any thoughts on neighbor issues?

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Have any of you had neighbor issues wuth your pv2+? Yesterday I was in the front yard flying the uav and a suv stopped in front of my home yelling "I finally got you. Now I know who is spying on me and constantly watching me." Which I proceeded in saying "have you seen yourself in a mirror lady why would I want to look at you. And who do you think you are" she started cursing in front of one of my boys and took off. I have never seen this lady,  dont know where she lives.  Should I worry I can get in trouble flying my drone? Bunch of b.s. Its a regular neighborhood... 
 
From my experience, it helps to use the phrase "Toy Helicopter" or "RC Helicopter" instead of any variation on the word "Drone". Probably won't make a difference to the crazies, but helps with 'normal' people.
 
A tempered response is always best and sometimes dis-arming.
If you sense hostility than mind your own business and act like you can't be distracted (cause that would be negligence ;) ).

If they are curious then you have an opportunity to enlighten them and possibly 'deactivate' another 'drone-a-phobe' :lol: .
 
Sasquatch said:
She sounds a lot like that crazy lady who attacked that boy on the beach and who ended up being charged with assault.
Yeah, only thing is that girl was half decent looking. This lady was half a cupcake away from being an attraction at seaworld
 
I wonder if there is another person in your neighbourhood who is making a nuisance of themselves with their PV and the woman saw you with yours and automatically assumed you were the culprit.

Some people are abusing these things and giving all of us a bad name.
 
Sasquatch said:
I wonder if there is another person in your neighbourhood who is making a nuisance of themselves with their PV and the woman saw you with yours and automatically assumed you were the culprit.

Some people are abusing these things and giving all of us a bad name.

Good point in this case. She did'nt know where to look essentially so use that (against her/them) to further confuse as to who is doing it.

Brilliant!
 
Sasquatch said:
I wonder if there is another person in your neighbourhood who is making a nuisance of themselves with their PV and the woman saw you with yours and automatically assumed you were the culprit.

Some people are abusing these things and giving all of us a bad name.
Nope just me. And ive never been below 150-200 feet when flying around
 
Ahhhh but she doesn't know that, nor do you, riiight? ;)
 
I've actually been pretty lucky in the rare cases I do fly in my neighborhood..I never fly over someone else's property and it's usually later in the evening. Many of my neighbors are elderly and wouldn't understand it. They hear it and probably think 'oh, a swarm of bees'....
 
I also fly in a neighborhood and worry about being called out due to "drone-phobia." Flying FPV most of the time allows you to be creative with the departure and return route - never fly the same pattern in & out which would make it easier for neighbors to detect your home base. :roll:

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN7BVeZ_FCM[/youtube]
 
Isn't it amazing - last summer you could probably go anywhere and fly, but this summer... there's a story in the news almost every day about 'drones'.

I'm repeating myself here, but as a guy who's had experience with 'suspicious' hobbies' (metal detecting), here's some thoughts.

Don't fly over a neighborhood at less than about 250 feet. Above that, the distinctive sound of the Phantom is very hard to hear.

Try and launch away from other people. Once you're up, no one knows what you're doing.

If someone asks, say you're flying a radio-controlled plane or helicopter or something. Do not use the 'D' word.

Do Not Be Obnoxious. If someone says something, try and explain. If that doesn't work, cool it for a while or find another spot. You might not be breaking a specific law, but they CAN call the cops... and they will come. And they will ask you to stop.
 
I've had a neighbor complain, so I agreed to a "no fly zone" over our cul de sac. I now fly after dark primarily at 250 ft or higher, so as not to invade his privacy. Its a very sticky situation, because I'd prefer to fly during daylight, much better use of the fpv. I'm thinking of joining an rc club, just so that I may practice manuevers without worry. Any thoughts?
 
tmc6663 said:
I've had a neighbor complain, so I agreed to a "no fly zone" over our cul de sac. I now fly after dark primarily at 250 ft or higher, so as not to invade his privacy. Its a very sticky situation, because I'd prefer to fly during daylight, much better use of the fpv. I'm thinking of joining an rc club, just so that I may practice manuevers without worry. Any thoughts?

RC Clubs are fine but I'd get bored flying patterns in a RC plane field. I fly RC planes in a club but a major part of the enjoyment of the Phantom is being able to step outside my house on a whelm and fly! Common sense is best advice when dealing with neighbors ...but some people simply do not have a tolerance for anything they aren't interested in.

Sure, the Phantom sounds like an angry swarm of hornets but what does a weedeater or leaf blower sound like for hours on end?!?! "Toy plane" is a great way to downplay to unfriendlies if the 'D' word comes up.

Like a Vietnam chopper sortie, depart with a pop up to 250' before going on maneuvers. Then return home low profile from varying coordinates, screaming fast on the deck to prevent enemy detection. :mrgreen:
 
tmc6663 said:
I've had a neighbor complain, so I agreed to a "no fly zone" over our cul de sac. I now fly after dark primarily at 250 ft or higher, so as not to invade his privacy. Its a very sticky situation, because I'd prefer to fly during daylight, much better use of the fpv. I'm thinking of joining an rc club, just so that I may practice manuevers without worry. Any thoughts?
I dont even fly in my own neighborhood, as I would get annoyed with the noise and flyovers myself if another neighbor did it. FOrtunatly I live near a couple of large fields, so its within walking distance for me to go there and launch/land, and fly at higher altitudes (350 and up) when I do venture over neighborhoods
 
good advice, time to fly!
 
Thanks @dkeshish as I was wondering the same question myself being completely new to this hobby. I have a great relationship with my neighbor - but with that said, it seems that with all the negative news these days, things can change when a flying camera enters the picture. Here's what I did in case it works/helps anyone else & I'd love any feedback:

1) Takeoff/land on my own property and bring it up to max 400' (or as high as necessary).
2) Capture stills only (NOT video, the less they know, the better) of your own house with your neighbor's house also "accidentally" included in the shot.
3) Print hard copies of awesome hi-res color pix (it helps that I can do this at work) and walk them over to your neighbor in person (extra points for providing multiple copies for each family member and for offering to send the original file via email.)
4) Apologize to your neighbor as you are "new to the hobby" and had no idea what this crazy-cool helicopter-toy-thingy could do, but hey, once I got this thing on the ground and downloaded the footage, I thought you'd find these shots neat.
5) Reinforce to neighbor that this was a first-time-user accident and that I had no idea of its potential and that I'd be very mindful in the future of their personal space.
6) Offer that if they ever want, we could fly together over their house for their own use. It helped that their daughter is getting married within the next year - I offered to take some cool shots of her leaving the home in which she grew up in her wedding dress.
7) Offer your neighbor the opportunity to fly the bird him/herself and actually follow up on that offer. Once this happens, I can tell you that they're hooked and want their own "drone!"

~Brad

P.S.: All of this is true and was my personal experience over the past month. Two things I had on my side: 1) my neighbor and I already have a great relationship. We're not "friends" in that we hang out (we're a generation apart) but we get along very well and 2) I knew that if my neighbor crashed my Phantom at any point (which he did - and almost broke the camera off the gimbel) that the shared experience was worth it for years of care-free flying around my house as he easily has the funds to replace it - and would have done so without me even asking. If your neighbor couldn't afford or be willing to buy you a new Phantom tomorrow, I wouldn't recommend offering them any flight time.
 
Never had anyone act like that regarding my Phantom. Most people are more curious. If someone approaches me (for anything) acting like as ***, I just ask them to hang on a sec, start the video on my phone, point it at them so they know I'm recording, and I ask, "I'm sorry what is your name? What is the problem?" They usually calm down or leave in a hurry.
 
tmc6663 said:
I've had a neighbor complain, so I agreed to a "no fly zone" over our cul de sac. I now fly after dark primarily at 250 ft or higher, so as not to invade his privacy. Its a very sticky situation, because I'd prefer to fly during daylight, much better use of the fpv. I'm thinking of joining an rc club, just so that I may practice manuevers without worry. Any thoughts?

Well, that's one way of handling the situation - though I'd suggest that you should feel comfortable with flying your V+ anywhere in your neighborhood if you're launching and recovering from your property.

This *should* be treated like any other outdoor activity. Some people don't like kids playing basketball in the street; others don't want to see kids at all. Those types of requests are as unreasonable as "don't enjoy the object you bought with your money, on your property, on your spare time", which is essentially what your neighbor has told you.
 

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