I have been flying for 3 years now and a member of this forum for the past 2. I am a frequent contributor to the forum and have really enjoyed learning from others and sharing stories both good and bad. Let me say that overall I feel that the majority of those I have talked with and met in the UAS/Drone community both in the forums and in person are very courteous and respectful of others. We don't always agree on positions, but we do agree to disagree in a somewhat civil manner. I have had many opposing positions with some in posts and then turn right around and agree with, support and defend their positions in other posts.
In person I have seen a lot of other people out flying over the last 3 years, more in the last year than in the first 2, and for the most part is has been like guys riding motorcycles down the highway. You know how you see them kind of give the downward wave to each other as they pass buy or that "sup" nod as they walk by each other. Of those I have interacted and had actual conversations with, it was overall a good experience. We talked about what we were flying, what kind of video or photography we did, shared YouTube channel addresses (if they had one) and had some good conversations about flying in general.
If I am in an area flying and I see another drone nearby (that I didn't see when I launched), typically I will immediately bring the bird back to my position and hover until I identify where the other pilot is flying from and make sure he or she sees me as well. If they do not see me, then I land and then go over to where they are, and once they land, introduce myself and start a conversation that 99% of the time leads into a great encounter. Once we both know each is flying in the same area, we usually take turns or establish an area where we will stay clear of the other. For the most part the UAS/Drone community is very courtesy and respectful.
But there are some in this forum, and in the community in general that are not. They have this ME, ME, ME attitude or the opinion that the rules do not apply to them and think " I don't need no stinking waiver or license to do anything". The one I hate the most is, " I live here, have all my life, and I know what I can and can't do". Case in point happened to me just last month. I am part of a kayak team that has paddled an annual long distance trip for the past 8 years raising money for a non profit. We paddle the same area, same number of days, same stops and after 8 days end up in the same place as we have each and every year. The last stop is in a very small town of less than 200 permanent residents that 1 weekend a year has a huge boat show where a few thousand people come through over three days.
I have recorded, documented, photographed and filmed each and every trip from start to finish and over the last 3 years been using my Mavic as part of the process. It hasn't been easy to do. During the trip I pass through Class D airspace 3 times, 2 of those are military bases. The whole last day of the trip we paddle through 1 commercial Class D, 1 military Class D and at the end of the day we wind up in a Restricted Special Use Airspace (which by the way covers a few hundred square miles including the town where we stay at the end). I have my part 107 license and I do all my flying during this trip as commercial flights so we can use footage as fundraising publicity. I spend months ahead of time putting together flight plans, submitting them, obtaining waivers and special permissions where necessary. I coordinate with air traffic control when necessary on the days I am going to fly. In the restricted air space they require me to call before I launch and call after I land. I have been working with them for the last three years and we have a good relationship.
So here is what went down... The weather on the last three days wasn't very cooperative. We had some strong winds and thunderstorms so we missed a day of paddling and two days of flying. The day we missed paddling the weather was crappy that morning but the afternoon got better so we decided we wanted to film some B-Roll stuff of us cleaning gear, loading up to go home, of some of the scenery in the harbor, etc. So I am in restricted airspace so I call over to my contact at the Air Station ATC and tell him the plan. He gives us the all clear actually for the whole day as they don't have any operations going on. So I grab all the gear and start out when I look out to the dock and see this guy and girl standing on the dock with a remote in their hand. The guy is in probably his early 60's and the girl is maybe mid 20's. There is a sailing event going on out in the sound and I notice they have a Mavic flying out over the sailboats.
So I walk down to the dock and politely ask what they have going on. Neither say much, but then the guy says we are filming the regatta. So I ask him does he had a waiver to fly here. He says, I don't have a license or a waiver, I don't need one because I am not flying commercially. So then I ask him what he is doing with the video, to which he says helping out the local Rotary Club with some promotion of the event. So I ask, again politely, did you get a waiver to fly in the restricted airspace. He starts rambling on about how he lives here, the military doesn't care if they fly over town or the waters around town, they talked to "so in so" down at the base a long time ago, yada, yada, yada and then basically told me to go mind my own business. So it is then that I inform him of three things, one that what he is doing is considered commercial regardless of what he calls it, second that he is in restricted airspace and to my knowledge I am the only pilot with a waiver and authorization to fly in the airspace during the entire day, and third I rented the house which included the yard and dock where he is standing and to my knowledge he didn't have permission to operate from the private property. Well it is then that he really got rude. Went into telling me how he had lived there all his life, could do whatever he wanted, knew the people that use to own the house, had friends at the Air Station, etc... Not one single time did he look me in the eye, (he wasn't flying by the way, the girl with him was, he was looking at some pictures on his phone). Finally I told him I was the only one with a waiver and permission to fly from this property and I was getting my stuff together to make a flight in the next few minutes.
I walked back up to the house and got my stuff together and kept a watch out on them. Within a couple of minutes after I left, they brought their Mavic down, packed everything away and left. I saw the guy a couple of other times over the next two days carrying his Mavic around in a bag, but I never saw him fly again while I was there. It was the only negative interaction that I have had in the 3 years with another pilot. If I had been doing a job for money I probably would have been a real jerk to him and called over to the Air Station to report him and a lot of other things too, but it was just a minor inconvenience to me that he was flying in a space that I had permission to fly and he didn't. But, I have had other interactions with people on the forum that had the same mind set as this guy and sometimes I can let it go and others I can't. The moral to the story though is if we are just courteous and respectful to each other we can all get along, but when you aren't it might be time to go on the offensive.
In person I have seen a lot of other people out flying over the last 3 years, more in the last year than in the first 2, and for the most part is has been like guys riding motorcycles down the highway. You know how you see them kind of give the downward wave to each other as they pass buy or that "sup" nod as they walk by each other. Of those I have interacted and had actual conversations with, it was overall a good experience. We talked about what we were flying, what kind of video or photography we did, shared YouTube channel addresses (if they had one) and had some good conversations about flying in general.
If I am in an area flying and I see another drone nearby (that I didn't see when I launched), typically I will immediately bring the bird back to my position and hover until I identify where the other pilot is flying from and make sure he or she sees me as well. If they do not see me, then I land and then go over to where they are, and once they land, introduce myself and start a conversation that 99% of the time leads into a great encounter. Once we both know each is flying in the same area, we usually take turns or establish an area where we will stay clear of the other. For the most part the UAS/Drone community is very courtesy and respectful.
But there are some in this forum, and in the community in general that are not. They have this ME, ME, ME attitude or the opinion that the rules do not apply to them and think " I don't need no stinking waiver or license to do anything". The one I hate the most is, " I live here, have all my life, and I know what I can and can't do". Case in point happened to me just last month. I am part of a kayak team that has paddled an annual long distance trip for the past 8 years raising money for a non profit. We paddle the same area, same number of days, same stops and after 8 days end up in the same place as we have each and every year. The last stop is in a very small town of less than 200 permanent residents that 1 weekend a year has a huge boat show where a few thousand people come through over three days.
I have recorded, documented, photographed and filmed each and every trip from start to finish and over the last 3 years been using my Mavic as part of the process. It hasn't been easy to do. During the trip I pass through Class D airspace 3 times, 2 of those are military bases. The whole last day of the trip we paddle through 1 commercial Class D, 1 military Class D and at the end of the day we wind up in a Restricted Special Use Airspace (which by the way covers a few hundred square miles including the town where we stay at the end). I have my part 107 license and I do all my flying during this trip as commercial flights so we can use footage as fundraising publicity. I spend months ahead of time putting together flight plans, submitting them, obtaining waivers and special permissions where necessary. I coordinate with air traffic control when necessary on the days I am going to fly. In the restricted air space they require me to call before I launch and call after I land. I have been working with them for the last three years and we have a good relationship.
So here is what went down... The weather on the last three days wasn't very cooperative. We had some strong winds and thunderstorms so we missed a day of paddling and two days of flying. The day we missed paddling the weather was crappy that morning but the afternoon got better so we decided we wanted to film some B-Roll stuff of us cleaning gear, loading up to go home, of some of the scenery in the harbor, etc. So I am in restricted airspace so I call over to my contact at the Air Station ATC and tell him the plan. He gives us the all clear actually for the whole day as they don't have any operations going on. So I grab all the gear and start out when I look out to the dock and see this guy and girl standing on the dock with a remote in their hand. The guy is in probably his early 60's and the girl is maybe mid 20's. There is a sailing event going on out in the sound and I notice they have a Mavic flying out over the sailboats.
So I walk down to the dock and politely ask what they have going on. Neither say much, but then the guy says we are filming the regatta. So I ask him does he had a waiver to fly here. He says, I don't have a license or a waiver, I don't need one because I am not flying commercially. So then I ask him what he is doing with the video, to which he says helping out the local Rotary Club with some promotion of the event. So I ask, again politely, did you get a waiver to fly in the restricted airspace. He starts rambling on about how he lives here, the military doesn't care if they fly over town or the waters around town, they talked to "so in so" down at the base a long time ago, yada, yada, yada and then basically told me to go mind my own business. So it is then that I inform him of three things, one that what he is doing is considered commercial regardless of what he calls it, second that he is in restricted airspace and to my knowledge I am the only pilot with a waiver and authorization to fly in the airspace during the entire day, and third I rented the house which included the yard and dock where he is standing and to my knowledge he didn't have permission to operate from the private property. Well it is then that he really got rude. Went into telling me how he had lived there all his life, could do whatever he wanted, knew the people that use to own the house, had friends at the Air Station, etc... Not one single time did he look me in the eye, (he wasn't flying by the way, the girl with him was, he was looking at some pictures on his phone). Finally I told him I was the only one with a waiver and permission to fly from this property and I was getting my stuff together to make a flight in the next few minutes.
I walked back up to the house and got my stuff together and kept a watch out on them. Within a couple of minutes after I left, they brought their Mavic down, packed everything away and left. I saw the guy a couple of other times over the next two days carrying his Mavic around in a bag, but I never saw him fly again while I was there. It was the only negative interaction that I have had in the 3 years with another pilot. If I had been doing a job for money I probably would have been a real jerk to him and called over to the Air Station to report him and a lot of other things too, but it was just a minor inconvenience to me that he was flying in a space that I had permission to fly and he didn't. But, I have had other interactions with people on the forum that had the same mind set as this guy and sometimes I can let it go and others I can't. The moral to the story though is if we are just courteous and respectful to each other we can all get along, but when you aren't it might be time to go on the offensive.
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