The condo where I live has a lot of paranoid people about "spying drones". Typical I bet, but bizarre. A dusk this evening I went flying, and was going to keep it down over the beach, far away from the building. I was flying it from my balcony. I was going to hand catch it, or land it below me in the grass, which because of the wind I wasn't enthralled with. Bottom line: It was real windy, probably too windy to fly. But these things fly SO WELL.
OK I was near this building over the beach, and I got a "Motor Seizure" RED WARNING (I would think catastrophe, and there wasn't one). Followed by a "Motor at Idle" RED WARNING. And the wind was really picking up. I figure I need to get it down quickly, take the warnings seriously, and if they are false alarms great. I also figured I was going to land in the grass, and if anyone got upset so be it. ANYBODY SEE THESE? IT SPINS RIGHT UP NOW IN MY LIVING ROOM. NO PROBLEMS!??
The wind hitting the building created a lot of turbulence. Not my finest idea. Live and learn right? The wind had it bouncing around, and I was paranoid about the motors, so I just set it down quickly. Successfully. Video up. Seemed undamaged. I go down there, forgot my key, had to climb a couple fences to GET to the stupid grass, and it's GONE!
I glanced at my phone and saw a lady in the lobby with it, and that thing transmitted out of the elevator, through re-bared concrete and I saw it take an elevator ride, and I saw it being taken into a Condo. NOTE THIS IS AFTER THE BIG EVENT. The GPS told me where in the building it was. South side. 3rd floor, my first try, found it. These people were pompous *****, and were convinced that I was hovering outside their balcony to look at the wife. I told them about my problem, the red faced husband said BS, and they told me that it had landed "ON OUR BALCONY, ON OUR PROPERTY. We're going to keep it and let the board decide what to do tomorrow. FAIR ENOUGH! Or we'll call the police right now." They knew I knew they were lying, but knew (WRONG) they couldn't get caught. She at least let me tell them out to turn it off, and they did, and slammed the door in my face. I HADN'T REVIEWED OR EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE VIDEO YET. OMG WHAT A SURPRISE!
I NEVER SHUT THE VIDEO CAMERA OFF! I got stunning 4K video of the setting sun, the rough beautifully colored water, and my whole landing fiasco. And, to my SURPRISE AND DELIGHT, I got the FELONY GRAND THEFT from the grass, the trip up the elevator, and the door closing to their condo. SO I CALLED THE POLICE! Told him what happened, showed him the videos, we hit it off good. The couple had gone out to dinner, wouldn't answer the phone, and had called the "BOARD President", and said how it flew onto their balcony. The deputy tried their phones a bunch of times, and said he wasn't going anywhere until he confronted them and I got my drone back, and he'd take them to jail for Grand Theft. I said that might be a little much, I'd be mad if I REALLY thought it was looking at me. He said then he'd just wait until they came back, and give them a talking too, and "they better not screw that conversation up!" Yikes, smoke was coming out his ears.
They called back, and stuck to their balcony story for a while! BAD move. The deputy said, "Listen, I don't think you understand the trouble that you're in. I have videotape here proving that you are lying to me now. You are looking at Felony Grand Theft, and now Lying to a Police Officer. You're potentially in a lot of trouble." (IN PERSON, WITH THEIR ATTITUDE, THEY'D BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW.) That shut them up, and they promised to give it to the president that night, and she's my next door neighbor, and we're friends. I said I wasn't going to press charges The deputy told me about 3 times to call and confirm I got it back. He was just looking for an excuse. DON'T BE A POMPOUS RICH PERSON WHO LIVES IN THEIR 1/2 MILLION DOLLAR CONDO 3 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR, AND BLATANTLY LIE TO A COP, WHO DEALS WITH DRUNKS ALL DAY, making peanuts compared to you. HE'S GOING TO GET REALLY MAD. REALLY REALLY MAD. I got it back by the bemused president.
I texted a "sorry to have bothered you" semi make nice text, and got a nasty reply. So maturely, I said that if I didn't receive a apology within 10 minutes, "I "just might" change my mind about pressing charges, and if you think your dinner was ruined, a night in jail on felony charges will ruin an entire vacation." Then I gave them Roy Black's Contact Info, the highest profile criminal lawyer in the state (Rush L, William Kennedy Smith, lots of others), and said he's probably really expensive, but he'll almost surely get you off with probation. I don't think I got the apology. I'm not a very good *****. It takes a LOT.
HOORAY FOR DJI LIGHTBRIDGE! MAGIC!! Transmits to my phone through a metal elevator, through multiple floors of a concrete slab, re-bar re-enforced structure, and allowed me to compliment the lady on her toenail polish! Sends me accurate GPS coordinates spot on their condo. If I had thought to look at the altitude, I might have guessed 3rd floor. There are 2-8 floors here. I was still getting video, but the camera gimbal was pointing down. Half the owners are never here. I just rent, but am leaving in a month. And I'm friends with my landlord and gave her husband a wounded Blade 350QX he loves. A "warning from the board" about her tenant will just amuse her. The deputy could also see I couldn't see in their bedroom. Actually, I could, not very well. A HAPPY ENDING DRONE STORY!!
OK I was near this building over the beach, and I got a "Motor Seizure" RED WARNING (I would think catastrophe, and there wasn't one). Followed by a "Motor at Idle" RED WARNING. And the wind was really picking up. I figure I need to get it down quickly, take the warnings seriously, and if they are false alarms great. I also figured I was going to land in the grass, and if anyone got upset so be it. ANYBODY SEE THESE? IT SPINS RIGHT UP NOW IN MY LIVING ROOM. NO PROBLEMS!??
The wind hitting the building created a lot of turbulence. Not my finest idea. Live and learn right? The wind had it bouncing around, and I was paranoid about the motors, so I just set it down quickly. Successfully. Video up. Seemed undamaged. I go down there, forgot my key, had to climb a couple fences to GET to the stupid grass, and it's GONE!
I glanced at my phone and saw a lady in the lobby with it, and that thing transmitted out of the elevator, through re-bared concrete and I saw it take an elevator ride, and I saw it being taken into a Condo. NOTE THIS IS AFTER THE BIG EVENT. The GPS told me where in the building it was. South side. 3rd floor, my first try, found it. These people were pompous *****, and were convinced that I was hovering outside their balcony to look at the wife. I told them about my problem, the red faced husband said BS, and they told me that it had landed "ON OUR BALCONY, ON OUR PROPERTY. We're going to keep it and let the board decide what to do tomorrow. FAIR ENOUGH! Or we'll call the police right now." They knew I knew they were lying, but knew (WRONG) they couldn't get caught. She at least let me tell them out to turn it off, and they did, and slammed the door in my face. I HADN'T REVIEWED OR EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT THE VIDEO YET. OMG WHAT A SURPRISE!
I NEVER SHUT THE VIDEO CAMERA OFF! I got stunning 4K video of the setting sun, the rough beautifully colored water, and my whole landing fiasco. And, to my SURPRISE AND DELIGHT, I got the FELONY GRAND THEFT from the grass, the trip up the elevator, and the door closing to their condo. SO I CALLED THE POLICE! Told him what happened, showed him the videos, we hit it off good. The couple had gone out to dinner, wouldn't answer the phone, and had called the "BOARD President", and said how it flew onto their balcony. The deputy tried their phones a bunch of times, and said he wasn't going anywhere until he confronted them and I got my drone back, and he'd take them to jail for Grand Theft. I said that might be a little much, I'd be mad if I REALLY thought it was looking at me. He said then he'd just wait until they came back, and give them a talking too, and "they better not screw that conversation up!" Yikes, smoke was coming out his ears.
They called back, and stuck to their balcony story for a while! BAD move. The deputy said, "Listen, I don't think you understand the trouble that you're in. I have videotape here proving that you are lying to me now. You are looking at Felony Grand Theft, and now Lying to a Police Officer. You're potentially in a lot of trouble." (IN PERSON, WITH THEIR ATTITUDE, THEY'D BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW.) That shut them up, and they promised to give it to the president that night, and she's my next door neighbor, and we're friends. I said I wasn't going to press charges The deputy told me about 3 times to call and confirm I got it back. He was just looking for an excuse. DON'T BE A POMPOUS RICH PERSON WHO LIVES IN THEIR 1/2 MILLION DOLLAR CONDO 3 MONTHS OUT OF THE YEAR, AND BLATANTLY LIE TO A COP, WHO DEALS WITH DRUNKS ALL DAY, making peanuts compared to you. HE'S GOING TO GET REALLY MAD. REALLY REALLY MAD. I got it back by the bemused president.
I texted a "sorry to have bothered you" semi make nice text, and got a nasty reply. So maturely, I said that if I didn't receive a apology within 10 minutes, "I "just might" change my mind about pressing charges, and if you think your dinner was ruined, a night in jail on felony charges will ruin an entire vacation." Then I gave them Roy Black's Contact Info, the highest profile criminal lawyer in the state (Rush L, William Kennedy Smith, lots of others), and said he's probably really expensive, but he'll almost surely get you off with probation. I don't think I got the apology. I'm not a very good *****. It takes a LOT.
HOORAY FOR DJI LIGHTBRIDGE! MAGIC!! Transmits to my phone through a metal elevator, through multiple floors of a concrete slab, re-bar re-enforced structure, and allowed me to compliment the lady on her toenail polish! Sends me accurate GPS coordinates spot on their condo. If I had thought to look at the altitude, I might have guessed 3rd floor. There are 2-8 floors here. I was still getting video, but the camera gimbal was pointing down. Half the owners are never here. I just rent, but am leaving in a month. And I'm friends with my landlord and gave her husband a wounded Blade 350QX he loves. A "warning from the board" about her tenant will just amuse her. The deputy could also see I couldn't see in their bedroom. Actually, I could, not very well. A HAPPY ENDING DRONE STORY!!
Just make sure to blur any faces if they appear.
