Using your drone in public

[Oz9mm]

Hi guys,

First time forum poster, hope you are all safe and well and apologies if this has been posted anywhere else on the forum.

I just wanted to get members opinions on the topic of how people feel generally when flying their drone in a public place.
Some background, I live in Sydney, Australia and am about 10 minutes from a beach in most directions so a lot of where I fly is beachfront and thus very public (most beaches in Sydney are filled with people pretty much all year round).

How do people feel when they go somewhere that is filled with the public and you setup and fly your drone - Ie - do you get weird looks, do you get asked to stay away form certain places, do you feel like your presence is unwanted, do you prefer finding somewhere quiet/secluded to take off and land, etc.

For me personally, I find it a bit not-fun to setup and fly with people around, i prefer to find a quiet secluded spot to take off and land to avoid any of the stares or thousands of questions i often get asked when someone sees me with it,

I would love to hear some other peoples experiences and thoughts.

If you want to see any of my photos, please see my instagram - Login • Instagram

Thanks all, stay safe.

Gear: DJI Mavic Air 2 (Previously owned Phantom 3, Mavic Pro)

 

[Alex Baxter]

I'm with you there, I dislike being in the public eye when I'm flying, if there are likely to be people about at scenic locations, I'd either go early or late in the day. It's distracting for both you and other people to be flying. If all else fails I'll fly from off site, so I'm undisturbed..

 

[Olav van Gerven]

Though I don't mind people asking questions and explainning to them what, why and how I act, I am very short in my responses as long as I have the drone in the air. "Not now, safety first, wait untill the drone is landed."

Then I take my time, show people some footage I have on my tablet, give them a card with contact data (e-mail and youtube) and (if battery left) show them some basic moves, all to advertise responsible use of a drone. One thing people realise: Is your drone at 75 meters altitude and 50 meters away, you are not really able to recognize who is walking, standing or sitting around AND that the idea of the silent voyeur watching you from short distance without you knowing there is a drone is simply a hollywood-myth. At least, in the prizecategory where we recreational pilots fly in.

But there is a reason I do not like to start with a lot of people around. The point I start is where I land, the two critical moments in a flight. You get low, have to be concentrated on obstacles etc. To many people standing around is in my opinion simply a safetyrisk. Especially if there are children, you never know what they do next and they might suddenly run just as the drone comes down. To risky, therefor, I do not take off when to many people are around.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Around a crowded beach do you not risk questions of voyeurism, from watching Bondi Rescue it's not an unknown occurrence. Surfers probably wouldn't mind providing you check with them and perhaps offer to email etc .footage to them
That said, I once flew, well out from a non crowded beach, but on coming back in three kids saw the drone and come over for a look, they had great fun running around for it and watching each other via the screen.
Be careful when landing though, I dread to think what those props would do to curious little fingers. The Phantom I was flying flipped on landing and one of the kids ran to' rescue it' whilst the props were still going, instant bellow of NO LEAVE IT from me which might have sounded harsh.

 

[Ramjam61]

I used to fly my Power Kites on Quiet beaches but someone would always get curious and walk over, usually right through the flight path. Dacron lines and a kite travelling at 50mph can certainly harm someone. I no longer do it for safety reasons.
I would fly my Drone on a very quiet beach (iff it was legal) but I would stay well away from people. The one advantage you have with a Drone, is the fact you don't have to land from where you took off. You can use the camera to spot quiet and safe locations to land, iff things get busy around you.
It's always best to plan ahead when flying near people, rather than launching and hoping for the best. Plus, not everyone likes the noise even a quiet Drone makes.
I like to go home happy after flying and getting a bollocking off someone I've upset, ruins my day as well.
Happy flying.

 

[FlyoverDRN]

My best time to film/fly is Sunday mornings, starting as early as 8am until the crowd gets uncomfortable to handle. But if you are already in the air before they show up, it's not as bad.

 

[THE CYBORG]

Hi Oz9mm Welcome to Mavic Pilots.
I also prefer secluded places but that's because I usually don't want people in my shots.
Wherever I go people tend to appear as if by magic as soon as you take off.
Most people are interested but you occasionally get one who’s aim in life is to spoil everyone else's fun, best not to get into arguments, be polite and explain what you are doing usually helps.

 

[zeusfl]

Welcome to the forum !!

 

[bushie]

Welcome.

Maybe I am lucky but here in WA crowds are very rarely a problem. Don't forget the CASA rule about 30m from anybody so that rules out most places with people around anyway.

 

[Paul2660]

I make it a point not to fly near other people, simply driving to a spot I know that will allow me to fly without a crowd. In my state, this is easy to do and I can enjoy thousands of acres of National Forest where I can fly. (NOTE, I stated National Forest, not National Park, as you can't fly in a National Park in then the US without a permit).

I mainly do this for the same reason's as the OP, as people either want to know more, and attempt to talk to you while flying, which is very distracting and they have really no idea how limited your air time is and that you as a pilot need to be focused on the flight not talking to people. But also I want to fly away from people since I don't want to have any issues with liability if the drone does come down without control.

Paul C

 

[RayKelly]

Hi guys,

First time forum poster, hope you are all safe and well and apologies if this has been posted anywhere else on the forum.

I just wanted to get members opinions on the topic of how people feel generally when flying their drone in a public place.
Some background, I live in Sydney, Australia and am about 10 minutes from a beach in most directions so a lot of where I fly is beachfront and thus very public (most beaches in Sydney are filled with people pretty much all year round).

How do people feel when they go somewhere that is filled with the public and you setup and fly your drone - Ie - do you get weird looks, do you get asked to stay away form certain places, do you feel like your presence is unwanted, do you prefer finding somewhere quiet/secluded to take off and land, etc.

For me personally, I find it a bit not-fun to setup and fly with people around, i prefer to find a quiet secluded spot to take off and land to avoid any of the stares or thousands of questions i often get asked when someone sees me with it,

I would love to hear some other peoples experiences and thoughts.

If you want to see any of my photos, please see my instagram - Login • Instagram

Thanks all, stay safe.

Gear: DJI Mavic Air 2 (Previously owned Phantom 3, Mavic Pro)

Hi and Welcome,

Glad you posted as well. I prefer less crowded areas for sure. I do however enjoy flying with another drone pilot. It's fun and you usually learn something from the other pilot. I have a Phantom 4, Mavic Mini and a Mavic Air 2. Love all of them.

Take care and fly safe.

 

[dawgpilot]

Typically I try to take off and land in more secluded spots, as to avoid any issues with spectators. It was a little tricker with the Mavic Air 1 since it was so loud, but the Mavic Air 2 sound is far more subdued.

 

[lowellton]

I fly my MM whenever there is not a lot of people around. I tried to fly with my friends around but i cannot concentrate so much as possible i fly in a secluded area

 

[Martysticks]

I prefer to fly when no one else is around. One of the parks I go to might have a few people but not really that close to me. Only once has anyone even ventured over to see what I was doing, and those were a brother and sister with their dad. They never even talked to me, but I could tell they were watching.

 

[Made2Phly]

I prefer to fly when no one else is around. One of the parks I go to might have a few people but not really that close to me. Only once has anyone even ventured over to see what I was doing, and those were a brother and sister with their dad. They never even talked to me, but I could tell they were watching.

Like the many posters above, I prefer to fly without an audience. But, if there are only a few people, i often ask if they mind if I fly. No one has said no yet, but it does generate a lot of interest and delays me from take off.

I have been known to find a place out of sight of people from which to fly. Obviously, no one can tell where the pilot is once one the AC is airborne. But, it does feel a bit like skulking.

 

[bmwbob]

I stay away from people! Too many people perceive drones as a device to spy on them and there's no arguing with them it's not.

 

[Lets Fly]

I try to fly away from people and never hover over them. When I fly on the beach there are always people around. When they talk to me I always say I like flying along the waters edge looking for sharks or large schools
of fish, and most of the time they say, ohhh that's cool, would you tell the surfers or swimmers if you see a shark? Of course I say yes, if possible, but most of the time I'm too far away to be able to do that.

 

[pgenneken]

I Like to fly in areas that there are little or no people around as well.

I was watching a u tube video of a guy in phillly. He was flying over the river and there were alot of boats around.
He annoyed me because he was getting close to the boats and circling them. One boater even threw a beer bottle at the drone.

I thought to myself - Keep your distance. Why interrupt someone else's time with their friends/family.
Flying too close just gives all drone users a bad image...

 

[hiflyer201]

I'm not crazy about a beach full of people as a subject. Unless it's from a distance it's going to appear that you're putting people at risk...so planning ahead is key. I grew up in Los Angeles I know from flying over the beach nearly every day for years that the beachs are empty at the ideal times for filming and even most of the time during the week. I just plain don't like an audience when flying my drone.

 

[Lets Fly]

I'm not crazy about a beach full of people as a subject. Unless it's from a distance it's going to appear that you're putting people at risk...so planning ahead is key. I grew up in Los Angeles I know from flying over the beach nearly every day for years that the beachs are empty at the ideal times for filming and even most of the time during the week. I just plain don't like an audience when flying my drone.

Agreed, but sometimes the audience comes to you. How we handle them is the most important thing, especially by explaining (after you land ), how sophisticated
these drones are today, and the built in safety features.