So...what do you guys do?  Serioulsy.  If one more SOB tells me they're going to shoot my Inspire 1 down IF I GET anywhere near their property I think I am going to start doing straffing runs on them right there, on the spot with my Quad.  Geeeessh...unreal.  
I mean it's got me into such high paranoia mode now when I fly I am constantly looking around more worried about someone walking up to me it's got me focusing on the wrong things.  
While it would be nice to have no one around, it's just not that easy for me in my area, so while it's not over people, once I get airborne, it's not hard to figure out who I am and often times people start wandering over.  While a lot of the convorsations are interest, it's majority (75% +) the same BS of "looking in windows", "I'll shoot it down and then destroy it" and ignornat statement after ignornat statement.

So how do you guys handle it?  What do I say other than quoting the law of 50+ ft (here in Oregon) and I don't usually drop below 100 anywhere near people except for myself when landing...etc...etc...  or wearing my CCW on the outside in my tactical holster.
I am really at my wits end with people about this crap and their lack of education on the subject.  Any help or commments are appreciated.

Here's a video this guy made that really shows you can't see a THING without it being right outside your window.  Really well done IMO.

I like it...!!!!!   Now if we can only get the media involved to help better inform the public that there is very little to be consented about

Concerned rather ... Lol

I TOTALLY agree with you when people are talking to you while flying, you cant consentrate. I had two guys come up to me last week in front of my OWN PLACE and attempt to "JUMP ME" and steal my inspire. But I made them realize I was a police officer and actually had my gun on me at the time. Now anytime I fly in front of my place I carry.

If the situation is at the stage where you feel the need to be armed when flying your Inspire, I'd venture to say that the public perception of UAVs is the least of your issues.

Yup, I hear you!

You need to be nice and explain what you are doing and that it is not possible to be spying from this high up. I have even let them look at the video feed on my iPad to show them what I was doing.
As far as trying to shoot the Inspire down.... would be tuff to do. They could get arrested to shooting a gun in the city limits!

This is because the media is trying to scare people and cause them to be afraid of drones. The media is trying to sell papers and articles .... very irresponsible !!

Rich

Yeah, this is disturbing...  Here in China people are not worried about spying,  but they have  another irritating habit: sometimes 30-40 people can stare at you flying, or stay behind you and asking ridiculous  questions non-stop.  Very often parents are not watching their kids almost running into the blades when you are trying to land.... So now i'm trying to hide somewhere before taking off, that's the only way to enjoy flying.

DJI-Tim Posted at 2016-4-8 05:00
Yeah, this is disturbing...  Here in China people are not worried about spying,  but they have  anot ...

That happen to every pilot, people always ask the same questions.

Just wear a NRA hat , and if they threaten you say , " Payback's a  Bitch"  Be sure to have that "Clint Eastwood"  look   ( Squint )  in your Eyes too.

I usually just invite them to look at the monitor  so they can see the Camera's view.  They then realize it is  not a super Zoom for peeping Tom purposes.  Then they usually calm down and are pretty cool ,If not I put on My NRA cap....... you know the rest.


Donnie

Donnie Posted at 2016-4-8 22:58
Just wear a NRA hat , and if they threaten you say , " Payback's a  Bitch"  Be sure to have that "Cl ...

Exactly, they all think we can see them up close from 100ft away. Just invite them to look and see that the view is no where near from close up.

My name is Harry Callahan, go ahead, make my day. The rest is history

The favourite question of onlookers here in France is 'how much'.  They do ask for some specs as well.  In two years flying all over - only had one guy try to tell me it was illegal to fly in France and all over Europe.  I told him to bugger off and annoy someone else.  I now carry a copy of the rules in French and English, just in case the Gendrames (French Police) arrive.  They are very scarce where I fly so no hassles there - ones I've met ask about it otherwise don't bother.  The French seem to like us Scots.

I was thinking that you may be able to get some public education going in your area regarding the overall camera capabilities of your model by contacting one of your area TV stations.
They may be able to help you out by doing a short segment on the subject as it relates to your particular model and UAV's in general, using some of the information already available on YouTube and other such sites to supplement the information you may want to provide.
Can't hurt to give it a try.
In the meantime you may want to avoid the drama by doing some scouting about to find some open areas void of residential housing more suitable to your flying needs. Just a thought!

DJI-Tim Posted at 2016-4-8 10:00
Yeah, this is disturbing...  Here in China people are not worried about spying,  but they have  anot ...

Tell me about it Tim, that's exactly my experience. The zombie hordes shamble over to be entertained. They have no sense of danger, try playing with the blades after I land it, ask how much it costs, where I bought it, how high it can fly etc. I once stood outside a DJI store flying one and people asked so many questions and I couldn't believe they couldn't figure out where I bought it. I totally should have got paid for that!

It's like any time one or two dare approach, all the others will come over thinking it's ok. While keeping my eyes on the drone I suddenly become aware of the huge crowd of people as some guy's bad breath hits my nose as he leans over my arm to look at the screen and comment that there's a video... Then the parents shout, "Hey! Let's look at the feiji!" to all the kids... They play on WeChat while the kids run around and scream under where I had planned to land and now need to make alternative arrangements... This is why I never fly alone, I need a ground crew!

I could go on for hours on this but it really grinds my gears.

Now that I've got that out of my system, I think the video is pretty good, it makes a simple point very well and I hope all the drone alarmists will see it and relax a bit.

I'm 14 years old and I was flying my inspire 1 down a street in my neighborhood with a bud when a man about 50 came out and pointed his gun at us and began swearing. He threatened to shoot my drone and me if it went near his home

Promptly report that man to the police young man! God bless the second amendment, but that aint right. But , yes encourage people to come over and see for them selvs, what you can and can't see.  INSPIRE Pilot Ken.

Jack, Next time that happens call the Police!! What I have done is I Keep a three ring binder with we me, that has a plastic cover made to slip a single sheet of paper in. On the outside I put in a paper with the following:

"If you want to talk to me about the drone, I'll be happy to talk to you when I'm done flying.

If you want to talk to me about my right to use this aircraft, or my right to collect data and photographs from this aircraft, please read the guidelines below. The FAA has authorized the use of radio control aircraft for personal recreational use unless expressly prohibited by local ordinance. If you believe I am not in compliance, feel free to contact local authorities. Any attempt to harass me, interfere with or cause damage to my personal property will be met with criminal prosecution.

FAA guidelines for Model Aircraft Operations

Model aircraft operations are for hobby or recreational purposes only.
The FAA has partnered with several industry associations to promote Know Before You Fly, a campaign to educate the public about using unmanned aircraft safely and responsibly. Individuals flying for hobby or recreation are strongly encouraged to follow safety guidelines, which include:

●        Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of surrounding obstacles
●        Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times
●        Remain well clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations
●        Don't fly within 5 miles of an airport unless you contact the airport and control tower before flying
●        Don't fly near people or stadiums
●        Don't fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 lbs
●        Don't be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft – you could be fined for endangering people or other aircraft

The statutory parameters of a model aircraft operation are outlined in Section 336 of Public Law 112-95 (the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012) (PDF). Individuals who fly within the scope of these parameters do not require permission to operate their UAS; any flight outside these parameters (including any non-hobby, non-recreational operation) requires FAA authorization. For example, using a UAS to take photos for your personal use is recreational; using the same device to take photographs or videos for compensation or sale to another individual would be considered a non-recreational operation.

Lay the binder on the ground beside you with this facing up. In the binder I have printouts of the airspace in my area, my registration and all kinds of stuff that clearly shows I know what I'm doing. All can be found on the web for free. So once you are talking to them flipping though showing where the nearest airports are, airspace, your registration, any certificates, I have a copy of my Pilots License etc. Add anything. I even have a photo of the drone and stats on it. That will usually shut up about anyone an make them realize they are ignorant. If not tell them they could go to jail for interfering with the safe operation of an aircraft.

PS this form was written by a fellow Drone Pilot to give Full Credit. I don't want to mention his name in public. I do want to give him the credit, as it was his idea NOT mine.

I got a yellow construction vest off of Amazon and it is amazing how people stay away from me. Because it looks like your official / working and no one comes near you / me. I even filmed for a school run a little while ago and not one of the kids came near me because I was wearing a construction vest. Hope this helps

Hterag Posted at 2016-4-9 01:15
Tell me about it Tim, that's exactly my experience. The zombie hordes shamble over to be entertain ...

ahahha lol, Hterag!　you described my life in one post!

jackmeigel Posted at 2016-4-9 21:36
I'm 14 years old and I was flying my inspire 1 down a street in my neighborhood with a bud when a ma ...

That is scary! Whats happend next? you landed and that guy with the gun left?  Hopefully you got out of it safely....

This is really very foreign to me...I have certainly never had to face this issue and I'm hoping I never have to. Stay safe out there!

wearing my CCW on the outside in my tactical holster.     Its not CCW on the outside its OC(open carry).

if people say they are gonna shoot it down,   kindly let them know they will be buying you a new one and facing jail time.    or just tell them have a blast,   just do you thing and if you see them with a gun just start filming them.   stay 150-200 feet high and it will be quite hard to hit your drone if the do decide to throw lead at it.   fly your drone away at this point.  download your video and take it to the police.   have attempted destruction of property.   unlawful discharging of a firearm. depending on where you are at, endangering the welfare of the public.     

still pretty shocked people harass you if your open carrying.   i open carry when i metal detect at night in SC.   drunks on the beach at night are just as bad as what your describing.     but i live in jersey.  only people here who are allowed to OC or CC are leo's and gangsta's, but they only get to CC.   every where you go here you will see signs saying "firearm discharge restricted"  can barely hunt anywhere here and only a hand full of places to go shooting.  pretty much if you don't want your drone to get shot at fly in jersey.   YOU may get shot at but your drone is pretty safe

tpazol Posted at 2016-4-10 22:03
I got a yellow construction vest off of Amazon and it is amazing how people stay away from me. Becau ...

Yes, a hi-vis vest works really well in managing curious onlookers and dealing with the local authorities if they cruise around or are called to investigate.

Wearing one lends a sense of responsibility to the pilot, especially if you have some  evidence of having taken some safety planning into account. (a copy of your TRA or flight checklist in the car comes in handy when you are challenged)

But there can always be uninformed and belligerent people that just want to get in your face. Something we have to deal with if we want to fly out in public.

I have a local park I use to do post upgrade shakedown flights. It's surrounded by houses on 3 sides and a primary school on the 4th. It is very large however, so plenty of room to test the inspire without flying over backyards. (It goes without saying that I don't fly in school hours!)

Quite often a car or two will enter the park while I'm flying, stop for a few seconds to watch and leave. They are just checking me out. A wave and a smile usually sends them on their way.

I BUY 4-5 VERY CHEAP QUADS LAUNCH THEM AND LET THEN HOOVER RIGHT AT MY PROPERTY LINE. THE FIRST TIME A BULLET IS FIRED TOWARDS MY HOME I CALL THE POLICE. By the way,. SET UP A GOPRO TO CAPTURE IT ALL.. ALSO, MAKE SURE THESE QUADS HAVE NO CAMERAS SO ANY EXCUSE AS TO SPYING IS PUT TO REST.
EITHER THEY ARE DOING ILLEGAL THINGS, ARE PARANOID OR ARE COMPLETE NARCISSISTS

Only time I have ever been confronted was a guy coming to see if I was ok............I was flying fpv with my head down and he went past in his truck a couple of times and then pulled up thinking I was having a medical episode .

Our hobby is being portrayed as intrusive by the media and the jealous haters that seem to get their education from South Park cartoons. It's important that we all stay patient and communicate with the misinformed. Take the high road and you'll possibly leave them with an impression that will be positive for all.

joeglennaz Posted at 2016-4-10 06:17
Jack, Next time that happens call the Police!! What I have done is I Keep a three ring binder with w ...

Joe...I was oncall and somehow missed this.  THANK YOU for this suggestion and formatting.  I am going to use this (with your blessing of course) and do the same thing, giving you FULL credit.  

I wish I could upvote you a few times for this.  This is a GREAT idea and practice and I think illustrates the educated mind who flies, vs some idiot who is out to do something stupid and irreversible.

Thanks again Joe!  I urge EVERYONE to make something like this and don't let ground people distract you from your UAV.  The same conversations get old that's for sure.

Thanks to ALL who responded and continue to...and so sorry Jack that happened.  But it's exactly what I am talking about.

joeglennaz Posted at 2016-4-10 06:18
PS this form was written by a fellow Drone Pilot to give Full Credit. I don't want to mention his na ...

Tell him THANKS and I still give you credit for ferreting it to us over here.  

harb@bigpond.ne Posted at 2016-4-19 10:42
Only time I have ever been confronted was a guy coming to see if I was ok............I was flying fp ...

That's because people don't know you're a gentle giant and they just go off your sunglasses look and that you might ride with the guys from Sons of Anarchy.

j/k brother!

americanrawlins Posted at 2016-4-7 12:58
I TOTALLY agree with you when people are talking to you while flying, you cant consentrate. I had tw ...

Thanks for your service btw...I am a long time Army Contractor, and a lot of our guys become officers when they get back from a tour...so I know you fight a different kind of war out on the streets.  

Just sayin... ;)