I received a request from my neighbor to not fly over his property or take any pictures. He of course is a lawyer, don't you know..
I had taken a picture of a landscaper on his property with the person's permission, and he apparently didn't like that.
I responded simply that when he is in control of the air, I would comply to his requests.
I'll keep you posted.
Flying a Phantom is always is a challenge and that is the fun of it.
I never expected this challenge, and will keep you posted if anything comes of the incident.

If any of my neighbors asked me not to fly over their property I'd grant their request.
While we have many rights in the US, it doesn't mean we have to exercise them all the time.
Not being confrontational here and hope you are able to work things out.
Heck, maybe give him a copy of the video and he'll be happy to have an aerial of his property

While you may be on legally solid ground, is it really worth it to fight this battle with your neighbor? It's a BIG world out there, with a lot of places to fly where people don't get upset.

Colorado68 Posted at 2015-7-18 05:36
If any of my neighbors asked me not to fly over their property I'd grant their request.
While we ha ...

I found out a neighbor 3 doors down was disgruntled from seeing my drone hoving above my house, and grunting to other neighbors to shoot it out of the air. I took the time to go down, knock on the door have a 1 on 1 with her, show it to her, explain it was not a toy, please dont shoot it, I was recording the horizon, sunsets, my son playing ball in the yard etc...and by all means had no intention in flying near or over her house. I also kindly explained I keep it well under 300ft and over my yard, which was 100% legal, and if she ever had any concerns please come talk to me first. Respect others though. I would pissed too if I knew someone was videoing me in my back yard. There is no way to deny that yes you may have your rights, but I guarantee and all of us know at 200ft on 4k, you could get some mighty fine details on other folks properties, whether you intend to or not, and this is a privacy concern.

I dont know...a little knowledge about the drone to others and respect can go a long way. These things to some are like what seeing a Lamborghini would be for the first time to someone 300 years ago.

Do you like the guy... Most of my neighbors are cool but I have one that is a pain in the a$$... I practice circling around his house all the time.

Let him call the police, and they will explain him what is legal or not.
It definately resolve his problem.

Spankybear Posted at 2015-7-18 05:51
Do you like the guy... Most of my neighbors are cool but I have one that is a pain in the a$$... I p ...

My first couple of flights were in my backyard w/o complaints but I can see how it would become an annoyance to those who live to whine. Some people enjoy being miserable and want to make others too. So I do not fly around my home to prevent any neighbor disputes.

Enjoin Google Earth into any lawsuit and you will be golden.

I would tell them not to drive there car in front of my house. They could possibly see inside a window, I would them never to look on to my property

There is a saying that goes   :If your house is made from glass don't throw rocks at people.

And he is a lawyer so that means don't huff and buff or the big bad wolf will find a way to have you for dinner.

prisonplanet88 Posted at 2015-7-18 05:47
I found out a neighbor 3 doors down was disgruntled from seeing my drone hoving above my house, and ...

I appreciate your argument about 4k video at 200ft will show a lot of detail, but 1080p at 50ft will show the same detail and everyone at street level will be able to get it. The Phantom shouldn't be in a special class because it is still relatively novel.

Willie Wonka Posted at 2015-7-18 07:41
There is a saying that goes   :If your house is made from glass don't throw rocks at people.

And he ...

Not only was your paraphase completely inaccurate. I also do not believe you know how to properly use it.
At no point did that make any sense and we are all stupider for having listen to it

jhall651 Posted at 2015-7-18 08:54
Not only was your paraphase completely inaccurately, I also do not believe you know how to properly ...

Whoa, whoa! Reread what you typed, and then apologize! ;)

L8again Posted at 2015-7-18 09:05
Whoa, whoa! Reread what you typed, and then apologize! ;)

Haha.  The first part was a true statement.  The second part was just a quote from Billy Madison.  Just having some fun.  I don't really think he made us stupider ;)

Maybe, but "completely inaccurately" is incorrect! Sorry..grammar nazi! lol

L8again Posted at 2015-7-18 09:13
Maybe, but "completely inaccurately" is incorrect! Sorry..grammar nazi! lol

Bad grammar and a typo is 2 different things.  But never the less thanks for the proof read.

L8again Posted at 2015-7-18 09:13
Maybe, but "completely inaccurately" is incorrect! Sorry..grammar nazi! lol

P.S. please disregard "stupider" as I know it is not a correct English word.  It was purposely used for satire.  In addition I must say it is comical taking English lessons from a Canuck seeing as how you guys speak French or that other language that sounds English.....ehh ;)

This is a neighbor who loves to put burrs under everyone's saddle. I won't go into detail.
He also was the first one to come over to see the quad when I first got it.
So after the dust settles a bit with this guy, I'll tell him I don't photo other people without their permission on private property, and have no intention of doing so in the future. And, I also purposely avoid flying near his house, or anyone's house.
But it looks as though he thinks that the sky is his to control, and that creams my corn, as Penny says.
This is a good discussion, because there are lots of ways of dealing with this situation. Everything from nice to other things. It is hard to deal with someone who has spent each waking moment since 2009 when he bought the property of sticking his pointy thing in his neighbor's eye. He walks a bit on egg shells
with me because he knows I carry a Leatherman everywhere I go.

When ever anyone walks up to me, while I'm flying, they have been nothing but respectful, polite, and very kind.
The last fellow, walked slowly towards me, and actually only wanted to ask me a few basic questions.
He wished to know where I bought it, how much it cost, and how long each battery pack would last in flight.
I told him which hobby shop, the Phantom relative values depending on model type and extras, as well how our flight times vary as we gently break in the intelligent batteries.
When I was packing up and ready to leave, he was leaving too, and had his wife and young boy in tow.
After saying our goodbyes, the small boy said, "you fly good". I asked him if he had been watching me flying and he beamed a large smile and "yes".
I think he will be flying 'something' with his father, very soon.

I wish everyone had awesome and positive experiences when confronted by neighbors or complete strangers.
If anyone was ever hostile, I would simply land, pack it up, and vamoose! Exit stage left...

RedHotPoker

Like RedHotPoker, I have enjoyed plenty of nice chats with strangers who are really fascinated by it. there was an occasion when a lady thought I was spying on her but a simple conversation and showing her the footage soon cheered her up. Be patient with people and be an ambassador for the cause. That said your neighbour sounds like a dick, screw with him but don't use your Phantom in case it creates a story!

RedHotPoker Posted at 2015-7-18 09:45
When ever anyone walks up to me, while I'm flying, they have been nothing but respectful, polite, an ...

No place to scoot when the guy is next door.

Yeah, that makes it much tougher to deal with. Why I never fly near my home residence.
I live in a very large city, area wise, with many huge green spaces. So finding a secluded park or field isn't that difficult.
But I find Phantom Flying to be a very social hobby as well. I like to keep my flying well away from where people are congregating.
If someone walks under or rides a bike near by it's ok too. But I like to pay attention to my surroundings and see who's about, before bringing the
Phantom out, into the light. Flying later at night can be very rewarding as well, where there are no bystanders or prying eyes to investigate your intentions.

RedHotPoker

Have to remember those two really good ones......

"Well then don't drive your car down my street because you might accidentally see into my window or my yard."

and

"When you get Google to discontinue Google Earth and all it's satellite imagery and roving cameras, give me a call."

Might even add if I catch the person warning me about my drone over their airspace,.. driving down my street looking at my yard or house, I may have to confiscate their car.

I showed my p3 to my neighbor and he thought it was pretty amazing. Not sure about the other one but he's yet to say anything to me about it yet,and none of the other neighbors have said anything. I always like flying with at least 1 other person to bare witness just in case I have to take something to court.  I think as long as you fly safely and respect people's privacy most likely they will not have any problem.

Spankybear Posted at 2015-7-18 05:51
Do you like the guy... Most of my neighbors are cool but I have one that is a pain in the a$$... I p ...

But don't  you see by doing that you are causing an issue?  Why not just not fly over his house?

I had nearly the same issue with a neighbor threatening to "shoot it out of the sky"  because he didnt understand I am not a kid and the phantom is not a toy. Our neighborhood uses a social media site called Nextdoor to communicate with the neighborhood. After speaking with this irrate neighbor on the phone directly it was resolved peacefully and I decided to post the following on Nextdoor to our entire neighborhood...  

Hello everyone. I should have posted this a few days ago so sorry for the delay.  I have invested in a new high tech camera drone for aerial photography and videography recently. I have been flying it in the neighborhood mainly along the streets (but of course in the air) for practice. I will eventually move on to other locations such as farms, commercial businesses, and real estate productions. It has been brought to my attention that there is some concern among some neighbors regarding video/photos, "spying", etc. I WANT TO MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS I have NOT been recording or photographing during these flights and the ONLY exception was during the neighborhood fireworks over our house the other night. The camera DOES NOT HAVE any kind of "zoom" function so it is unable to "peek into windows" and the like. Whatever altitude it is flying is the camera distance. Every single flight is recorded in the flight telemetry data and accessible for FAA guidelines/scrutiny. I do not want to alarm anyone, make anyone uncomfortable, or cause ANY KIND of problems or conflict. PLEASE PLEASE contact me directly at xxx-xxxx for any questions or concerns rather than shooting it out of the sky.  It is not a toy and I have a sizeable investment in it. I also do not want to be the neighbor with disregard for privacy. I assure you I have well researched laws, restrictions, privacy concerns, etc. all local, state, and federal. I have included a link to the company website for more information and example videos. Thanks for your understanding...

Some of the posting may not be "entirely accurate"  but I haven't had any issues with any neighbors since.

I had this recently, with a colleague at work ok here goes


Example your out shopping with your family in a mall/shopping centre there is a news crew there filming interviews where you walk behind the reporter later that night you notice that your on the 6 o'clock news without consent do you ring the news channel up no
Another example,Facebook you can easily access a persons profile and view images etc family etc
A  tourist in the centre of. London how many. Images do you think he is taking is he editing all the passing people of frame from all the images no
Where as we review the footage and to a certain degree edit out clips/ photos we don't seem acceptable ..

rciresijr Posted at 2015-7-18 13:46
But don't  you see by doing that you are causing an issue?  Why not just not fly over his house?

...

What issue...? He keeps his dogs lock up in the garage and they bark all day long. It's been in the triple didgits temperature wise here... Do you have any idea how hot the garage gets?  That's an issue and animal abuse. If flying my quad around his house is an issue...   Screw him!

His legal budget... UNLIMITED.  Your legal budget?

HE WINS.

Do not fly over his property.

mark1975 Posted at 2015-7-18 20:24
I had this recently, with a colleague at work ok here goes

Hi,

i agree to the part of the 6 o clock news, however there is a difference.
If you are in a Public area you can't avoid that somebody takes picture of you, but if you are at home, it's Private property.

sudiste Posted at 2015-7-21 13:38
Hi,

i agree to the part of the 6 o clock news, however there is a difference.

Flying "over" someone's house is not "owned" by anyone. It is "federal" airspace regulated by the FAA. In my line of work (on medical helicopters) we have had people complain of the noise "over their property" because we often take nearly the same flight path/pattern.  Guess who "owns" the airspace>?...not them.

vu.q.le@outlook Posted at 2015-7-18 07:18
You assume that the police knows the law. The sheriff deputy couldn't even tell me whether or not  ...

Concerning the Sheriff, sometimes it is best not to ask the question if you might not like the answer!

tcoleyrn Posted at 2015-7-21 15:09
Flying "over" someone's house is not "owned" by anyone. It is "federal" airspace regulated by the  ...

I agree, but at the end it's as well a matter of respect of each other.

This isn't aimed at just you - it's directed at the both of you.

This is a forum about flying a quadcopter and a thread about the legality/courtesy of flying over a neighbor's airspace with a camera.

To turn it into a thread war between two neighboring countries with amiable relations is petty and juvenile at best - and the denigration of Americans as uneducated hilbillies and Canadians as incapacitated English speakers is just tired.

I thought since I started this thread, I'd give you an up-date on my neighbor. There is nothing to report.
I flew yesterday with my visiting brother to show him how much fun it was, and the neighbor's wife was puttering next to my property line. I stayed off the air space above his property, and landed on my deck, and heard no comment.
As far as pictures are concerned, if you take photos of an adult lollygagging naked by the pool, from 60 feet or so, you have that right. It is the same right you have to take a picture of the front of his house. Naked or not.
If you then use those photos in any way that makes them public, you are in for trouble. That is invasion of privacy in the court cases I have heard about. In New York city a guy was flying his drone up and down the high-rise condos, and he was taking pictures thru the windows of celebrity's living rooms. He was arrested and the charges were dismissed, because he never made the pictures public. That is why when you visit a celebrity's high-rise condo, there are curtains blocking the windows.
Lastly, if a neighbor wants to be a bully, so be it, but you don't ever take your marbles and go home. Stand up for your rights and HIS, no matter his beef. BUT be sure you know your rights, to be safe.
I am not a lawyer and proud of it.
That's my stance.  

Colorado68 Posted at 2015-7-18 05:36
If any of my neighbors asked me not to fly over their property I'd grant their request.
While we ha ...

Totally agree. I value my privacy and respect that others want their privacy. If they are not being confrontational or a jerk I wouldn't argue about it. I might consider getting an IR camera and flying at night to see what they were really up to :-)

My take would be to respect an individual's right to privacy. This story is rather interesting, though (quote below, full text here http://gizmodo.com/is-it-ok-to-s ... rs-drone-1718055028)


But in the eyes of the law, a drone is a full-fledged aircraft, and deserves the same kind of respect. Here’s what federal law (18 USC § 32) has to say:

(a) Whoever willfully—

(1) sets fire to, damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks any aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States or any civil aircraft used, operated, or employed in interstate, overseas, or foreign air commerce;

...shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years or both.
What does that mean for you? If you attempt to gun down a flying robot, you could face those two decades in the slammer, and/or a fine of up to a quarter of a million dollars. So, legally speaking, shooting a drone could be the same as trying to damage a chopper or a 747. “Aircraft” is a pretty sweeping definition, it turns out, and it could work in drones’ favor.

“This applies even if a drone is hovering over your backyard,” says Sachs. “According to the FAA, it controls all airspace from the blades of the grass up. However, even if you did own X feet above your property, you would not be permitted to shoot a drone that flies within that space because shooting any aircraft is a federal crime.”