I haven't had my drone very long and I've been somewhat afraid to venture very far. Therefore, I have done quite a bit of flying overhead in the back yard and will venture out to approximately 150 meters at times. At some point I would like to go a little further, but I just don't have the nerve as of yet!

Today, a neighbor two houses down, whom I've only met once since they moved here maybe 3 years back, stopped by and stated his wife doesn't like the drone flying overhead because she knows there are cameras on board that can take photos/video. I politely let him know that I am simply enjoying the flying at the moment, but have not and will not be taking video of neighbors back yards. I have taken a video of my home and yard and would like to take some additional footage. I would also like to take a video of the neighborhood at some point as I fly around. I'm not trying to snoop on anyone, but I feel it would be nice to have a video such as this to have a different perspective of how things look above.

Anyone else had a neighbor say something about flying overhead? Our neighborhood would be classified as rural and is not in a city limit of any kind. The neighborhood probably consist of 80 homes. I certainly don't wish to cause problems, but do I have any rights OR is it best to not fly around the neighborhood. This drone purchase may end up proving to be a big waste of money!

Thanks for your comments!

Laws do vary depending on your location.

Generally speaking you have to fly safely and to do that you should not fly over people. Here in Australia we have to keep 30m lateral distance from people buildings boats etc. Having said that if you are flying legally then peopl do not own or control the airspace over their property.  It would make no sense if they did as any aircraft could not fly. The lenses we have are wide and as such you do not see much detail of individuals if you are maintaining a safe distance. There will generally be some laws which cover privacy considerations and harassment and these too vary.

You should also consider that you may be right but exercising it can cause poor relations in the area where you reside.

Cabansail Posted at 2017-3-26 18:49
Laws do vary depending on your location.

Generally speaking you have to fly safely and to do that you should not fly over people. Here in Australia we have to keep 30m lateral distance from people buildings boats etc. Having said that if you are flying legally then peopl do not own or control the airspace over their property.  It would make no sense if they did as any aircraft could not fly. The lenses we have are wide and as such you do not see much detail of individuals if you are maintaining a safe distance. There will generally be some laws which cover privacy considerations and harassment and these too vary.

Further to what Cabansail said, I think that, ultimately, the decisions as to where to fly comes down to whatever you consider to be the "right thing to do".
When I do test the drone at home, I either fly in my own yard area or down the centre of the street (it's a very quiet street). Personally, I make a point of never flying directly overhead any of my neighbors' homes for the same reason that was stated in the original post. Drone owners can tell neighbors that they're not filming them but if you don't really know the people then I can fully understand them not taking your reassurances seriously.  There is, of course, also a small possibility that a fault may cause a crash with subsequent damage to their property.
Because of the above concerns, practically all of my flights are either in open country or in public parks etc where other people are less likely to be concerned. Fortunately, I'm in an area where there are large areas of farmland and other open spaces.

Cabansail Posted at 2017-3-26 18:49
Laws do vary depending on your location.

Generally speaking you have to fly safely and to do that you should not fly over people. Here in Australia we have to keep 30m lateral distance from people buildings boats etc. Having said that if you are flying legally then peopl do not own or control the airspace over their property.  It would make no sense if they did as any aircraft could not fly. The lenses we have are wide and as such you do not see much detail of individuals if you are maintaining a safe distance. There will generally be some laws which cover privacy considerations and harassment and these too vary.

All good points.
To the OP, it may win some points to demonstrate to your neighbor how little detail can be seen by a P3/P4 camera. Or explain to him it is like shooting pictures with a smart phone (without being able to do digital zoom). You really have to get close to see anything. If you are flying a couple hundred feet up or more then you should be OK.
See if he would like to observe your display during a flight.  If you are not flying at least 200 feet high over your neighborhood, I would consider doing it. 300 is probably better.

I fly between 200 and 400 feet, the higher the better. Sometimes I'll fly over a closed school 500 ft. away.  Good luck finding a fun safe place to fly.

Some people are paranoid, they see a drone and they automatically think it's "spying on them."  The media and lack of education is to blaim for this.  The best thing to do is to try and calmly educate them, but there are some people who "know" your "just peeping in windows" and will not hear otherwise, they cannot be educated, you'll just have to try to ignore them.

As far as the law goes, your good.  Nobody owns the air, as long as your flying you cannot legally trespass, nor is their a reasonable expectation of privacy outdoors.  You can fly wherever you like as long as it is not in a no fly zone or violates some other rule, your neighbors can't say boo about it.  If you actually WERE deliberately looking in windows then local ordinances would probably come into play, but just flying around?  Your good.

If they try to interfere with it or take pot shots then they will be committing a felony, drones are legally aircraft, shooting at one (or otherwise trying to interfere with it) would be the equivalent to firing a SAM at a 747, the FAA can, has, and WILL prosecute that, and yes, they get convictions.

Now, all that said, you have to live in close proximity to these people, so if you can find a solution where everyone is happy you might want to consider that, but that doesn't mean you roll over either.

The Phantom 4 is an incredible piece of technology, I know it can be intimidating putting something that expensive in the air, but you really can trust it.  Make sure your RTH is enabled and you have set a suitable altitude.  Make sure object avoidance is turned on and enabled in RTH. Recalibrate the compass the first time you fly, when you go to a near takeoff site that is a good distance from the last one (or that is magnetically different), or if it has been awahile since you recalibrated.  Check the compass, IMU, and signal readouts before takeoff (they should all be green), and make sure you have a good GPS lock before takeoff.  Until you get comfortable, just fly at an altitude that is higher than the highest obstacle where you will ne flying, that way it will be basically impossible to crash.  Also, State Farm has a 100% coverage insurance plan with no deductible for $60 a year.  DJI care is also nice.

Also, since people can be nutty (though I have yet to encounter anyone who was in the least bit put off, most are genuinely amused, fascinated, or curious), you may want to carry a pistol, I do everyday anyway, but it wouldn't be a bad idea if your really conserned about it.

Ask him did his wife contact Google, the NSA, CIA and many other organizations that photgraph their place from above their property?

Just because his wife doesn't like something does not allow her to determine what you can or cannot do.

One comment the neighbor stated was that his wife noticed the craft hovered a long while over their house. I very calmly explained that was not the case. I explained that I did hover for two or 3 minutes directly in front of my house at the edge of the street. I was trying to get some video of our lawn and house at an altitude of about 125 feet. I even offered to show the video to him if that would make him feel at ease. He simply stated he believed me, but felt it would be best if I didn't come near their home. He was very nice about it, but now I'm wondering if others will request I not fly in the neighborhood.

Anyway, I guess I should have put a lot more thought into the drone idea before making the purchase.

tvl Posted at 2017-3-26 20:37
One comment the neighbor stated was that his wife noticed the craft hovered a long while over their house. I very calmly explained that was not the case. I explained that I did hover for two or 3 minutes directly in front of my house at the edge of the street. I was trying to get some video of our lawn and house at an altitude of about 125 feet. I even offered to show the video to him if that would make him feel at ease. He simply stated he believed me, but felt it would be best if I didn't come near their home. He was very nice about it, but now I'm wondering if others will request I not fly in the neighborhood.

Anyway, I guess I should have put a lot more thought into the drone idea before making the purchase.

He has no right to say don't come near his home. Does he block street access because he doesn't like people driving past. What about google cars? did he ask them not to film his house? I'd tell him it would be best if he didn't go around trying to be a street cop making up his own rules.  You are not invading his space or his rights.  In my neighbourhood they just asks me not to drone at night after 8pm.  Farmers get up early.   I also share my pictures so people have the opportunity to see the area they live in from a different perspective.
If you are in the USA get your FAA licence then tell them you are a registered FAA pilot and any complaints should be forwarded to the FAA. 5$ to register even if you don't own a drone.  OR give your neighbours a copy of the FAA rules so they know what is legal or not.  

you could always go down to the local park, soccer fields etc and fly around there when they are not being used.  Invasion of privacy is the primary concern, but as long as you are not flying in a manner that can be perceived as invading anyone's right to privacy and your flight pattern and location is legal you should be fine.

tvl Posted at 2017-3-26 20:37
One comment the neighbor stated was that his wife noticed the craft hovered a long while over their house. I very calmly explained that was not the case. I explained that I did hover for two or 3 minutes directly in front of my house at the edge of the street. I was trying to get some video of our lawn and house at an altitude of about 125 feet. I even offered to show the video to him if that would make him feel at ease. He simply stated he believed me, but felt it would be best if I didn't come near their home. He was very nice about it, but now I'm wondering if others will request I not fly in the neighborhood.

Anyway, I guess I should have put a lot more thought into the drone idea before making the purchase.

Meh, you can only shoot so many video clips of your house and neighborhood, then it becomes boring. Go further afield, there are millions of photo opportunities out there. If you want to assuage his fears, offer to shoot a clip of his house for him. When he watches it he will soon realise there is nothing to see.

I haven't been real fortunate with this drone adventure ................. some folks here may recall a few of my previous post:

1- I purchased a Phantom 4 on January 28th of this year. Exactly 15 days later it fell to the ground in our back yard. The DJI service center in California reported the drone experienced an ultrasonic sensor failure and replaced the unit under their warranty.

2- The replacement they furnished developed gimbal issues shortly after it was received.  Also, if I was close enough to the craft to hear well, I noticed what appeared to be a beeping sound. The sound definitely wasn't coming from the remote controller, but I never could determine why the drone made the sound. Possibly a motor issue which simply sounded like a beeping sound???

3- That second unit has since been replaced and the third unit SEEMS to be perfect!  Excellent video, no unusual noises, smooth gimbal operation and flies as well as the first two. I've just got my fingers crossed that it doesn't develop an issue or worse yet, fall out of the sky like the original. Yes, likely all will be well, but I'm a little "gun shy" at the moment. And then the neighbor approaching me today .............. well, that didn't help.

Thanks again!

This type of thing always makes me laugh, people can be such hypocrites, I bet if you took it down there and give her a go of it she wouldn't have a problem flying over other peoples houses and having a look in their back yards. Go hire a helicopter and when she's outside just hover there while hanging out the side with a camera, then she'll have something to complain about, ok maybe the chopper thing is going a bit far.

In the USA the FAA governs the air space. As long as you fly within the parameters the FAA has established you will be within the law.

My concern with flying over populated areas is the damage to other people's property that might occur in the event of a crash.   The P4 is pretty dependable, but if you follow the forums, you'll see that the odd one does fall from the sky.  Here's a recent post ->  http://forum.dji.com/forum.php?m ... D368%26typeid%3D368    As JockC points out,  although small, there is some risk involved when flying over houses, cars etc.

I'm fortunate to live in a really rural ara, so when I fly, the worst that can happen is that I'll crash in a wheat or hay or corn field.  There are two other houses within a mile of me and I do keep my distance from them out of courtesy.  As Geebax points out...  You will get tired of your own area.   I find myself traveling to other remote parts of the country to fly.

If I were flying over a residential area, I'd do like KM5RG-Robert suggests.  I'd go straight up to 200-300 feet and fly around at high altitude.  And when landing I'd come straight down from above without flying over houses.   That way, most of the time,  you're just a speck in the sky and not as 'menacing' to the uninformed.

FAA has stayed away from a lot of the controlled airspace matters over some cities and leaves it to the cities to decide under advisement.

Here is some guideline that is for cities with regards to drones.  The FAA has remained out of most areas if you read the "Issues" section near the end and leaves it up to the cities to decide.
http://uavs.insct.org/wp-content ... LC-Drone-Report.pdf

Issue #6 above reads "The FAA Deferred to State and Local Trespassing Laws."
“Property rights are beyond the scope of this rule. However, the FAA notes that, depending on the specific nature of the small UAS operation, the remote pilot in command may need to comply with State and local trespassing laws."  Probably how city of Los Angeles gets their Paparazzi Law where drone operators cannot fly over stars homes, etc.  Also, film commissioner may need to have permit for drones if working commercially too.

See the "Examples of State and Local Laws within State and Local Government Police Power" here:
https://www.faa.gov/uas/resource ... act_Sheet_Final.pdf

• Specifying that UAS may not be used for voyeurism.
• Prohibitions on using UAS for hunting or fishing, or to interfere with or harass an individual who is hunting or fishing.

Police interventions with USA operators guidelines:
https://www.faa.gov/uas/resource ... O_guidance_card.pdf

It isn't a cut and dried matter whether or not you can fly over another's property.  Depends on the city too.  FAA may think so, but they stay out of it too with regards to cities.

Personally, I've had enough police interaction and do not fly in my neighborhood.  Just takes one person to call it in to make your day.  I just take it out of town now.

If you've "had enough police interaction", I'd always carry a scanner when flying.  You will hear the police trip and can be out of there long before they arrive.  Also 9 times out of 10 you'll hear something on the radio that's much more interesting to film than flying around a boring neighborhood.  Like a nice big fire!  Filming a fire that someone else has already started is much safer than the alternative.

I've been shooting sunsets for 40+ years. My initial flights (hovers) were in my yard and then I ventured out to the local RC Park to really get familiar with most of the P4's assets (active RC pilot for 38 yrs). One evening I saw the clouds in the West setting up for a possible killer sunset and thought, "Hey, I might get some good footage with the P4." Low and behold, that was the beginning of some great sunset capture opportunities! That was in 8/16 and since then I regularly check sunset times and look for haze/clouds that might create a good photo opp. We have 34 houses in our neighborhood, I typically fly 250-300' AGL, and usually position myself over a street (looking at GPS inert). There is one neighbor who walks their dog around the time I'm setting up/taking off who comments on my activities, but never anything negative. As others have mentioned, neighborhood flying might or might not be a problem...just have to test the waters. I DON'T fly up and down the streets or directly over any houses. I recommend you find an open space to get to know your aircraft and use common sense and good judgement otherwise. We do have one kinda picky neighbor who showed up during a flight that left me kind of puckered up until I landed. He had heard it when I was checking out some of the new houses under construction about 1/4 mile away and followed it back up the hill to my house. I was quite relieved to see his curiosity and how cool he thought the aircraft was. I brought up some sunset footage and we talked for a while. I asked him if he had any objections to me flying from my house and he said no, that he thought it was very cool and was real impressed with the sophistication of the system.

Bottom Line-- Keep your P4! Find an open field and get familiar with all of the critical systems and functions: complete RTH setup, test the RTH function, Obsticle Avoidance system and activation, and last but not last...Read The Freaking Manual!!!

Now , after having had 3 units to setup and "play" with, I know the menus, settings, calibrations, etc. fairly well. Although I probably now have a total of 5 hours experience with the P4's, my first crash experience still has me where I want to stay near home for a while longer. In other words, the newest hasn't quite worn off yet, I'm still captivated by the "home view" and I do feel a little safer at the house. However, I certainly don't want this unit to fail and fall onto someone's property. And naturally, my neighbor's visit yesterday, put a little extra fear in that very thing occurring.

Dang, I really wanted some additional footage of the neighborhood - not anyone's back yard or personal belongings. I now feel that it's probably best I forget about doing that. Heck, at the moment, I'm afraid to go out and hover over my own house and get the extra shots I so desired. This neighbor of mine may be convinced I'm photographing their house and call the authorities .................. which I do NOT want! It would probably work out fine, but I don't want to be embarrassed by having a police vehicle sitting in the yard.

I'm going to sleep on this incident another night or two and try to determine if it would be in my best interest to sell the drone and accessories. These worries may not be worth the headache. It seems to me, unless one is out in the middle of nowhere, someone can easily voice their frustrations about a drone being somewhat nearby ...................... whether it be the noise, the photo capability or just the idea of the thing flying around and they don't like it. And yes, we may have some rights if we aren't overhead and away from structures and people, but the confrontation still ruins the day. This was my FIRST, but I can see it happening again ............... people are just that way nowadays!

Thanks for allowing me to share my thoughts!

tvl Posted at 2017-3-26 21:13
I haven't been real fortunate with this drone adventure ................. some folks here may recall a few of my previous post:

1- I purchased a Phantom 4 on January 28th of this year. Exactly 15 days later it fell to the ground in our back yard. The DJI service center in California reported the drone experienced an ultrasonic sensor failure and replaced the unit under their warranty.

You can fly much farther than just around your house, and you can take off from places other than your yard, get out there and explore!  That's part of what makes these fun.  Here, have some inspiration:

Sorry to hear that you are seriously considering selling your aircraft over this.  But don't you think that's a bit extreme?  

I mean, I'm a full-scale pilot and don't mind driving to the airport to take off.  I once bought a boat and then afterwards "discovered" my house is not on a lake.  I went to the marina to use it, which probably was more enjoyable anyway given all the chicks in the marina bar each evening.  My point is not all hobbies are backyard hobbies, especially if the constraints are placed there by you yourself.

Besides, if you were half serious about this hobby you'd sell the house instead of the quad and move further out into the country.  80 houses in a cluster is not rural in my opinion!  If the wife resists you can get a new one of those too.

These questions always produce a lot of emotional answers.  Here are my go to answers;

1)  You do not have a "right" to do anything regarding your drone (in America).  
2)  It's best not to make enemies of your neighbors as they live in your neighborhood.  
3)  There is no federal law preventing you from flying your drone around your neighborhood - although you do need to abide by the FAA regulations regarding hobby flight of drones.  
4)  Why not fly around their house?  Why fly above it if they don't like it?  Why even walk into that problem?  There is so much world to fly in...

Play nice.  The decisions you make today snowball into the regulations of tomorrow.

Thanks 9245 & Irate Retro!

Possibly I'm fretting needlessly ...................    Just look at the footage 9245 captured. It's simply great and it's what I would like to do here over my own neighborhood, as well as other places at some point in time. BUT, the same risk at other spots, like the one shown in 9245's video, are a definite possibility. I liked the video 9245 shared, but couldn't someone have easily complained about his being there in the "public domain" AND worse yet, what if the craft failed and caused damage to someone or their property. And trust me, I know first hand about craft failures, which is still eating at me until this new craft can better prove itself.

The bottom line as I see it is we probably shouldn't EVER fly over any individual or structure. Notice I stated "probably" because is that really realistic or even fulfilling.  These shots of roadways, small towns, large towns, industrial sites, parks, neighborhoods, etc. are intriguing. But by flying over or near these points of interest, risk is involved and I guess that's why some individuals are complaining about drones being nearby ............. that AND of course the photo capability invading their privacy.

As for the real pilots of manned aircraft, as I once was, they too have failures. But, since someone is onboard to steer the plane, there is a good possibility that damage to an individual or property can be avoided. The drone will always simply fall straight down onto whatever is below.

Anyway, I'm definitely not trying to be negative or argumentative, just trying to be honest with myself. In some instances, it angers me to have a neighbor voice their concern about me flying nearby and in other instances, I can relate to what they may be thinking. Sadly, I'm thinking that if I keep this drone, a lot of the shots I once visualized, will probably never occur .................. too much risk and too many folks sitting ready to complain!

tvl Posted at 2017-3-27 10:37
Thanks 9245 & Irate Retro!

Possibly I'm fretting needlessly ...................    Just look at the footage 9245 captured. It's simply great and it's what I would like to do here over my own neighborhood, as well as other places at some point in time. BUT, the same risk at other spots, like the one shown in 9245's video, are a definite possibility. I liked the video 9245 shared, but couldn't someone have easily complained about his being there in the "public domain" AND worse yet, what if the craft failed and caused damage to someone or their property. And trust me, I know first hand about craft failures, which is still eating at me until this new craft can better prove itself.

I'm glad you liked the footage.

The airspace is public, they would have had no grounds to complain to anyone, also, most of that was shot from about 200 feet in the air, at that altitude the drone is a dot and silent unless its very quiet out, if anyone saw it at all they probably thought it was a bird, yet I still got good footage.

As for damage if it falls out of the air, one, that is extremely uncommon (yes I know it happened to you, but it likely never will again) and if it did the drone just isn't all that heavy and the props would not be turning, the damage would probably be on the same order as some kids playing baseball and a stray ball hit something.  If you join the AMA ($70 a year) you get full liability insurance that will cover anything like that if it does.  If you lose the craft than either DJI care will cover it (if you have it) or State Farm ($60 per year for 100% coverage with no deductible) will replace it.

If you try to avoid flying over ANY people or structures (which would be insane) you will not be flying anywhere near a city, you will severely restrict yourself.  There is NO legal reason why you would have to do that.  If avoiding offending crazy people is your goal than you won't be able to fly at all, your neighbors wife is proof of that; you could be flying in the middle of the wilderness and have a deranged hiker think your spying on them and using the X-Ray camera that they "KNOW" you have, and also mind controllin them, or whatever other paranoid delusion they can come up with.  At some point you just have to apply some common sense and ignore the idiots, otherwise you are letting them run your life.

Well, dang it!

Today, I cleaned around my wife's gravesite and placed new silk flowers. Afterwards, I decided I would take some video footage of the gravesite and entire cemetery with my drone. As soon as I started the DJI Go app, I got a message asking:

1- Do you have permission to fly this area
2- Do you take responsibility for this flight

The wording may not be exactly the same, but it is close. What is this all about?

Is there a place online that I can go and see if restrictions have been placed on an area I would like to get some video footage and hopefully, the reasoning for the restriction?

I went to pick up a friend at a high speed railway station.  Parked and then went to the rear end of a car park where no people park and filmed his arrival.

A police officer stationed there came over and said wow nice. How much does it cost, how far can you fly?  Oh and is it safe?  
Here they ask questions.  He wanted to know how I knew where it was legal to fly so I showed him a government website in Taiwan that shows where you can and cannot fly.
I showed him I wasn't hovering over the tracks and kept some distance.  They are just concerned if you crash onto the tracks it would delays trains.

tvl Posted at 2017-3-29 16:16
Well, dang it!

Today, I cleaned around my wife's gravesite and placed new silk flowers. Afterwards, I decided I would take some video footage of the gravesite and entire cemetery with my drone. As soon as I started the DJI Go app, I got a message asking:

DJI is using the GEO system on your drone. Go here to understand it.

http://www.dji.com/flysafe/geo-system
Check back if you have questions.

I actually saw a real woman once. She was Sunbathing and OMG!!!

What a hottie. She was the Neighbour that lived underneath me at the apartment I used to live at. She was 10 ft below...There was detail and everything.....Honest!

These days, you can't really see s#i# unless you are risking cutting peoples throats.... With the props ffs!!  

Fact is, Phantom drones, I mean my Phan 4 cant see s*** unless I am 20 ft away<<that's my estimate :-)

Anyone wants to spy on anyone, they do not use a Phan 4. Sad but true {:4_142:}

People want to believe what they read in the press. Drones are really bad and spy on everyone. But they (normally) don't.

Saying that, If I could get away with it.... I'm kidding BTW

was the neigbors wife hot?

Blah Posted at 2017-4-1 04:44
I actually saw a real woman once. She was Sunbathing and OMG!!!

What a hottie. She was the Neighbour that lived underneath me at the apartment I used to live at. She was 10 ft below...There was detail and everything.....Honest!

In the interest of a balanced debate Photographic Evidence of this alleged neighbour is required.

Your best bet is to build rapour with your neighbour.  Go to your neighbours house, have them come out hover in front of the house and take a picture.  Have them look at the image on your screen while the drone is hovering.  Impress upon them how small people are in the screen image.  Email them a picture of their house.

Well, just for the fun of it, I decided I wanted to go out and fly the drone for a few minutes.  Went out in the backyard and flew around just above the house. It wasn't the most exhilarating experience, but it did satisfy the urge.

The neighbor that had sent her husband over initially, lives across the street and two houses down. I purposely did NOT fly across the street and definitely NOT above their house. Just as I was putting everything away, a sheriff's department deputy drove up and stated the neighbor had complained about me flying OVER their house. I politely let him know I had not done so and the app would show my exact flight path if he would care to look. He was very nice and stated he believed what I was saying. He also stated he had told her it was NOT against the law for me to fly the drone in the neighborhood, but he would speak to me. It appears it was required for him to do so.

The officer let me know he also had a drone and flew his in his neighborhood. He stated there would be absolutely nothing wrong for me to continue flying in the neighborhood, but out of courtesy I should not go over their house .................... which I did not do today nor had I planned on doing again in the future.  Although I do not know what was discussed between the officer and my neighbor, he thought she was over-reacting!!!

Stuff like this can still ruin your day!

tvl:

Stay the course. You have records, talks with police and you are in the legal right. Keep the lines of communication open with your neighbors, and make it clear you will not flyover, nor can you see in their house. His wife will settle down, eventually.

Keep Smiling,

Augustus

tvl, that should have made your day!!! What are the chances of getting a friendly visit from an officer and a fellow pilot? Very cool you are in man! It sounds like you are a very cautious and level headed pilot so just keep doing what you are doing, learn every day and enjoy! Safety First! Ken.

Well, I don't like controversy! I can see this type thing occurring again AND I can also see this possibly occurring somewhere else I might want to fly.  I'm still thinking it might just be in my best interest to sell everything. Actually, I took photos of everything earlier today in anticipation of selling. I do have mixed emotions about all of this, but the officer did state that folks seem to be getting more and more concerned about drones in the air. For the most part, their "fears" are unjustified, but their persistence is annoying and simply ruins the day for me! While I'm still not sure exactly what I will do, I am seriously leaning towards selling everything.

You can always consider flying in local parks (check if permitted), etc . . . The person I spoke to in my local district was  a drone owner himself, he was "educating" the department that this is a new activity that they should be prepared for! Which I guess is a stroke of luck, but I'll take it.

I look for parks with big open areas, stay well away from people and avoid flying during busy times. I haven't had a single complaint or confrontation over a few months of flying, but I do get questions and watchers. It's a good opportunity to do some public relations for the hobby.

Aussie4220 Posted at 2017-3-26 21:02
you could always go down to the local park, soccer fields etc and fly around there when they are not being used.  Invasion of privacy is the primary concern, but as long as you are not flying in a manner that can be perceived as invading anyone's right to privacy and your flight pattern and location is legal you should be fine.

Local soccer field is where I generally go.  Most of the time no one is there except right after school when they are doing practice.  I always respect that and have no problems.

I tried flying around the perimeter of my neighborhood at 250 feet and above the trees that surround us.
One lady saw it and came to my house and asked to not let it be anywhere near her home because her husband served in Iraq and is afraid of drones.  Big burly man afraid of drones?  Well I guess that's possible.  Why didn't he come over.  Anyway I'm respecting the request.

fansc48f65af Posted at 2017-4-17 11:52
Local soccer field is where I generally go.  Most of the time no one is there except right after school when they are doing practice.  I always respect that and have no problems.

I tried flying around the perimeter of my neighborhood at 250 feet and above the trees that surround us.

Well, I did put the drone up for sale, but I haven't had any inquiries.  So, it appears it may be a keeper after all!

Also, I recently went to a park complex that has a huge open field in the back. I was all by my self back there and not one soul came back to bother me. I guess I will try to find some additional open spots around the county.

fansc48f65af Posted at 2017-4-17 11:52
Local soccer field is where I generally go.  Most of the time no one is there except right after school when they are doing practice.  I always respect that and have no problems.

I tried flying around the perimeter of my neighborhood at 250 feet and above the trees that surround us.

I was going to make a joke asking which side he was on of he is afraid of drones, but I thought better of it.  PTSD is a nasty thing, it is possible that the drone might be a reminder and set him off.  I don't really beloeve it though, I think it's more likely she just doesn't like drones (paranoia or just no critical thinking and listens to the media and husteria) and is using her husband as an excuse.

That said, despite how much I dislike the paranoids and people lying like that (especially about something like that) I would still try not to deliberately fly over her, just out of curtesy since she asked.  I wouldn't obsess about it though.

tvl,

I agree with other posters regarding finding something interesting to fly over. Ive flown my P3P over my neighborhood 20 or 30X (Im in the US) but it does get boring. I checked out a fire one time to make sure it wasnt a house. I flew over a construction zone for a retirement place next door and that was just ok.

Then I went on vacation to Maine and flew a few lighthouses, islands, sail boats - it was there that I realized why I had purchased it - it was simply amazing. I have lots of unedited footage of crab boats in FL with 50-100 pelicans chasing. That is what I have my drone for.  

Now Im headed to Europe on a river cruise this fall - Im thinking it may be too big a pain to deal with (not flying off the boat but during shore excursions). Now if I had a Mavic...

Oh and get State Farm personal property insurance for $30-$60/year and stop worrying about losing it. Still need to fly safe to avoid personal/property liabilities. I say keep your drone.