So with this post i'm sure i will hear some of you pretty much chew me out ! But thats not the reason for this post! But go ahead and tell me i'm doing something wrong !
Anyway i live out in the country .. lets put it this way if i see a sheriff cop car hes either chasing someone or lost.lol ! So i do live lets call it a country hood ! I have a neighbor south of me like across the street/train tracks and then west of that neighbor across the street is another and then yet another to that neighbors north and so on north everyone of us sits on 1 acre lots and i have 15 acre lot with cherry trees and the first neighbor to the south of me does something with horses but only has one at a time and her lot is probably the same as mine or bigger. Ok so i like guns and have often went into my orchard and popped off a few rounds BUT one neighbors dog freaks out so she asked me to not shoot unless i told her first so she could put the little dumb%$& dog up. So as a good neighbor i've stopped shooting altogether... All of us do a neighborhood watch thing .. we look out for each other. So now comes my new hobby DJI droning ... And walla 2 of my neighbors went to my wife (not me) but my wife and asked her to tell me not to fly my drone over there property. So that cancels the south direction which happens tobe the nicest area to fly over. IT upsets me so much.First off that they have no back bone to come to me and second ,i'm over 200ft up flying sometimes at 30mph. I am filming but not and say again NOT stopping and checking out what everyone is doing and trust me theres a couple places that need a sheriff to stop by and give a friendly look see. Anyway I know as a future responsible pilot i should respect there area and stay away BUT .... Lets hear what you have to say on this subject of just flying around . Funny i refered to a butt in a different way and the bots cought it. I'm impressed !

Unfortunately its life.

The common suggestion is to take your gear and show it to the people who complain. Not flying ... carry it .. let them see it ... even show them a video so they can see for themselves you cannot 'spy' as well as they think.
Basically invite them to join in with you.

Although 'Right to Privacy' in general cannot be legally enforced - it does in my opinion have a moral expectancy. I respect others views and hope that in doing so - they respect mine.

I hope you get things sorted.

Nigel

Tell them it's part of your watch program.  

Take a photo of their property from 400ft, frame it, and give it to them as a Christmas present.   Then they will understand how little detail you can see, instead of thinking that you are peering through their windows with a big zoom lens!

I believe the USA requires flights to be VLOS - ie you should keep the aircraft in sight, sounds like you may not be following the rules?

solentlife Posted at 2018-9-6 04:15
Unfortunately its life.

The common suggestion is to take your gear and show it to the people who complain. Not flying ... carry it .. let them see it ... even show them a video so they can see for themselves you cannot 'spy' as well as they think.

Thanks Nigel that was very informative and easy on the understanding. lol.  And if i get that opportunity i will do just that.. Great idea !  

ALABAMA Posted at 2018-9-6 04:25
Tell them it's part of your watch program.

And to you Alabama , That also is a great idea .. I could say and be somewhat truthful that I'm keeping an eye out on the neighborhood and learning to fly safely at the same time.  But most of the stupid people come out at night .. I can't count how many times couples have parked right next to my house and started playing doctor... Dogs barking all crazy so i get up and do a walkabout only to come around the corner and WOW the look on those ladies eyes .. priceless ... Guys don't care but the girls always scamper to cover up... LOL !  So flying at night would be the ticket to leaving me alone during the day but I'm not good enough yet to do night flying nor have the proper LED lights (YET) but still a great direction to go incase the being nice and showing some what i see when i fly around. I just got a call from the lady we bought the property from and she lives almost 2 miles from me. She said and i quote ! Don't you dare fly your drone over my house !  and hung up ! WOW I'm floored ! Absolutely floored and we've all been friends for years , spent numerous hours helping her fix things and take her to the store for groceries ... What the H E double toothpicks is going on..  That's it i'm calling a town council meeting !   LMAO !  I'll be respectful and keep my bird tethered ... BUT trust me i am going to talk to a few people and see what's the issue.. ARE they all hiding something ???LOL !

If I was you I'll still keep flying around till they will come and have a discussion with me, and then I'll explain why I do it and how its not harmful for them. If they have some logic behind not wanting me to fly over their house, then I'll follow it, but a "no" without logic doesnt really stop me tbh...

I feel your pain, I live in the country as well, I have 35 acres, neighbors on either side of me have 50 acres each. We all shoot guns, however we have one neighbor who seems to only shoot when we have outdoor gatherings, as to provoke us. Never said anything to him, I just deal with it. I figured if I said something he would have won knowing that he was being aggravating.

As far as the drone flights, I would be mindful of the same, do not fly around them and keep their privacy in mind. I second the photo gift. My neighbor and I have someone cut our hay and the other day he asked how many bails did I get this time, told him I did not count and he said the same, so that afternoon, I flew up high enough to get his entire pasture and took a photo, counted the bails and emailed him the photo and said he had 36 bales of hay. He replied back great photo. People think those things have x-ray eyes when in fact you cannot even make out the person or sometimes even see them.

Nigel_ Posted at 2018-9-6 04:43
Take a photo of their property from 400ft, frame it, and give it to them as a Christmas present.   Then they will understand how little detail you can see, instead of thinking that you are peering through their windows with a big zoom lens!

I believe the USA requires flights to be VLOS - ie you should keep the aircraft in sight, sounds like you may not be following the rules?

That's a great idea ! Thanks.. And to your other comment... My bird never leaves my LOS . I might lose it for a second because i'm looking at the settings or info on my screen BUT NEVER have i flown anywhere without being able to see my AC... I'm still very new at this .... Hell I've not even flown in any other mode yet .. Only P mode .. No sport mode or ATTI ... And until my bird can prove to me that it's a tame bird it will never leave my sight. And besides out here in the country we have shooters all around us so some of them won't hesitate one second to shoot me down...  I have taken the FAA test and do have and carry my card and my birds are properly marked.  And i live and also work in a no fly zone. and have the permission to fly at my home as long as the tower knows . And thank God its only manned twice a week or i would be moving JUST so i could fly .lol ! That's what i respect about you Nigel you are not shy of saying what's on your mind. No holds bar kind of guy !

DroneNinja117 Posted at 2018-9-6 05:17
If I was you I'll still keep flying around till they will come and have a discussion with me, and then I'll explain why I do it and how its not harmful for them. If they have some logic behind not wanting me to fly over their house, then I'll follow it, but a "no" without logic doesnt really stop me tbh...

Mr. DroneNinja117 . Thats is exactly what my first thought was... Trust me i was P' Oed and I'm thinking i'm not bothering anyone... But yes i am or they would not say anything... And if i was a rogue drone guy that's exactly what i would do. But i believe i have a .... lack of term.... responsibility to  the drone community to try and work this out... I sit here and ask myself what if it was my house they were flying over... well i wouldn't care one bit as long as i didn't look out my window and see it looking back at me . My wife and i both skinny dip in our PRIVATE backyard pool and 99.9% at night and if a drone flew overhead i still wouldn't care as long as my pic didn't end up on the web. lol. I don't know you guys i truly feel like they should mind there own beeswax but don't want to end up being hated by the haters... And i don't want to be that guy that gives the drone world another check mark from the BIG brothers.

To be really honest my first thought was .. Screw it i'll sell everything and try and find another hobby. OH hell no ! not going to let a couple sour apples spoil my absolutely best hobby yet time. NOPE not going to happen.   

HarleyGuy55 Posted at 2018-9-6 06:08
That's a great idea ! Thanks.. And to your other comment... My bird never leaves my LOS . I might lose it for a second because i'm looking at the settings or info on my screen BUT NEVER have i flown anywhere without being able to see my AC... I'm still very new at this .... Hell I've not even flown in any other mode yet .. Only P mode .. No sport mode or ATTI ... And until my bird can prove to me that it's a tame bird it will never leave my sight. And besides out here in the country we have shooters all around us so some of them won't hesitate one second to shoot me down...  I have taken the FAA test and do have and carry my card and my birds are properly marked.  And i live and also work in a no fly zone. and have the permission to fly at my home as long as the tower knows . And thank God its only manned twice a week or i would be moving JUST so i could fly .lol ! That's what i respect about you Nigel you are not shy of saying what's on your mind. No holds bar kind of guy !

Excellent, follow the rules, and keep high above other peoples houses so that it is no different to an aeroplane flying over, if they even notice it

"She said and i quote ! Don't you dare fly your drone over my house !  and hung up ! "

Give her a call back and say: "Don't you dare drive your car past my house!",  and hang up!

That will give her something to think about, it is not a nice thing to be told, but her call wasn't either.  
Then maybe give her another call to ask politely if she would like to discuss her problems.

HarleyGuy55 Posted at 2018-9-6 06:33
To be really honest my first thought was .. Screw it i'll sell everything and try and find another hobby. OH hell no ! not going to let a couple sour apples spoil my absolutely best hobby yet time. NOPE not going to happen.

Ya know i think i'll start inviting all my old bros over with there loud as hell Harleys and we'll start having BBQ's every weekend and they can have a choice .. LOUD as hell bikes rolling up and down the street or a quite little zip here and there once in a while... Ummmm lets work on this LOL !

Me being me would ask them if they have asked the various commercial aircraft operators,, military, police, rescue etc for them all to stop flying over their property. After all they are aircraft just like yours. But thats me and I am probably that way out today.

You should invite the Sheriff over to learn a bit about drones. Have information on the FAA positions about drones handy. He may not know that shooting at a drone is the same as shooting at an airplane.  He may not know also that the FAA is in charge of airspace and no other government entity can create laws governing their flight other that where an airport can be located. All good information for the local police to have. Seeing what you can see will help them field calls about your flights too.

Nigel_ Posted at 2018-9-6 06:35
Excellent, follow the rules, and keep high above other peoples houses so that it is no different to an aeroplane flying over, if they even notice it

"She said and i quote ! Don't you dare fly your drone over my house !  and hung up ! "

Great freaking idea ! I'll pass on the call her part and i'll hold my bird on the ground for a couple days .. well not on the ground here ,there's plenty of other places i can fly. I'll wait and be a good boy till Saturday  or better yet next time she calls for either of us to help her then i'll find out why her old lady underwear are all bunched up. and talk about things. I have to admit i did not expect this type of input .. I really thought most of you would tell me to do what they are asking...  Anyway thank you all for your opinions and help. it's comforting to know that we as drone operators kind of feel the same way when it comes to people being unreasonable with their demands! I do feel better about things. So i'm not selling anything and i'm going to continue to fly but this time out i'll make sure if i happen to end up over there places i'll be well above the 200 or 300 ft mark as long as there's no aircraft going by my area! I'm aloud 400 feet and can go much much higher with permission .  Anyway Thanks again to all of you ! Have a awesome day and a even better tomorrow !

embayweather Posted at 2018-9-6 07:44
Me being me would ask them if they have asked the various commercial aircraft operators,, military, police, rescue etc for them all to stop flying over their property. After all they are aircraft just like yours. But thats me and I am probably that way out today.

I do like your idea Embayweather .. I will remember that if any of them get all poopy with me.. That's exactly what i'll say !  Thanks !

Al S. Alice's Handler Posted at 2018-9-6 08:18
You should invite the Sheriff over to learn a bit about drones. Have information on the FAA positions about drones handy. He may not know that shooting at a drone is the same as shooting at an airplane.  He may not know also that the FAA is in charge of airspace and no other government entity can create laws governing their flight other that where an airport can be located. All good information for the local police to have. Seeing what you can see will help them field calls about your flights too.

Thank you Al.S . Thank you so much !

Mate its simple to solve these issues as many have already stated. Just be polite, do your own thing nobody has any right to stop you flying as long as you follow faa rules.
They cannot stop you flying as they do not own the air above them. Go have a chat with your local police and show them some images and video from the drone and get them on your side first.
To the woman that youve been helping and hung up on you well my attitude would be she can fix her own stuff from now on.
Dont let them bully you if your not doing anything wrong.

Regardless of whether its allowed to over-fly anothers property or overfly a beach full of sunbathers etc. - I tend to look at it in terms of altitude.

If I was to fly low where the noise was quite loud, low that camera can pick out individuals in good detail - then I say no .. just a moral standard.

If I was to fly high that noise was barely an issue and individual detail is vague - then I fly.

I regard it same as when someone is using their mobile to video / photo in a public place. I don't like if I am framed in the shot - its not my video and I prefer not to be in it. I have on occasion asked a person to not point in my direction - but have always been polite and explained why. I have never had any argument back and in fact near all have said they understand.


Sometimes Morally acceptable and Lawful do not necessarily mean same thing. It can be lawful to overfly another - but depending on flight morally questionable.


I think we have to try and take a responsible and un-emotional look at it and decide best course.


I cannot help but think about the woman who walking her dog …. marched significant distance to grab and put a drone 'under her shirt' … called Police … refused to give back … claimed it had nearly hit her … but all the while she was f'g and cussing - the drone video was recording !!




Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2018-9-7 01:45
Regardless of whether its allowed to over-fly anothers property or overfly a beach full of sunbathers etc. - I tend to look at it in terms of altitude.

If I was to fly low where the noise was quite loud, low that camera can pick out individuals in good detail - then I say no .. just a moral standard.

Great video mate nice find

solentlife Posted at 2018-9-7 01:45
Regardless of whether its allowed to over-fly anothers property or overfly a beach full of sunbathers etc. - I tend to look at it in terms of altitude.

If I was to fly low where the noise was quite loud, low that camera can pick out individuals in good detail - then I say no .. just a moral standard.

Nice video ! Nigel ,Hellsgate and a few others have some great points , So i decided not to be a Prick unless provoked .. I will respect their wishes and stay away from their property . If i do happen to end up flying by them i will make sure i am high enough to not bother them. And at some point i will get a chance to show/talk to them about drones and hopefully show them what i see... As far as the lady that hung up on me after telling me that i dare not fly over her house ..... well i have buzzed by 3 or 4 times now with her outside in her garden and she didn't even hear it . I called her yesterday just to check on if she needed anything from the store and nothing was said so i apologize to her and she said why am i apologizing .. I said ... (i'm floored at this time)  so i said its for the future incase i upset you over somethingLMAO... Shes like 87 i should have realized she just jumped on the wagon just to have something to do... Anyway today i'm diving deep into FAA rules for my area and reading again and copy some stuff on paper just incase the POPO stop by to see me... We need to band together and come up with a commercial that shows and explains drones... And air it.. Educational info type stuff. Thanks again all of you ! Everyone of you had a valid idea and input.  You all have a wonderful day !

Everytime I think about those people being so rude and judgemental i get all worked up all over again... Hellsgate to you i say thank you !  Well i say thank you to ALL OF YOU ! Like i said earlier i will be respectful of their wishes ,let's say, but I WILL NOT STOP FLYING JUST BECAUSE some peeps are a bit ignorant of the law and or drones and what we do with them. I'm doing absolutely nothing wrong.. I don't hang out above anyone's house  snapping pics. I just fly by sometimes slowly sometimes full speed. The only time i slow to take pics or video is of the Orchards and or trains going by and or just plain oh scenery. AND ALWAYS above 100 ft mark because of the trees in my yard and across the street . Some of those trees are at 78 ft mark to 80 ft mark . Anyway Like i said thank you to all and i'll keep you updated if i get arrested and or work things out. lol ! Thanks again TTyl !

Over on another forum …. guy who had been 'warned of' flying invited his neighbours for a street BBQ …. what the others did not know till they got there … his Drone was sitting on a table at the side out of immediate sight … only when they came round to the BBQ itself - did they see it.

He basically introduced it to them .. to look at and offered to demo it … even let some of them have a go on the sticks. As he said - later he was asked if he could do some videos of roofs etc.

Seemed 'community spirit' won through.

Nigel

solentlife Posted at 2018-9-7 06:09
Over on another forum …. guy who had been 'warned of' flying invited his neighbours for a street BBQ …. what the others did not know till they got there … his Drone was sitting on a table at the side out of immediate sight … only when they came round to the BBQ itself - did they see it.

He basically introduced it to them .. to look at and offered to demo it … even let some of them have a go on the sticks. As he said - later he was asked if he could do some videos of roofs etc.

Thats a awesome idea .... But not sure i want to waste money on ...well ..mean people.lol. But like i mentioned before i will be very polite about things and mind my tongue for a while because something will turn up . Time is on my side i believe in regards to introducing my bird to them (Neighbors) and getting them to realize its just ME there Neighbor flying a drone around practicing flying and learning how to take pics of the scenery and keeping the bad guys out. I forgot to mention last night just before dark i took off and headed back over my Orchard and bam what do i see .. 2 cars parked down my rows of trees. On the right a green dodge truck in one lane and a white ford escort car next to the truck with a row of my trees between them so went right to them . Doors were open and windows covered so i dropped down far enough so they would hear my bird and they did... doors closed and they backed out and headed for the street and i followed the truck for about a mile . I've not seen either rig back .. wait today is friday so that was weds, Perfect example im going to use if i get the chance. Thanks again Nigel , I think you are a well balanced guy ... a little rough around the edges but i admire your straightforwardness on certain subjects. I tip my hat to you Sir !

I'm just a true blue Brit who works with so many different nationalities and types … makes me look at the world a bit wider than some I reckon.

I have to say that I bear fools badly … but that's another matter and not here.


Nigel

My father was flying my drone July 4th at dusk and a neighbor that goes to the same church as we do came to the front of our street and cussed him out 1/2 drunk saying if you fly over my house I’ll shoot it down. We have 2 drone flyers close to my house and one of them flew over this guys house and not my dad. My dad was in shock and didn’t say anything to the guy. If you are flying 400 feet or even 300 feet and not hovering , there is nothing they can do.  It’s a felony to shoot down a drone    I understand about privacy  And do respect that but  if you’re flying in a field then fly on but I would not fly over their house.

Nigel_ Posted at 2018-9-6 06:35
Excellent, follow the rules, and keep high above other peoples houses so that it is no different to an aeroplane flying over, if they even notice it

"She said and i quote ! Don't you dare fly your drone over my house !  and hung up ! "

LOL I like that

Sayhelloforme Posted at 2018-9-8 09:29
My father was flying my drone July 4th at dusk and a neighbor that goes to the same church as we do came to the front of our street and cussed him out 1/2 drunk saying if you fly over my house I’ll shoot it down. We have 2 drone flyers close to my house and one of them flew over this guys house and not my dad. My dad was in shock and didn’t say anything to the guy. If you are flying 400 feet or even 300 feet and not hovering , there is nothing they can do.  It’s a felony to shoot down a drone    I understand about privacy  And do respect that but  if you’re flying in a field then fly on but I would not fly over their house.

Thank you and that’s exactly what I’m doing. Thanks again for your reply/input. Have a wonderful day.ttul

HarleyGuy55 Posted at 2018-9-8 17:25
Thank you and that’s exactly what I’m doing. Thanks again for your reply/input. Have a wonderful day.ttul

good. I'm happy to hear that. Some people just get so freaked out over a drone and they think its looking at them.99% of the time, I am looking straight ahead. Happy flying.

A decent conversation should sort it out show them what youre doing and maybe they get hooked up as well. Happy flying mate

So I posted the update to my neighbors complaining post on someone else’s thread and I’m sorry for that. So I’ve been a good boy and stayed away from my neighbors but since my first post of this the very next day I spotted sheriff cars going by and not just cruising by but going by and pretty much turning around just past my driveway. Anyway any of the times I spotted the sheriffs I was not flying . So I was a couple days later outside and already did some flights and bam here he comes Mr popo so I leave my bird hovering and walk to my gate and he wants to come in and I say why ..... but went ahead and opened up . This is going to be a shorter version of the post from yesterday so mite leave things out or just shorten it altogether.... So as he’s driving in I’m already landing my bird and he says is that your drone ... I’m thinking what a moronic question but ok. Yes officer it is my drone.  He says that his kids have a couple and they love flying them around and he’s flown them to. I said yes I absolutely love this hobby and fairly new at it ... well legally new at it. Meaning till this DJI drone I never cared or was told to register it. Anyway long story short I asked him if he wanted to fly it and he said may I ?? Gave him the RC and it was obvious he’s flown before . So off he went around the house and then straight over my neighbors property.... he asked me if I could put the bird the same height I use when flying around so I push the stick up. And he looks at the screen and just smiles and then takes off over a couple more neighbors.. I’m not lying we talked and laughed for all of 2 hours I think . Used all 3 batteries. Oh when he first headed to my neighbors I asked him not to fly over there property or he’ll get another call and he said that would be 7 calls so far. Wow . I told him I was sorry for causing him to waste his time on such trivial calls he said something of being nature of the beast. So he gave the RC back and I landed it and he informed me that although he’s got no control over where I fly but just for the sake of everyone getting along to TRY and reframe from flying over and he pitched his eyes to the right and moved his head same way ... I got his point and said I will do what I can to stay away. Apparently my neighbor likes to swim in her pool with bare minimum on and felt I was spying on her and freaked her out. That’s why she did not call me .. thought I was a pervert .. lol. Anyway we shook hands and he left straight to all the neighbors that called. I’m sorry this was supposed to be a shorter version .. oh I did leave some out. Anyway it’s all good in the hood again. Thanks to all that helped...

This is the Preston Castle in Ione Ca . Preston castle for boys . It is a very spooky and amanus place. I vallenter there to help keep the place clean and safe for people to visit. Right now we’re setting up for Halloween haunt . We turn 3 floors into spooks vil and people buy tickets to walk threw just like a haunted house event and there’s paid actors well not sure about paid but real actors that are in every nock and cranny ready for you to walk by. There’s no touching allowed . We don’t touch you and you don’t punch us. I do security and I will help you to the gate if you grab or touch any staff. But in all fairness if a person gets scared so bad that hands start flying well that’s a situation that warrants talking about . Anyway that Raven lives in the tower and I would have got more pics but that bird did not like my bird so instead of making news paper headlines as a drone operator kills protected species bird with drone I just landed and here we are today. Oh hay have I ever told anyone about the chicken in band camp story... lmao... ok I’ll stop now. Hope everyone has a awesome Sunday. As mine sure is...ttul

Hi, Thanks for sharing your beautiful story. Please let us know if you have other concern. Thank you for the support.

Unless they tell you personally, they haven't said anything. If they want to be cowards about it, then they have shown they have no voice and there is no point in acknowledging what they said. Keep flying as you were until they finally stop being cowards and approach you as an adult. Otherwise, they are the equivalent of children whose opinion does not matter.