Neighbor Hates Drone Questions for You Guys and Gals?

[cderoche]

Jesus you two, let it go already, your taking up pages to have a bloody argument, it's an aircraft, and a model airplane and unless you 2 high and mighty's do something that involves a plot of destruction or otherwise, neither of you is gonna ever be anywhere near the FAA, or a courtroom having your stupid debate over what the **** it is

 

[FlyGuy8675309]

Jesus you two, let it go already, your taking up pages to have a bloody argument, it's an aircraft, and a model airplane and unless you 2 high and mighty's do something that involves a plot of destruction or otherwise, neither of you is gonna ever be anywhere near the FAA, or a courtroom having your stupid debate over what the **** it is

It's an aircraft. And you're a grouch.

 

[kyle76joslin]

My neighbors are into motocross and dirtbikes...I took a few pictures of the track they built on the front yard. Now they want to get a uav. Just like with anything else, its how your introduced to something.

 

[Steven Georges]

I don't know how approachable or mad he currently is, but I always offer to let them fly the drone. (I can be rather persuasive)
When they get their hands on the sticks and see it move on their command, their attitude changes considerably.
I'm also explaining to them how the camera has a wide angle lens on it, it doesn't zoom into backyards, that I don't care about backyards - they are boring, and that Google and Apple fly over their backyards all the time. If I want to see someone's backyard, I just go to the internet.

 

[GovGeek]

G

I don't know how approachable or mad he currently is, but I always offer to let them fly the drone. (I can be rather persuasive)
When they get their hands on the sticks and see it move on their command, their attitude changes considerably.
I'm also explaining to them how the camera has a wide angle lens on it, it doesn't zoom into backyards, that I don't care about backyards - they are boring, and that Google and Apple fly over their backyards all the time. If I want to see someone's backyard, I just go to the internet.

Yikes, I understand the idea of this. But it gives them the perfect opportunity to crash it into a nearby obstacle.

 

[m0j0]

I wouldn't give the sticks to hardly anyone. Let alone someone who is already ticked.

 

[MAVICPILOT13]

Yeah... give the control of a "*expletive* *expletive*" drone to a cranky neighbor. What could go wrong!?!

As always, if someone approaches me in a polite and non-threatening way, we can discuss drones and their privacy right all they want. If not, I can be rather "convincing" too... And FSM forbid they threaten to shoot it down... that pretty much guarantees a fly-by ala TopGun every chance I get =P.

If someone wants me to stop piloting my drone legally, they had better not act like the horror stories on this forum. I'm the type of guy that doesn't look for trouble, but if it comes looking for me I don't fold like a cheap suit just because they're annoyed. Every time you give in to the nutjobs and instead forfeit your own rights, they get to jump on the "IH8MavicPilots" forum and talk about the big victory they just had over their "evil pilot neighbor".

Don't be a pushover! If you're abiding by the rules and someone wants to be an a-hole anyway, you don't have to melt into a puddle and take your drone home.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I don't fold like a cheap suit just because they're annoyed. Don't be a pushover! If you're abiding by the rules and someone wants to be an a-hole anyway, you don't have to melt into a puddle and take your drone home.

I think people here feel similarly, and not being soft as such. . . in this case (a direct neighbour) you have to live with them nearby, perhaps for a long time, it's worth a shot to talk to them first.
It seems to be a first of encounter, and nothing has been done since to try and educate or smooth over neighbourly relations.

If they are 'horses rear ends' when trying to do the right thing, then it's time to talk to the local law enforcement and advise what this person is threatening.

Like I said in my previous post, if your drone goes down on their land, you need permission to access the land to recover it.
Pretty sure that would apply in most regions with US, Australian, UK, et al, law.
If they see it go down and you are on bad terms, you might have little recourse to recover it, or they might be vindictive and accidentally run over it or something.

 

[m0j0]

Don't be a pushover! If you're abiding by the rules and someone wants to be an a-hole anyway, you don't have to melt into a puddle and take your drone home.

Im going to agree in some degree to this statement. I am always decent to people who are decent to me... but I will not run away because someone is being a jerk. If someone is being stupid they likely won't even get a comment from me at all as long as the keep their distance. If they approach me then all bets are off.

Funny story, guy at a park is sitting by his vehicle he's about 100 feet away or so. I am demonstrating the abilities of the Mavic to my friend. The closest residence is 2 miles away. I take off get to about 75 feet in altitude and fly out. I don't fly over him but he starts chirping... don't fly over me.. you can't fly here... yada yada yada. I pay him no attention at all and just keep flying. I guess he thought I was hard of hearing or because he was at my 9 o'clock that I could not hear him. No matter, I keep flying he's getting louder and louder and I can tell he is getting heated up. I don't acknowledge him at all. Finally he gets brash and decides he is going to approach me. He comes over yapping about drones and pointing and said "I'm calling the police you can't fly here." I still give him no attention and don't even face him in acknowledgment. He walks up to about 15 feet. It's about that time that he sees my service weapon and badge on my hip. He sees my buddies service weapon and badge on his hip as well. He does an about face and walks away. Funny thing is that is the second time that happened at the same park. As an aside.. it is perfectly legal to fly there.

Hmmm I wonder what he was going to say?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

For sure, but we're talking about the OPs situation, a neighbour, got to give it a go before going up a notch.

 

[Chip]

Dispute between neighbors more likely resolved by reference to state trespass, nuisance and reckless endangerment laws than FAA hobby guidelines. One thing for sure, I would not approach armed drone pilot to question flight plan or operation especially if they had badge!

 

[GovGeek]

...that pretty much guarantees a fly-by ala TopGun every chance I get =P.

Negative Ghostrider, the pattern is full! LOL

 

[cderoche]

I never thought of wearing my sidearm while flying but I might start now, I'm ex LEO so no badge anymore but 2nd amendment is still our friend

 

[2nckayakers]

Flying or not I always carry except when I am at work. Which I very rarely carry openly so no one would see when I was flying anyway. But my point in carrying is not to intimidate anyone anyway so that is beside the point.

 

[Arkarian]

The neighbor across the street thought my drone was cool. Then one day I had it above my house taking a picture of my house and he came over upset that he was having a cookout and my drone was unnerving. The drone was above my house at 250 feet so I guess he saw it from his backyard.

This is the same guy who cussed out my daughter for the our dog barking when it was the next door neighbors dog that was doing all the barking.

 

[cderoche]

The neighbor across the street thought my drone was cool. Then one day I had it above my house taking a picture of my house and he came over upset that he was having a cookout and my drone was unnerving. The drone was above my house at 250 feet so I guess he saw it from his backyard.

This is the same guy who cussed out my daughter for the our dog barking when it was the next door neighbors dog that was doing all the barking.

None of my neighbors ever complained yet, a few came watch me fly at least once. I think maybe mine are so used to seeing it go way up and zoom off so often they probably don't even look up at it anymore.

 

[2nckayakers]

Well the neighbor that I started this OP about is not the worse one I have had. The previous neighbor next door was the worse one. Her and her husband were do nothings. Slept most of the day, partied all night. Never worked (which is why they got evicted and aren't there anymore). But when they first moved in they weren't so bad. I never talked to the guy, but the woman came over once with a friend of her to ask about my drones. They had originally saw me playing around with a little Syma X5 in the yard and then later with the Mavic. So we had a decent conversation even though you could tell she had a lot of misinformation about drones. She kept talking about how someone she knew used to have a drone but then the gubment too control of it one day while he was flying and away it went never to be seen again. And how he was using his zoom lens to spy on people in their old neighborhood from a mile away. Your typical misinformation that we all have heard others say. Anyway I had a good conversation with her about them. Plugged my controller into a big tablet and flew it around so they could see really well. I even flew it down close up so she could see just how close it had to be before you could recognize faces. Overall it was a great conversation, or so I thought. Then about the time they got their eviction notice and were hanging around for the 30 days till they got tossed out, they started having more and more parties at night with some really loud people. I had changed a motor out on the Syma one night and decided to take it out to the front yard and test it. So I got in the front yard and just took it up 30 or 40 feet and was hovering it over the yard just taking baby steps to make sure the motor was ok. About 5 minutes (which is all the battery lasts) and I bring it down. Pick it up and start back to the house and here comes one of her loud drunk friends hollering across the yard about how I was invading their privacy and spying on them and they were going to call the cops. So I just politely tell the guy that I was just testing a motor repair and I didn't even have a camera on it and even if I did it was too dark outside to see anything and even if I was able to see there was nothing interesting at all about them that would make me want to spy on them. I started back to the house and he just kept on and on and then the neighbor lady starts egging him on saying I have been flying the thing and spying on them since they moved there. He then started saying how he had a drone and he knew what they could do and that he knew mine had a camera and could see everything they were doing. So finally I stopped and had a few words and told him if he wanted to call the police to go ahead and then we could let them sort it out. Which they didn't because they were drunk and who knows what else they had going on. I figured he was the idiot that she was talking about that had the flyaway because he didn't know how to operated the thing and then wanted to blame it on the gubment. Anyway that was one of two incidents I had with that crowd before they were finally evicted. The other one I posted about on here a month or so ago and that time I thought my concealed gun was going to be un concealed because the drunk idiot started across my yard and towards me. But I just went in and shut the door on them that night. They weren't worth anyone getting hurt over.

 

[m0j0]

If you can walk away from them that's a good deal.

 

[JMF]

I've had my share of idiot neighbor's you have my condolences.