic Pro over my village and urge other UAS owners to stand up to their HOA or CONDO COMMANDO boards and lawyers like I did. Feel free to use the letter, attached, which is a public domain document on FAA stationery, to convince your oppressors that you have the right to fly, compliant with the rules, in the FAA-controlled airspace over your condo or HOA.EE6AF3DF-572F-474B-8DD2-C8872F46B0FE.jpeg8EE9CE05-3F94-4D4F-93CD-650FF156ABEB.jpegtoday
 
I would call the FBI.

Kids are outside playing and doing things kids used to do instead of sitting in their rooms getting fatter by the day playing video games.

Horrific, especially with all the damage they did.
 
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