just finished up a flight after an imu calibration and noticed 2 people standing by my mailbox.   they asked if the drone was mine(as i am holding it and taking the props off)  i was thinking of being a smart ass and saying no it just landed on my table.  but i said it was.   i noticed they did not step off the sidewalk and on my lawn so i kind of knew they had a bugg up their asses.   so i walk down to see what they wanted.

as i ask whats up to them, they tell me they don't want me flying over their house and looking in their windows.  i tell them right off the bat i have no idea where they live no less fly low enough to look in thier windows.   they say they wouldn't want to have any legal problems against me so i should really stop.   i freely told them the phone number for te local police department and told them to give them a call and have an officer come out.  the couple both lowered their heads as they said they already have called them and there is nothing that can be done.  (as i already know as i know my rights)  

I inform both of them i am fully with in my rights and abide by the laws.  and the only time i am below 100 feet is while over my own property.   they "claim" i have been very close to their house and was spying on them.   i recited the rules of class G airspace between 150-400 feet. they started getting a bit snarky with me and they fireback with they have proof i was lower.  i tell them i have all of my flight logs with gps data that will destroy any proof they have.   

i told them i would avoid their property (which i cant but wanted them gone, can't not fly over because they have a long narrow strip land)   they said something about shooting it down while walking away.  i quickly enlightened them and pulled out my cellphone that i recorded audio of the encounter and kindly let them know that they just made a terroristic threat towards an aircraft.   as they turned back and looked at me with jaws dropped i told them i don't want any problems either.  i told them to look up current laws and i can legally fly for the most part anywhere over their yard when ever i felt like it and there isn't much they can legally do.  then told they how i am on their side and i believe it is wrong to spy with them and should have some law in the us of a minium hight over property.   ethically i am rarely under 150 feet besides landing of taking off or landing. nor do i fly around people, even if i see people in their yards i fly in another direction.   if they were cool about it i would have happily shown them what i can see while i fly so they can see there is nothing to worry about.

People are generally stupid and ignorant.  after they left i popped in another battery and went back to flying.  saw them standing in their driveway and just flew around like i normally do when bored.    wish they didn't come over and start bs with me because now i have pictures of their inground pool with out a fence which is in voilation of township zoning laws, and i have them recorded making threats.  =/    ingnorance is bliss  

Best would have been to show them the screen so they would then realize that you really can't see much with the camera that your p4 uses

Hmm, I would have been tempted to tell them that I tried to sell footage of them in their bedroom to a company that made porn movies, but got a refusal because the subject was too boring.

They won't be impressed with tech talk about heights or gps tracking because they "know" you've ben spying on them because they are so interesting.

I think you missed an opportunity to show them exactly what you can see with the Phantom.
It might have brought a twinkle of enlightenment to imaginations fuelled by ignorant paranoia.
A little dose of reality can go a long way to countering fantasy.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-5-17 02:10
They won't be impressed with tech talk about heights or gps tracking because they "know" you've ben  ...

oh i have no doubt they will be back.    they look like the kind that will be happy to come back and share misery.   

im pretty sure the opportunity to enlighten them was gone from the time they admitted they called the police.  some people just aren't going to ever be happy

I think you handled this perfectly.

I don't believe in kissing arse just because people don't know the law or are paranoid.   At the same time, no need to start a gun battle.

I had a discussion with a colleague who was also concerned with people filming his backyard until I showed him exactly how impossible it is to identify a face from as low as 20m.
The camera on the Phantoms can be best compared to something like an iPhone 6, and not some 500mm DSLR which some people think it is.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-5-17 14:10
They won't be impressed with tech talk about heights or gps tracking because they "know" you've ben  ...

Or...maybe they would have tried to knock the controller out of his hands...people can be hard to predict.

It's happened.   There are videos of people knocking Phantoms out of the air when the operator comes back to land.

I place a 10 foot no go zone around me when flying.
If I see people approaching  me (within 10 feet) while flying or with the controller in hand I tell them NOT to come any closer due to the danger of the propellers.(No matter how close or far the Phantom is at the moment.)

I won't go into details, but let's just say I get "adamant" if they continue closer.   The area I fly in is not the most civil or safe so it's necessary sometimes.   I probably wouldn't need the 10 foot zone if I lived in Mayberry RFD.

It sounds like you handled it very well. I would keep your drone and RC far away from their reach and just don't start any offensive behavior, only go defensive and correct information.  Perhaps even giving examples of what you really can see. In other words educate them even though it does not sound like that's what they want.

Do not worry. Everyone can look into their window with any photocamera with zoom. You even not have a zoom.
Say them that or just ignore. They can nothing.

Cessna172 Posted at 2016-5-17 10:08
Or...maybe they would have tried to knock the controller out of his hands...people can be hard to p ...

they were smart and didn't come on my property at all.  i am well versed with the laws and they obviously aren't.  would have been cool if they came to just chat with me rather than calling the cops before even talking to me at all.   police told them nothing was illegal and they didn't have a leg to stand on.   after i tried explaining things they didn't want to hear any of it and just got pissy they couldn't bark louder than the law.  

and they got pretty butthurt when i told them i had the recording of them making the terrorist threats.   i could easily provoke them and zip all around at 50-75 feet around their property but thats just childish and asking for problems.   but i think they may have taken my advise to check out the laws about when i am doing and with what they said and maybe they will realize they are the only ones in the wrong. I really hope to see them again and enlighten them on this great technology and how much fun they can have with it.   

who know really.  i know i will see them again as they only live 6 houses down from me.  either i will see them when they come to complain again or maybe they will have interest and want to learn about it with an open mind.   i could just see them again as im "spying" on them thru their windows at 200 feet cruising around.      

i already have been starting up my research and printing out information about legality of the drones.  i will be compiling a nice well rounded print out over the next few days and post it on here for people to check out and use if they please

quickpoint Posted at 2016-5-17 13:47
they were smart and didn't come on my property at all.  i am well versed with the laws and they ob ...

"i will be compiling a nice well rounded print out over the next few days and post it on here for people to check out and use if they please"

Looking forward to it.

rreindl Posted at 2016-5-17 10:42
It sounds like you handled it very well. I would keep your drone and RC far away from their reach an ...

im not going to stop flying just because someone got upset because of something they don't understand.  ill add a few more feet flying over their property but property is hard to avoid.   they own a goofy plot of land thats around 85 feet wide and 450 deep.   

i would love to show them what i can actually see but not too sure they would really care honestly.  im kind of curious how they would even go about trying to take my drone down while flying over at 2-400 feet.  no matter what they shoot up in the air it will not be coming down on their property.   water would be the only harmless thing but they wouldn't have the required range.  im sure its just all hot air they are blowing but will post more if they come back with more wind.   

Kyokushin Posted at 2016-5-17 11:01
Do not worry. Everyone can look into their window with any photocamera with zoom. You even not have  ...

im far from worried about these people.  i know nothing they can do will effect me or my mind set.  i know i have quite a bit more intelligence then the pair of them combined.  I really hope they wake up and instead of trying to fight it, they can see what can be done and the fun that comes with it.  its doubtful this will be happening as they already have made it clear that they think they are worthy to be watched.  

sorry to say but i really don't think they are all that special. also the woman wasn't all that attractive at all.  so im really not too sure what they thought i would be spying on them for or what I hope to see.

We wouldn't be able to get that close in the UK.  150 metres (492ft) is the closest we can get to a residential area (with a drone with camera), which rules out flying overhead at all except maybe with a competent observer by your side (to get the height).

I have had but one solo encounter and it wasn't even in anger or concern.
At a local park, a lady stood no more than 50' from me and yacked on her cell phone until I landed.
When I was changing batteries she sauntered over and asked me, "Is this a drone?" I said that's what some folks mistakenly classify these RC multi rotor-quad copters as.
Does it have a camera? Yes, and may I please show you what I see. And also what I just recorded. Once she saw the tiny ant people, she simply walked away. I dissolved the issue...

Educate these folks, so they have no viable dry ammunition.

RedHotPoker

That was good.

I had a similar encounter at a park, where a mother and her 2-children came up to watch. Said they were very interested in drones and asked if they could watch me fly it. The mother kind of made the comment to the kids later about "that's why you shouldn't run around the house if you aren't fully dressed". I laughed and told them I never go around or look into peoples houses, besides these are pretty noisy and it is not like you could sneak up on someone if you wanted to! I also said here...look at the monitor and see what I am looking at. The were amazed at the picture. I told them that it wasn't able to "zoom-in" in either. They seemed fine after a little demonstration, and actually asked me to take a picture of all of us together, so I did and emailed it to her. She was very appreciative and thanks me for letting them watch. Felt like she had a better understanding of the whole thing. Before they left they were asking how much it costs and where would you buy something like this. I felt like it was a good experience. Like others have said, so many people just don't understand and automatically get their defenses up just because of what they don't know!

Ricardo Posted at 2016-5-17 16:41
I had a similar encounter at a park, where a mother and her 2-children came up to watch. Said they w ...

The media does a great job of helping to paint a negitave image of drone ownership and what exactly drones are used for.  Many People are under the impression drones are only used by perves to stalk people's daughters.

dmartin.ealnet Posted at 2016-5-18 02:04
"i will be compiling a nice well rounded print out over the next few days and post it on here for  ...

I am also looking forward too seeing this!

Everyone thinks that we are spying on them.In order to look into a window one would have to spend a great deal of money.We get bad press due to a few reckless people.

rodger Posted at 2016-5-18 11:25
Everyone thinks that we are spying on them.In order to look into a window one would have to spend a  ...

In daylight, you would have very little chance of seeing anything, go outside in daylight and try looking in from 10 feet away.

where did this "spying" thing come from?
we get airplanes and helicopters flying lower than our 400' max and I don't get their FAA numbers and track them down for spying.

People generally don't have any idea what our quads are capable of.. mistakenly they believe these cameras are able to zoom in from great distances.. record video at night.. and look through walls. The best ambassador for this hobby is a person that takes a few moments to take the fear away of unwanted surveillance generally just being able to see a couple of moments of captured video is enough to make most people realize their fears are unfounded, once most people understand the stigma of these crafts will go away.

185EZ Posted at 2016-5-18 10:08
where did this "spying" thing come from?
we get airplanes and helicopters flying lower than our 400' ...

Peoples "perception" and objective truth are often at opposite ends of the spectrum.  We have an opportunity to be ambassadors of our hobby by educating the uninformed.