Oh, the great drone dilemma of suburban life, where nosy neighbors turn into self-appointed aviation traffic controllers!

So, I had a little airborne adventure inspecting my roof after a storm, all from the cozy confines of my own backyard. But, lo and behold, here comes my neighbor, whom has lived here for 5 years and spoken to no one, (have tried to introduce myself when he first moved in, but wanted nothing to do with anyone),  armed with a generous sprinkle of misconceptions and a dash of Karen-esque fervor.

I tried to explain to him the triple truth of the matter: 1) You have the right to soar the skies over your very own Australian abode, 2) Your drone was like a loyal watchdog, never straying from the confines of your fortress of solitude, and 3) You were on a rooftop reconnaissance mission, not spying on his well-manicured garden, (not), in fact I am sure my Drone was seen by his dozens of roof and gutter mounted secruity cameras even infared ones.

But oh no, Mr. Neighbor wouldn't have any of it. He was on a crusade to uphold the sanctity of his backyard and make sure no drone ever dared to cross his invisible aerial property line. With all the enthusiasm of an overzealous gatekeeper, he ranted and raved, making a spectacle of himself.

Me, ever the diplomat, simply nodded and said, "Go nuts! Report away, good sir!" I know, with a drone registered with CASA and my operator's license in hand, he was simply shouting at clouds, and even though you couldn't get a word in edgewise, I let him storm off, convinced he was the champion of airspace justice.

Now, as for others who've faced this drone dilemma, what did you do to try and defuse the siutaion? Who else has encountered this nonese behviour?

Real estate photographers, aerial surveyors, and even hobbyist drone enthusiasts often find themselves dealing with similarly misguided defenders of the aerial realm.

The skies are vast, but apparently, so are the imaginations of some neighbors. Just remember, you're flying high, legally and responsibly, and no amount of Karen-like rants can clip your drone's wings.

It's a shame that this happened to you but unfortunately there are Karens all over the world.  I just try to remain calm and tell them if you feel necessary please call law enforcement.  Once law enforcement shows up I explain the rules and show them my drone license, FAA registration and insurance.  Then they go explain that there is no violation to the accuser and then he/she still walks off mad but hopefully they learned a valuable lesson.  Sometimes though you just can't fix stupid.  

I carry a leaflet to hand out if this happens but so far it's not been needed.  I did get stopped by a Karen once flying over the ocean and she was screaming at me that there might be seals out there,  I landed and left,   not worth the hassle.

DAFlys Posted at 11-3 03:53
I carry a leaflet to hand out if this happens but so far it's not been needed.  I did get stopped by a Karen once flying over the ocean and she was screaming at me that there might be seals out there,  I landed and left,   not worth the hassle.

Got a copy of the leaflet?
I used to have a similar one for my photography and video work I do in public spaces.. and people would say you can film here and I give them my rights to film in public spaces legal document

Normandy Posted at 11-3 03:55
Got a copy of the leaflet?
I used to have a similar one for my photography and video work I do in public spaces.. and people would say you can film here and I give them my rights to film in public spaces legal document

Sure,  its for the UK rules,  depending on what rules Im flying under I give one half of the leaflet or the other.

Unfortunately, you can't educate pork.  No matter how lucid or accurate your argument, they will always be unmoved, and convinced that they are right.

Sometimes they just don't know.
I always keep a copy of the Dutch drone rules on my cellphone just in case.