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Lady threw a rock at my drone

I would just like to know why does everyone that sees a drone, think that the drone is focused on them?
People have witnessed smart bombs on tv. Apache helicopters targeting individuals. Unfortunately they are sensitized to drones as well. These amazing wonders we can control intimidate most people. That is our challenge. My neighbours are fully happy with mine now. Took a few hours and a lot of explaining.
 
I suppose harassment could be considered interference.
Throwing a rock(s) at an airplane is illegal. The FAA considers the interference of a drone in flight a federal crime (art. 18 USC.32) ... Harassing behavior IS interference, while flying your drone it is deemed an "aircraft"and you are the PIC, harassment is distracting and that is a safety issue and is an Air Regs. violation( 49 USC 46504). Both of these carry heavy fines and or jail time.There is no reasonable expectation of privacy on a public beach, you are not violating any of her civil rights regarding privacy, so as long as you are and continue to fly "Part 107" and maintain your horizontal and vertical separation from people you have the right to be there.
 
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My next door neighbor is a woman in her late 80's showing significant signs of dementia. When I first got my drone of course I flew it around in my back yard. She saw it and didn't say anything but her daughter came over weeks later and told me she was having nightmares that someone with a drone was spying on her in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep and was staying up all night looking out the window looking for it (and thinks she is seeing it too). I stopped flying it around my house so as not to disturb her anymore. The point being even though I wasn't doing anything wrong it was still bothering somebody so I feel it is courteous to stop.
 
I go with the line of thought that if you are close enough to an uninvolved person for them to hit the drone with a rock, then you are too close.

I avoid being close to people, but on a couple of occasions I have asked people if they mind me flying close to them when I'm out filming. Never had anyone refuse, but if someone did object I'd be fine with that.
 
I was flying out over the ocean to avoid flying over people in any way. A lady with her dog walks up near my drone, picks up a rock and chucks it at the drone. She misses and picks up another, missing again.

She probably made a facebook post about some "jerk" that filmed "her", exaggerating the distance and how you where flying. I have gotten so much crap lately too here in Norway I am thinking about just pensioning my drone and leave the hobby for good.

Some ahole (your typical entitled millennial with a beard aged 25-30ish) approached me last weekend while I was flying in the middle of nowhere, at least 3km to the closest house. Demanding that I deleted all the the films since he had been watching the drone flying over him (some 100feet above him in a dense forest) and that he had been filmed without his approval, and that I was disturbing his peace while hiking.

I landed the drone, opened up my app, and deleted the footage on my phone, and he "approved" that it was now OK (memory card still intact), but he warned me that he would report me to the police if I took off again. I told him good luck with that since I clearly wasn't breaking any rules. I told him that I would walk 1km in the other direction and fly my drone opposite to the direction he was walking.
 
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She probably made a facebook post about some "jerk" that filmed "her", exaggerating the distance and how you where flying. I have gotten so much crap lately too here in Norway I am thinking about just pensioning my drone and leave the hobby for good.

Some ahole (your typical entitled millennial with a beard aged 25-30ish) approached me last weekend while I was flying in the middle of nowhere, at least 3km to the closest house. Demanding that I deleted all the the films since he had been watching the drone flying over him (some 100feet above him in a dense forest) and that he had been filmed without his approval, and that I was disturbing his peace while hiking.

I landed the drone, opened up my app, and deleted the footage on my phone, and he "approved" that it was now OK (memory card still intact), but he warned me that he would report me to the police if I took off again. I told him good luck with that since I clearly wasn't breaking any rules. I told him that I would walk 1km in the other direction and fly my drone opposite to the direction he was walking.
I think people in public areas have no rights to demand recordings to be erased - approval to record them would only be needed when they are on their own private property...
 
I would just like to know why does everyone that sees a drone, think that the drone is focused on them?

This ^^^^^^^.

Also, who walks on a public beach, and then worries about privacy because they see a drone.
Was she meeting with her drug dealer or something?
When I walk a beach, I just assume that anyone can see me, or maybe tske a picture.
They certainly do not need a drone to snap pictures, about 80% of people likely have a cell phone with them, they all have a camera. That she couldn't hit the drone, also means it really wasn't very close. It was obviously well outside of rock throwing range, and she threw more than one rock.
 
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It's disturbing people lie that exist - they are generally just pretty miserable human beings that are best left alone. I have had a similar situation myself and like yours my drone escaped without damage. I don't know that it would be worth the hassle and angst going through the legal. If your property was damaged I would just fix it and move on but maybe just maybe that lady would suffer her own unfortunate bad luck ?
 
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So interesting story, I was out flying tonight on the beach, in a legal airspace. There were no advisories, airspace’s or restrictions anywhere near me, so it was a 100% legal flight

In addition, I was flying out over the ocean to avoid flying over people in any way. A lady with her dog walks up near my drone, picks up a rock and chucks it at the drone. She misses and picks up another, missing again. My drone was well over 30ft in the air so she luckily didn’t hit it. I was flying several hundred feet away and didn’t have the chance to chase her down, but I just wanted to see what you guys thought might’ve happened if she had hit and broke the drone.

I assume that if the drone was damaged, she would at least be responsible for the damage. Is that true? I just want to learn as much as I can so I’m prepared to educate people on potential charges they may face for harassing part 107 pilots.
im not sure what the crime would be but i would phone the cops on them.. follow them to get lisence plate number or where they live . and if cops don't do anything i would brake something of theres and get the fart out of there... but most likely the cops would be on your side as you have the dji app that will show you where flying and not over people and a broken drone if you got it back if it flew back to you im guessing it was over land when she tossed the rock.. just next time make sure your really far away from anyone so the rock can't reach.
 
As said before, sounds like it was too close to her even if you were flying legally. It’s not helping the sport to get people upset over it.
 

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