Had a bad day doing what I enjoy most.

[Kcgunesq]

Let me clarify this for you so you don't overthink this simple solution.
The idea is not to engage somebody that's being belligerent and bothering you.
To call the police and have them remove them.
Nothing more needs to be accomplished than this.
I thought it was pretty self-explanatory when I put it down but apparently not.
Now you know.
Further straw man arguments are not required.

Under what authority would the police remove a citizen who is simply expressing their opinion to you in a public place.

If you are going to use legal words, you need to know what they mean and in what context.

Fine, call the police. That's probably a reasonable step. But when you start suggesting that the "remove" someone who is simply annoying you, I think you fail to understand how our laws work.

BTW, explain how anything I said was a straw man argument.

 

[emtor]

I'm fortunate to live in the northernmost region of Norway.
Miles and miles of untouched nature to fly my drone in.
Next to my house is an old sawmill that I can fly all I want,-a large open field with no idiots on it to ruin my day.
I can go to sleep without locking my front door. The worst that could happen is my drunk neighbour stumbling in.
Annoying? Yes. Dangerous? -No.
No one here will pull a gun on me if I tell them to bugger off,-private property doesn't exist here, anyone can go anywhere, unhindered.
As long as I don't fly my drone into someone's car, nobody cares.

 

[Hollow Dog]

Under what authority would the police remove a citizen who is simply expressing their opinion to you in a public place.

If you are going to use legal words, you need to know what they mean and in what context.

Fine, call the police. That's probably a reasonable step. But when you start suggesting that the "remove" someone who is simply annoying you, I think you fail to understand how our laws work.

BTW, explain how anything I said was a straw man argument.

Yeah you really made your point and showed everybody how smart you are.

 

[dors2219]

I am really sorry to hear about this. I had one similar experience that really shock me up. I was in the country and some farmer came up to me asking what I am doing here, and started swearing at myself and my pregnant wife. I’ve been flying for 1 1/2 years and have one bad experience. Keep your head up and hopefully your next flight will be better!

 

[macoman]

I am really sorry to hear about this. I had one similar experience that really shock me up. I was in the country and some farmer came up to me asking what I am doing here, and started swearing at myself and my pregnant wife. I’ve been flying for 1 1/2 years and have one bad experience. Keep your head up and hopefully your next flight will be better!

Did u bring the drone down and leave?

 

[Charliepapa]

Just curious, if you’re a commercial operator could you tell the guy that he’s interfering with a flight crew and that it’s a federal offense?

 

[pomonabill220]

Just curious, if you’re a commercial operator could you tell the guy that he’s interfering with a flight crew and that it’s a federal offense?

That is kinda what i was thinking. He was bothering you and distracting you while you were flying, and I thought that was illegal, besides being dangerous.

Sorry to hear that a jacka$$ had to pull the little man syndrome and upset you. Maybe he was drunk or on something?
All of his actions just prove how childish he is and immature.

Please don't let this incident destroy your enjoyment.

 

[dors2219]

Did u bring the drone down and leave?

Yes I did. He threaten to call the cops on me. He already ruined my day and my overall experience for weeks/months. Didn’t want to deal with him anymore.

 

[macoman]

Yes I did. He threaten to call the cops on me. He already ruined my day and my overall experience for weeks/months. Didn’t want to deal with him anymore.

Try to find another area... If I had bad experience in a spot, I usually don't come back. Also I use this while flying which will help you a lot: Safety vests for FAA registered and/or licensed/certified Part 107 and Part 333 drone (UAV, UAS, sUAS, unmanned aircraft) pilots

 

[KMF294]

Under what authority would the police remove a citizen who is simply expressing their opinion to you in a public place.

If you are going to use legal words, you need to know what they mean and in what context.

Fine, call the police. That's probably a reasonable step. But when you start suggesting that the "remove" someone who is simply annoying you, I think you fail to understand how our laws work.

BTW, explain how anything I said was a straw man argument.

Speaking as a police officer, we have the right to quell a disturbance. Even free speech has its limits. If this guy is being assaultive under either a common law or state law definition we can take action against him. If his actions are creating a disturbance we can remove him to restore peace, even if that means arresting him for such crimes as disorderly conduct or disturbance of the peace.

 

[TxPhantom4Pro2017]

I am new to drones. I was gifted my first drone (a Spark) a little more than a month or so ago. I was immediately hooked and have since acquired a Mavic Pro and Phantom 4 Pro Obsidian. Stories such as the one posted by the OP make me nervous. But not for the reasons one might suspect or assume. They make me nervous because I can't say that I would respond in the same manner to an individual who approached me in such an abrasive, illogical, and aggressive manner. I know I would NEVER offer up any information to them in hopes of appeasing them. Further, I would most likely afford them ONE opportunity to step back, take a deep breath, and speak to me in a polite fashion. If, after doing this, they elected to continue with their verbal assault and maintain a distance too close for comfort......well, there's the dilemma. I pretty much know what I'd do.

The above aside, kudos to the OP for maintaining composure and not escalating the situation.

 

[CarlJacrispy]

I know people are not in their right mind when confronted or nervous but why heck did our show him your ID...? You don't have to even show a cop your ID let alone a stranger... I'm going to say what I would have done it won't help you now but don't let people intimidate you..

 

[Nmbr1stunna80]

Sounds to me like the guy had something illegal going on his back yard if he was that worried about you flying over it. I’m pretty new to this hobby and have not had any confrontations like this one yet. Hope I never do, but I’m sure it will happen eventually.

 

[aeronca47]

Here's my $.02 from bits and pieces I have collected from forums and legal sites: Most important if you are accosted by some lunatic, the very last thing you want to do is anything that escalates what's happening. Here in New Mexico, that would result in a knife fight or gunfight with somebody going to jail and someone may be going to the morgue.. So say and do whatever is necessary to de-escalate. Next, unless it was an officer of the law, I'm not showing anything to anybody; no license, no ID, nothing. if the antagonist persist for more than 5 seconds and shows no evidence of going away, I would immediately call 911, tell the dispatcher that I am being assaulted and fear for my safety, describe the antagonist as to what he's wearing and what he looks like. That will inform the antagonist that when the cops get there, they will be looking for him and not ready for a discussion
if it is not a dangerous lunatic who is trying to question your right to do what you are doing, a few things to keep in mind: Notwithstanding any local ordinances concerning neighborhoods and zoning. the responsible authority is the FAA. Their property is classified as a "regulated commons". The property owner has a right to use the airspace above his property to build a house, erect an antenna, plant a tree, etc.. Any airspace that is not currently being used by the owner of the property is regulated by the FAA, from 50,000 feet down to the grass in his backyard; that is The National Airspace System. As far as privacy rights, everyone has a "reasonable expectation of privacy" in various places such as inside their home. They do not have a "reasonable expectation of privacy" in their backyard. They can put up a privacy fence, plant tall shrubs, etc., but unless they put a roof over it, you can operate an aircraft, manned or unmanned, at any altitude that the FAA allows. Of course reason should prevail. You can fly over that property with a 747, a Cessna, helicopter or a drone. Hovering over the property might be bumping into other laws such as harassment. Again, reason should prevail; as long as you're not dealing with a dangerous lunatic, it might be worthwhile to civilly educate the complainer. But like they say in the old country: You should endeavor to be right, but not dead right.

 

[jsm1847]

Tony,
Im not sure why, but i feel the need as a younger man (not super young) to apologize for the behavior of a this guy. I know i didn't actually do the degrading, but it is true that a generation has lost respect for their "fathers". What he did to you infuriates us, and if we were there, I'm sure there would be more to this story. Let this be a lesson to younger guys to RESPECT our elders, even if we believe they were/are wrong. As has been said before, a wise man learns from his own mistakes and a wiser man from the mistakes of others.

 

[ftttu]

The world is full of these guys. I'm a retired LEO, and we had to deal with a very frequent caller who complained about anything and everything. If he heard music or loud noises made by neighbors, he would call and complain. If he smelled something like a neighbor cooking or barbecuing, he would call and complain. He believed that he should not be bothered by neighbors in any way since he is on his private property. He would even leave his property and would call on loud family parties blocks away because they were bothering other people. He did many more things, but again, you just can't get away from them.

Next time, don't be so compliant. Let your bird hover or return to home while you are calling 911 to get your locals on their way before things go south.

 

[Hollow Dog]

The world is full of these guys. I'm a retired LEO, and we had to deal with a very frequent caller who complained about anything and everything. If he heard music or loud noises made by neighbors, he would call and complain. If he smelled something like a neighbor cooking or barbecuing, he would call and complain. He believed that he should not be bothered by neighbors in any way since he is on his private property. He would even leave his property and would call on loud family parties blocks away because they were bothering other people. He did many more things, but again, you just can't get away from them.

Next time, don't be so compliant. Let your bird hover or return to home while you are calling 911 to get your locals on their way before things go south.

Former LEO, thanks for you points.
Seems like I get greef from some member everytime I post what to do if it happens.

Tell them to go away, don't engage them.
If they won't leave call law enforcement.

 

[dranders]

Jerks will always be around. Most seem to thrive on confrontation. The best we in the UAV community can do is understand our legal responsibilities. Know the pertinent FAR's. That means know FAA Part 107 at the very least for your own legal protection. Maybe even study for and get the 107 pilot's certificate. The unique capabilities of drones are causing legitimate public concerns over privacy and even security matters.

Just some advice from an old (73) man who flies helicopters and hot-air balloons just a few hundred feet over back yards legally, but keep all of my four drones in legal airspace.

 

[GFields]

I agree with Nmbr1stunna80 I'm wondering I'm wondering what was/is in his back yard for him to be so paranoid. I have been approached by law enforcement and had nothing but a good experience. In fact one asked if he could fly it a little, so I let him (under close observation and guidance). He really enjoyed it and most likely went and bought one.

I'm thinking about starting to carry a taser with me

 

[stitch0852]

I am very sorry someone ruined your enjoyment. Remember, there are some people who just want to be jack wagons. Complain if you hung them with a new rope, so to speak.

Yesterday, (I work in retail auto parts), an older gentleman came in, sort of ambled slowly around the door area. I acknowledged him and let him know one of us would assist as soon as we became available. My particular customer drug out but eventually I was free to assist him.

He wanted a snow blanket to cover his window to stop snow and ice building up. We did not have but our sister store two blocks down does. I showed him their sign through our window and told him to go the back way to avoid crossing Main St twice.

You may be asking yourself what this has to do with this post.

Well, the man crept his pickup out of the lot and managed to have a fender bender in our driveway. The car his hit had some damage, but it was a slow moving collision. The car struck did not have folded up fenders, pushed up hood, car wrapped around the front of his truck (like an accident two weeks ago two blocks other direction), etc.

A young fella leaped out of the car and was going to assault the gentleman in the truck! Did I mention the man in the truck was wearing a Korean War Vet hat? That would make him 70s-80s in age. WHY would a young feller think it was acceptable to beat such a much older man for something as trivial as a fender bender?

Our world has changed in ways we cannot even begin to fathom. Cowards deciding churches, schools, bike paths, and work places are a keen way for them to make a name for them self. “We” no longer show respect, we just cruise through life with a “Me first” attitude and look out! to anyone who forces our blinders to shift focus.

The media continually portrays quadcopters in a “privacy robbing” way and many folks are too stupid or lazy to learn the truth. When they see one, they see red. Their privacy is violated, whether it was or not.

Oh, and Free Speech, I saw mentioned earlier is so misunderstood. Our forefathers have “Free Speech” in our founding doctrine, BUT a more accurate name should be free from government intervention for someone speaking their mind about the government. Somehow, this little known aspect has been lost. Our government says we can speak up about our government, good or bad, without fear of censorship or retaliation. THAT is the First Amendment. It was not intended that everyone can say anything they want and call it Free Speech.

Please calm yourself, and let your little quadcopter take to the skies again one day. Don’t keep it boxed up. Don’t lose your bird’s eye view because someone else was over reaching.

I also agree, do not show any form of ID. Call the police immediately, as suggested, describing the fool, and let the authorities handle the idiots.

Hoping you do not let this stop your flights.