Air 2s Someone almost ran over my Drone!

[GFields]

I have been flying for years and doing Commercial Real Estate all along. Although I'm standing right behind my drone, this guy comes close to running me and it over. Makes you wonder if it was intentional or if he had been drinking

 

[old man mavic]

@GFields that was a close one ,they either didn't see the drone ,or perhaps they don't like drones

 

[mavic3usa]

Yeah that was close. I always worry about my drone being on the ground and being vulnerable especially from a dog that might run up to it.

 

[GFields]

@GFields that was a close one ,they either didn't see the drone ,or perhaps they don't like drones

I was only inches behind it. In fact, I jumped back out of the way.

 

[dozzn]

Wow! I’m glad you and the drone were ok!
I have seen people put down orange cones around their drone before takeoff. A cone (or a few cones) could help make you and the drone more noticeable.
Be safe and keep up the good work!

 

[WV. Rootman]

Sometimes people's mind's are on other things. They also swing wide to make the right hand turn.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Is the drone on the road ?

 

[4006448]

Could just be driver incompetence?

 

[GFields]

I have been flying for years and doing Commercial Real Estate all along. Although I'm standing right behind my drone, this guy comes close to running me and it over. Makes you wonder if it was intentional or if he had been drinking

Is the drone on the road ?

No. This was a Commerical Real Estate job (before and after). The business is closed and they are doing major upgrades. I was in the parking lot. The drone was placed near the back right of my car (just outside another parking slot). The car actually cut through to avoid a red light from the other direction.

 

[WV. Rootman]

No. This was a Commerical Real Estate job (before and after). The business is closed and they are doing major upgrades. I was in the parking lot. The drone was placed near the back right of my car (just outside another parking slot). The car actually cut through to avoid a red light from the other direction.

"And there is the rest of the story " The person was a self centered jerk only thinking about them self. They didn't care about you or the drone. But yes, they might have ran you and your drone over.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

No. This was a Commerical Real Estate job (before and after). The business is closed and they are doing major upgrades. I was in the parking lot. The drone was placed near the back right of my car (just outside another parking slot). The car actually cut through to avoid a red light from the other direction.

Wow, in any case, glad it didn't go pear shaped for you there.
I agree with one of the posts, some safety cones might be worth putting in the vehicle for future use.

Those cut through drivers are a pain, inpatient types that cause accidents.
We call them 'rat runners' in Australia.

 

[EricJT]

That exemplifies why when I take off from the side of a road, I position my drone in front of my car. Other cars approaching on my side are coming from the rear and my car serves as a big orange cone.

However, if they are approaching from the front, they have to go out of their lane if they have intentions to intimidate me or they are clueless drivers.

 

[Melvoid]

Yeah that was close. I always worry about my drone being on the ground and being vulnerable especially from a dog that might run up to it.

If I'm on the side of the road, I usually take off and land from the roof of the car. The metal doesn't seem to interfere. Otherwise, I'll take off from a few feet in front of the car. That way, I don't have to go on the gravel shoulder or grass, but the car still provides some protection.

 

[Parkerjh]

I have been flying for years and doing Commercial Real Estate all along. Although I'm standing right behind my drone, this guy comes close to running me and it over. Makes you wonder if it was intentional or if he had been drinking

I had a job this spring at a Minor League Baseball Park (Polar in Worcester, MA). I pulled into a 100% empty lot, I was the single only car there. Placed drone on ground next to drivers door and went around to passenger side rear to get my remote. A pickup truck passed me, then started backing in RIGHT NEXT TO ME. In an empty ******* lot. I raced around and started waving my arms and yelling STOP STOP. He thought I was worried he was going to hit my door so he kept going and just ran it over CRUNCH! He felt terrible but it was a gray drone on gray asphalt and I get why he didn't see it. Still unsure why he wanted the spot when he had an empty lot to choose any spot. I had a JAM PACKED day with 7 or 8 time sensitive jobs, so I just scooped up the remnants (thanks DJI Care!) and sped off to BestBuy to get a replacement. I almost always have a backup drone on me but I had lent it to someone whose own drone was in the shop. I was 12 minutes away from BestBuy and ordered in app for curbside pickup. Got the new one and back at Polar Park, registered new drone and got set up and flying within 35 minutes of the original drone getting demolished. I did pay for the Express return with DJI so it did end up costing me $100, I added Drone-Hacks to the Air2s replacement I purchased and sold on Facebook marketplace for what I bought it for minus 1 battery that I took (Flymore Combo). So I basically broke even and just became a nuisance. But lesson learned, even in remote places and empty lots, I am putting out my safety cones on almost every flight.

 

[BetterBizWorks]

I have been flying for years and doing Commercial Real Estate all along. Although I'm standing right behind my drone, this guy comes close to running me and it over. Makes you wonder if it was intentional or if he had been drinking

I always put a couple of orange traffic cones in the street. People are oblivious.
Stay Safe

 

[LoudThunder]

I'm standing right behind my drone, this guy comes close to running me and it over.

I don't know if he was more concerned about why you were standing in the roadway (forget the fact that your drone was somewhere on the ground…) or he was irritated that you were just standing there, probably stating at him (daring him to run over your drone…) and blocking his way through the parking lot…

He probably never saw your drone and if he did run over it; so what, you left it in the roadway…

No sympathy here… I know I may get some flak here, but this was a parking lot is not a Drone Parking Zone.