My run-in with a security guard! (And other happy stories)

[FL1H1]

Agreed!!
That is one reason that I seldom watch the news on TV.
I find myself shouting at the TV, "Didn't anything GOOD happen today?"

I'm the same - I've largely switched off to the ferociously negative, SJW obsessed news - I occasionally glance at it and just think, same@@@p, different day. I've switched off before because some make me feel like throwing rotten tomatoes at the TV lol. As for encounters, all mine so far have been similar - people are seriously intrigued by my drone, dog walkers I'm polite to them, they're polite to me. Sure I'll meet a grumpy one, one day though.

 

[Qoncussion]

Sorry to hijack your thread @Qoncussion

Nah, keep it going. This is the longest conversation I've seen here without a fight breaking out

 

[Qoncussion]

Agreed!!
That is one reason that I seldom watch the news on TV.
I find myself shouting at the TV, "Didn't anything GOOD happen today?"

I'm the same - I've largely switched off to the ferociously negative, SJW obsessed news - I occasionally glance at it and just think, same@@@p, different day. I've switched off before because some make me feel like throwing rotten tomatoes at the TV lol. As for encounters, all mine so far have been similar - people are seriously intrigued by my drone, dog walkers I'm polite to them, they're polite to me. Sure I'll meet a grumpy one, one day though.

The 10pm and 11pm news, in all markets, has a motto, "If it bleeds, it leads." So the first five, or so, stories will generally be about death and destruction. True story...

 

[DroningOn]

I was out flying this past weekend south of Vegas near Jean when a Highway Patrol State Trooper pulled up to me and asked if I was OK. I responded "yes Im just flying my drone. Thanks for checking on me". He sat for a second and watched as I took of. I gave him a "wing wag" and flew off and the trooper said have a nice day and drove off.

In my backyard too..... in my experience NHP guys are pretty chill. Last year I was pulled over on LV Blvd between Sloan and Jean after a shoot in Hidden Valley. I wasn’t paying attention and was going a little fast. The trooper walked up and glanced in the back of the cab where there were a half dozen uncased AKs and ARs, including a couple of full autos. He smiled and said “looks like fun”. I said it was and he just said I should slow it down and have a good day and walked back to his Explorer. There are good ones out there

 

[rstekeur]

I've never had a bad experience and I do a lot of commercial work flying. I was flying my plane one day a a police car pulled up behind me. He asked for the name of the hobby store I got it from so he could get one also. I find that mostly people are interested. I offer to show them my screen so they can see what I see and mostly they're just interested. I'm always willing to share with people what I enjoy so much

 

[StrayaMaate]

Hard to maintain any authority when there is a drone. Turns anyone into a kid again.

 

[elwyn5150]

I had a friendly encounter with another park user. I showed him the view from my phone and controller. The most memorable part was that we politely disagreed on how far away the drone was. He said that was a golfer and good at estimating distances and his estimate was a lot shorter than what the controller said.

 

[Flycaster]

In my backyard too..... in my experience NHP guys are pretty chill. Last year I was pulled over on LV Blvd between Sloan and Jean after a shoot in Hidden Valley. I wasn’t paying attention and was going a little fast. The trooper walked up and glanced in the back of the cab where there were a half dozen uncased AKs and ARs, including a couple of full autos. He smiled and said “looks like fun”. I said it was and he just said I should slow it down and have a good day and walked back to his Explorer. There are good ones out there

All depends in which state you live in.....I live in the state of Unicorns and Rainbows....sigh.....

 

[DroningOn]

All depends in which state you live in.....I live in the state of Unicorns and Rainbows....sigh.....

Unfortunately a lot of those unicorns have moved here in the last 15 years. :-/

 

[Fidel Mavic]

Cops are people too

I believe the way you approach a police officer the way he treat you ,respect is my number one policy with the authorities ,they doing their job ; I hear on the news related police and drones something about shot down a drone with laser beam,anyone more inform than me ?

 

[Marty Markoe]

I'm the same - I've largely switched off to the ferociously negative, SJW obsessed news -

Yes, we are now a much better country because of the purveyors of hate who call FACTS fake news.
Marty
A middle of the roader fed up with the diviseness of both ends of the political spectrum.

 

[Chahk]

Nah, keep it going. This is the longest conversation I've seen here without a fight breaking out

No, YOU shut up!

J/k.

I was flying my Mavic Pro at the resort I was staying at the Caribbean, and saw a security guard heading my way. My mood immediately dipped expecting to be told to pack it up (resorts generally don't like drones.) The guard lady was just curious, and wanted to see a drone up close. I showed her the views and when I land she was totally floored about how tiny the Mavic is when folded up.

 

[mikepe3]

Agreed!!
That is one reason that I seldom watch the news on TV.
I find myself shouting at the TV, "Didn't anything GOOD happen today?"

If it did, you won't see it on the local TV news.

 

[El Dedos]

Similar "good" encounter. I fly at a local city park. Baseball fields, golf course, pool,etc.
Usually early on Sunday morning. No people or very few. Flying my Mavic over the golf course
at 320 feet. You couldn't hear it. Took it out to 3200 feet when a park employee in a truck,
so he wasn't park police, pulled up and asked where I was flying. I told him and he said
no problem as long as I wasn't flying over the pool. He said someone had flown over
the pool recently and their drone had been confiscated. I didn't ask any specifics but he was nice
and so I landed and left.

 

[Former Member]

He said that was a golfer and good at estimating distances and his estimate was a lot shorter than what the controller said.

As a golfer, he should learn that a golfer always wants to exaggerate higher than lower, especially when it comes to driving balls. "I hit that sucker so hard, it must have gone 400 yards." Same as fishing stories.

 

[Kevinc69]

I see so many stories of neighbors and police who negatively interfere with drone flights. So I wanted to tip the scales a bit with a very brief encounter I had today. There is a field near Truckee, California, where I often fly. A security guard monitors a construction site in the field during the weekends. I was in the middle of a flight, when I saw him heading my way. The field is massive, so he had to traverse about a 1/4 mile to reach me. As he approached, I smiled and threw a very friendly, "Hello!" his way. He smiled, waived and returned a very friendly, "Hello." Upon reaching me, and while I was still in-flight, I asked him what he was up to. I was bearing down on my teeth, expecting some form of a lecture. He said, "I'm guarding the job site, but what you're doing looks way more fun!" so he hung out with me while I burned up a few batteries.

Oh sorry ~ no drama here. Just know that not everyone is out to get you . A smile goes a long way...

I have yet to have a negative experience with anyone. I've had a few come up worried about privacy, so I showed them what I see, the beautiful views from 200' up and how much fun it is to fly. If I was to make a guess, I'd say 10 people bought one shortly after the encounter. I did know that 3 close friends or relatives have already bought one after checking mine out.

 

[JimPickett]

I fly responsibly in a small Upstate NY City. The Mayor, PD and FD all know me through covering events around town and welcome me to fly anywhere. A lot of times I position myself near authorities at events, and they end up watching the monitor with me. I stay around the perimeters of gatherings and events and take off/land well away from people. This relationship developed so well because I approach and ask for approval before flying, and always have a planned flight path and altitude that I share with them. Whenever I'm flying at parks or just for scenery and LE sees me, I always get a wave. The relationships we build as drone pilots with the public begin with us. And it's very true in this case that 1st impressions last.

 

[Harrier]

I enjoyed this thread immensely! Thanks...

 

[jag32266]

Hi Classic, I think around here it is Chief Of Police- Cop. In my neck of the woods their prefer Deputy or Sheriff. Deputy as in Deputy sheriff. The Sheriff prefers Chief. JM.02

 

[Mike_Flys]

I was out flying this past weekend south of Vegas near Jean when a Highway Patrol State Trooper pulled up to me and asked if I was OK. I responded "yes Im just flying my drone. Thanks for checking on me". He sat for a second and watched as I took of. I gave him a "wing wag" and flew off and the trooper said have a nice day and drove off.

Don't fly close to the prison out there. They hate that