Maybe it's just a Southern thing...

[edfrombama]

Good evening to all-
I have flown my drones in various places for the past couple of years, but I have only flown in the South, you know, where people speak Southernese- such as "ya'll, no 'rs' or 'g's pronounced," and nearly everyone is polite more or less.
I just got back from a trip to the North Carolina Smoky Mountains, and I flew my drone there, and every person who saw me flying smiled and some cane to see what I was doing, and they all seemed very interested.
I know that other drone pilots have faced antagonism and downright surly behavior, but I have never found it.
Maybe it's just a Southern thing to be polite to others- even when you don't know what they are doing.

You all be safe and keep well- Ed

 

[dirkclod]

We do have away about us duhu
We don’t have the population here in the south to have all the karons for one thing. Life is slower. I’m from chapel Hill North Carolina and things where great many years ago. Was there last
I guess 20 years ago and had changed big time. Think western NC
Was still laid back. Glad you had a great Experience.

 

[Art Cox]

Must be a Southern thing. I live in Western KY, kinda in the South. I was flying downtown here Saturday afternoon at the Justice Center, across the street from the PD, SO and FD, no one said a word. A couple of weeks ago I was in Indiana, (just across the Ohio River) and flew in Class G Airspace and was questioned 4 time in 30 min. by the local PD and locals wanting to know what I thought I was doing? Showed the PD my Part 107 Lic. and that was good enough for them, the locals not so much. Instead of having a confrontation, I just packed up my Phantom 3 and Mini 2 and moved on.

 

[dirkclod]

Guess it’s just where you are. We are here where saterday nite lights are the biggest thing next to hunting and fishing.
So there aren’t not that many droners. Don’t hurt I’m a retired GameWarden ether

 

[BigAl07]

What pat of the Smoky Mtns in NC did you visit? That's where I live

 

[lensimages]

Good evening to all-
I have flown my drones in various places for the past couple of years, but I have only flown in the South, you know, where people speak Southernese- such as "ya'll, no 'rs' or 'g's pronounced," and nearly everyone is polite more or less.
I just got back from a trip to the North Carolina Smoky Mountains, and I flew my drone there, and every person who saw me flying smiled and some cane to see what I was doing, and they all seemed very interested.
I know that other drone pilots have faced antagonism and downright surly behavior, but I have never found it.
Maybe it's just a Southern thing to be polite to others- even when you don't know what they are doing.

You all be safe and keep well- Ed

Been flying drones since Phantom 2 and have only had 2 nasty encounters, but I always try to educate rather than argue and escalate, works well especially for the spying on me people. When they see my images they understand that those tiny people , if any as I try not to Photograph,people, cannot be recognised, cheers Len

 

[Dbez1]

“Educate rather than argue”, I like it Len. I’m sure it doesn’t always work but I suspect it’s much more successful than the opposite.

 

[kevinmat]

I love the South and the warm, embracing nature of the people there!

 

[edfrombama]

What pat of the Smoky Mtns in NC did you visit? That's where I live

BigA107- We stayed at Dillsboro, and I fished Scott Creek- a lovely little stream. I flew over the Tuckaseegee River and got some decent good photos and videos. that's some lovely country, and no doubt about it.

you all be safe and keep well-Ed

 

[BigAl07]

BigA107- We stayed at Dillsboro, and I fished Scott Creek- a lovely little stream. I flew over the Tuckaseegee River and got some decent good photos and videos. that's some lovely country, and no doubt about it.

you all be safe and keep well-Ed

Scott's Creek is one of my "Go to" Fly Fishing spots for sure. Did you fish up above or below the Balsam Mtn Preserve entrance?

 

[retiredNH]

NOT a southern thing. I live in hard yankee country - rural New Hampshire. People are curious about drones, never hostile. But it's more than that. Spouse and I ebike on country roads. Drivers are uniformly respectful of us, patiently waiting to pass.

I suspect the real difference is city vs rural. Take your drone into Atlanta and see how "respectful" folks are...just like if I took my drone into Boston...

 

[hagman23]

Scott's Creek is one of my "Go to" Fly Fishing spots for sure. Did you fish up above or below the Balsam Mtn Preserve entrance?

Hey @BigAl07 - I’m over in Franklin!

 

[rhberg]

Flew my M2P at Cumberland Gap (NE corner of Tennessee) last fall and like you experienced, folks were curious, positive and polite.

 

[Robert Prior]

I suspect the real difference is city vs rural.

The only actively hostile encounter I've had was in the country. I was flying my new Phantom in Walker Woods, just showing the controls to a curious fellow hiker, when a group of women came by riding horses. "Get that thing away, it's frightening my horse" one of them shouts at me, so I quickly land it while she and her companions glare at us. "Get off the trail, my horse kicks" is thrown at us as we're nearly ridden down, then they stay blocking the trail for a while. (Trail priority is supposed to be hikers, then cyclists, then horses, but like trucks on the highway many riders assume that smaller creatures will just get out of their way.)

I don't think it was just the drone — she was just as nasty to a hiker admiring the fall colours right where she wanted to stand (or to be more precise, sit on her horse while it stood).

I could have argued, but I was outnumbers and outmassed (and not just by the horses!). I believe they'd now be called "Karens", although this was before that term was popular.

 

[retiredNH]

The only actively hostile encounter I've had was in the country. I was flying my new Phantom in Walker Woods, just showing the controls to a curious fellow hiker, when a group of women came by riding horses. "Get that thing away, it's frightening my horse" one of them shouts at me, so I quickly land it while she and her companions glare at us. "Get off the trail, my horse kicks" is thrown at us as we're nearly ridden down, then they stay blocking the trail for a while. (Trail priority is supposed to be hikers, then cyclists, then horses, but like trucks on the highway many riders assume that smaller creatures will just get out of their way.)

I don't think it was just the drone — she was just as nasty to a hiker admiring the fall colours right where she wanted to stand (or to be more precise, sit on her horse while it stood).

I could have argued, but I was outnumbers and outmassed (and not just by the horses!). I believe they'd now be called "Karens", although this was before that term was popular.

I wouldn't consider a place with bridal trails to be "rural"! And by my views, Walker Woods is positively suburban! But that's just me, I suspect. If it's any comfort, recreational horse riders hate dogs too. They think they own the trail don't they?

 

[edfrombama]

Good morning to all-
If a person claims his or her horse is bothered by a drone, then that person is not being accurate. In my experience, horses are completely indifferent and unresponsive to drones.
That's just a person blowing smoke and being a jerk- or perhaps in this case, a jerkette.

you all be safe and keep well- Ed

 

[Robert Prior]

If it's any comfort, recreational horse riders hate dogs too. They think they own the trail don't they?

I've met hundreds of nice dogs hiking there. One nice rider. (And she was British, from her accent. Nice young lady, let me take a picture of her and her horse for my grandnephews in China.)

At one of the entrances someone has gone so far as to post an official-looking sign stating that other trail users have to yield to horses! I suspect one of the local stables who use the public trails but I'm not sure. TRCA says it isn't their sign, so I'm tempted to take it down next time I go there.

 

[Chaosrider]

Good evening to all-
I have flown my drones in various places for the past couple of years, but I have only flown in the South, you know, where people speak Southernese- such as "ya'll, no 'rs' or 'g's pronounced," and nearly everyone is polite more or less.
I just got back from a trip to the North Carolina Smoky Mountains, and I flew my drone there, and every person who saw me flying smiled and some cane to see what I was doing, and they all seemed very interested.
I know that other drone pilots have faced antagonism and downright surly behavior, but I have never found it.
Maybe it's just a Southern thing to be polite to others- even when you don't know what they are doing.

You all be safe and keep well- Ed

A sign of a truly civilized society!

 

[hiflyer201]

.

Get that thing away, it's frightening my horse" one of them shouts at me,

Let's face it...some horses are looking for an excuse to ditch their unsecure riders but the best one I ever heard when riding was "could you please get off the trail, my horse is terrified of yellow. I think I was wearing a yellow cap.
I have no idea where Robert could have gotten the idea that anyone or thing has the right of way over horses on trails. That is just not true., Never has never will.

 

[MS Coast]

I wouldn't consider a place with bridal trails to be "rural"! And by my views, Walker Woods is positively suburban! But that's just me, I suspect. If it's any comfort, recreational horse riders hate dogs too. They think they own the trail don't they?

You might expect a very different reaction near a bridal trail compared to what you'd find at a bridle trail.

The expectation of privacy might be somewhat higher at the former.