public

[Paramedicpilot]

Hi.
I am new to drone flying, I have a Mavic air which I love, still learning loads about it. I recently took it out to fly, i found a large open space near to where I live, there was only 2-3 members of the public around. I flew my drone to test camera etc. Had a really good flight, no problems, learnt loads, landed safely. then, from out of nowhere a woman appeared marching with purpose towards me. She said, and I quote, " are you flying that thing for your own pleasure? not considering anybody else, just thinking about yourself?" I was gob smacked, I said I was, but there was no-one else around to think about, she then went on to say that it sounds like a wasp and it is affecting her tinnitus, trying to suppress a smile I asked her if she had the same problem with motorbikes and grass strimmer's, she walked off calling me selfish.
Does this happen a lot? I thought I had found a really good place to fly, it has put me off going back.

 

[old man mavic]

@Paramedicpilot ,first off welcome to the forum, its a good idea when you first join the forum to go to pilot check in and introduce yourself
well where to start
have you got your Operator ID number displayed on the drone ,and also have you done the free test to get your flyer id as well
all these things can be obtained by going onto the CAA web site
also you need to follow the drone code when you are flying

 

[Paramedicpilot]

Hi, Yes, all done, operator ID number is on my drone, I have my flyer ID also.
I will go to pilot check in now.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Welcome to the forum.

You will find threads of the vein on the forum, but in general most pilots are pretty unlucky to strike these drone ignorant people when out flying.
Hopefully you were just unlucky this time.

Obviously you were supposed to have ESP and know she was suffering tinnitus, and land / leave the rea asap so she could have some quiet
Don't worry "It's her, not you".

 

[Paramedicpilot]

I suppose I will come across similar people, I am used to it through work, did not expect to encounter this following a new hobby.

 

[cheddar-man]

Hi there and welcome to the forum and the amazing hobby of drones. I'm down in rural Devon.
Was the "large green space" a public park? If so you might want to check the Council rules about flying there other than that just follow the rules and ignore such people. I was flying in a field once and Dad with daughter came walking across from the village about 500m away and started ranting about us all being perverts! I suggested that if he had a problem he should contact the police!

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I am used to it through work

God yes, I bet.
Paras have some terrible issues on the job here, tough breed.

Chin up, you'll probably not see her again, or strike too many like that.

 

[old man mavic]

@Paramedicpilot ,thats great that you are being a responsible pilot, and doing everything you can ,to fly within the code
no matter how much effort you put into things ,there is always going to be someone who will get upset when you fly your drone,just be polite and defuse the situation if you can

 

[edfrombama]

Good afternoon to all-

And that little happening right there is why I do not fly in "public" places. I launch and fly from private property upon which I have permission to fly or I find a place away far far from others and where I am very unlikely to encounter any other "public" people.
I keep myself isolated and I keep myself to myself. I fear that any drone flier who takes off and lands in "public" spaces is going to face this kind of idiocy- or worse. And at this point in my life, I don't deal so very well with idiocy in others.
It might seem that "public" space is open to all, but there will be others who will object to us and our little drones having fun.
As a wise man once said, " You can't fix stupid."

you all be safe and keep well- Ed

 

[MaximusCZ]

I think those people dont really care about drones, they are just looking for "anything" to justify a confrontation. She is not mad about drone, she is just mad and used your drone as a reason to have a fight.
My advice: Dont be bothered in the slightest

 

[caryflyboy]

She is lucky she met you and not myself, because I would probably have told her off, and then as the argument progressed more..... she would have got to see my gold star, and got a ride in a nice suv with hard plastic seats and a cage for aggravated assualt on an off duty officer. People just have seemed to have lost all common sense these past couple years.

 

[DARKSeifer]

It's normal, you'll ge used to it. If you are within the rules random Karens can say whatever they want. Never argue, just be nice, say you are a landscape photographer and they'll just leave.

Miss those days when doing lanscape/architecture with the tripod and in less than 10 minutes I already had randoms asking what I was doing

Drones are just regular tripods but with a x100 multiplier

 

[Hermey]

Before I ever even thought about drones, I have had all kinds of experiences in life which clarified to me that a lot of people tend to complain about a lot of things, related to their sense of what they expect when out in public, on sidewalks, or in parks. And the realization I came to, was that in order to avoid unpleasant situations, it can be helpful to avoid the public or "disguise" what you're doing if you are doing something in any way different or unexpected.

For instance, one time I was out in a park hiking. I had a clipboard with me upon which I'd written some notes for a writing project I was working on. As I was walking along the trail, I looked at my clipboard, and someone came by and asked what I was doing. I thought this was quite intrusive, and didn't want to be put on the spot to explain myself, so I simply said "it's private" and he couldn't take no for an answer. He became outraged and wanted to know what I was doing, and began yelling at me. It became quite ugly when he realized that I was not going to tell him anything about my private project. His assumption was that since I had a clipboard, and was out in public, I was obligated to explain myself.

This was ludicrous but demonstrated to me that there are all kinds of ridiculous people out there. One moral of that story was, that I realized that if you are doing anything that is at all "different" or unusual, SOME people might want an explanation, or even demand an explanation. Hence there is some value in avoiding the public whenever possible, if you are doing something that isn't strictly "typical" in the parks, etc.

 

[MaximusCZ]

he couldn't take no for an answer. He became outraged and wanted to know what I was doing, and began yelling at me.

Brutal

 

[caryflyboy]

Before I ever even thought about drones, I have had all kinds of experiences in life which clarified to me that a lot of people tend to complain about a lot of things, related to their sense of what they expect when out in public, on sidewalks, or in parks. And the realization I came to, was that in order to avoid unpleasant situations, it can be helpful to avoid the public or "disguise" what you're doing if you are doing something in any way different or unexpected.

For instance, one time I was out in a park hiking. I had a clipboard with me upon which I'd written some notes for a writing project I was working on. As I was walking along the trail, I looked at my clipboard, and someone came by and asked what I was doing. I thought this was quite intrusive, and didn't want to be put on the spot to explain myself, so I simply said "it's private" and he couldn't take no for an answer. He became outraged and wanted to know what I was doing, and began yelling at me. It became quite ugly when he realized that I was not going to tell him anything about my private project. His assumption was that since I had a clipboard, and was out in public, I was obligated to explain myself.

This was ludicrous but demonstrated to me that there are all kinds of ridiculous people out there. One moral of that story was, that I realized that if you are doing anything that is at all "different" or unusual, SOME people might want an explanation, or even demand an explanation. Hence there is some value in avoiding the public whenever possible, if you are doing something that isn't strictly "typical" in the parks, etc.

that is one nice thing about being a former cop from an on duty shooting injury, still have the badge and permit to carry a weapon.... people who want to act stupid usually decide to act better when they see the star and sidearm in the holster. common sense they lost, they suddenly find it and use it.

 

[cheddar-man]

Thank goodness we don't need guns here in the UK to make people see sense. Gentle talking with a smile usually works.

 

[edfrombama]

Good morning to all-
cheddar-man- sometimes that works here, but to be honest, we have such a wide range of "personality" types in the US, that it's hard to assume everyone else is reasonable and will listen and understand what is being said.
I don't have nor keep firearms- i gave up hunting some time ago- and I regret that so many folks here are armed.

good day to all- Ed

 

[cheddar-man]

Lovely reply Ed, keep safe.

 

[caryflyboy]

Thank goodness we don't need guns here in the UK to make people see sense. Gentle talking with a smile usually works.

I love denmark and japan. people are so polite and friendly unlike in chicago. I dont like basically having to carry for protection, before covid it was only in certain areas, especially if you drive a luxury car like i do, a jaguar, its 22 years old but still a jag and clearly obvious what it is. since covid shootings and mass shootings are off the charts

 

[old man mavic]

thanks for all the input on this thread so far ,but the last few posts ,have become very weapon centric
so please guys lets keep the subject matter about drones and not about guns thanks