Why is everybody afraid of "drones"?

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At first I was careful to avoid flying in places where there were a lot of people and I may run into a police officer. After having no incidents I decided to fly my P2 around my apartment complex taking off from the balcony. For the first 2 weeks nobody said anything and most people seemed to enjoy watching it. I came home from work a few weeks ago and found a letter stating that Drones nor Surveillance equipment are allowed in or around the buildings and that residents are advised to take any actions necessary to remove them from the air. This last statement is what really really pissed me off. If they simply asked me to stop flying the quadcopter on the property I would have complied, however they tell people to do anything necessary, which to me implies destroying the drone to take it from the air. I felt like flying it in front of the property manager's window and wait for him to try and take it out at which point I would have marched up to his unit and taken care of business. The smarter thing to do would be to call the police. There was an article in a RC magazine where someone was flying a quadcopter in New Jersey and it was shot down. The person sued for damages and the guy who shot it down had to pay for damages. People complain that their privacy is being violated. If someone really wanted to spy there are better ways to go about it. Most cameras on these drones don't zoom for which reason you can't easily spy on someone unless you are at eye level. In this day and age there are cameras all over the place. Everyone has a cell phone. People will have to get use to it. I had a forest preserve officer walk up to me a few months ago and ask what the fancy equipment was. I made the mistake of telling him that it was a drone. His eyes got big and he said a ddddrone!!!. He told me that I can't fly them here. I told him that their website said that there is a designated area where model airplanes can be flown. He was acting as if the drone had hell fire missiles on it. I read an interesting article that talked about the controversy when bicycles first came out. It talked about how people were afraid bicycles would lose control and run into pedestrians and what not. It seems to me that there are many things out there that are far more dangerous to quadcopters and that people are seriously overreacting. What do you think?
 
Because they believe the media hype and watch too much TV and movies. I've flown mine right up to my livingroom window, and you can't see inside. Maybe at night with a light on inside, but the whole flashy green and red lights thing kinda gives it away. No audio recordings from it, it's sort of loud. No zoom, but you couldn't convince joe six-pack that because of a movie he's seen. Maybe information booths at local festivals could help. Want to worry about something? This is it...
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Because a noisy, flashing drone is an invasion of privacy than a high end dslr camera with an expensive zoom lens. Uneducated people just talk just to talk. But the news been giving a positive note on drones, showing that earthquake, helping fireman, showing the antarctic etc, I haven't seem 1 bad news report but then again I haven't been looking
 
You can blame peoples reactions to the word drone on the news media sensationalizing, over reacting and getting facts wrong.

Personally I have to this day not had one negative comment regrading flying nor filming with my quadcopter. What most want to know how much it cost, how high/far can it go and does it have a camera on board.
 
I would confront your apartment managment with the letter, explain that you are breaking no laws, but he/she is encouraging others to engage in illegal activity by destroying personal property, or implying they should discharge a firearm. I'm sure there are laws regarding the discharge of firearms within Chicago? I might even go to the local media with that letter.
 
Most people's comments are positive, however it seems that there is always that one person who complains.

So let him complain if that makes him/her feel good about themselves.

The equipment I carry into the field with me can be use to enlighten those if they care to see what the craft and camera capable of doing.
 
One word for the problems Media (the bottom feeders of the world) .
Take your cam off now what kind of surveillance equipment do you have . You have to remember everyone likes calling them drones so we now have weapons on board :)
Tell a person it's a quad copter they look at you with amazement call it a drone you get the look like your hitler :eek:
 
Yes. You should fly it in front of his window.
 
Obango sad it is all rite to kill Americans with drones. This is stuck deep in the minds of some people .And the media tells everyone that are copters are Drones. And the media blabs any bad drone activity they can find, weather it is true or not. It seams that the media does not have to have the facts strait to report something on the TV.
Same thing with the evil black gun. They are all full auto. It is about control and fear .
 
At first I was careful to avoid flying in places where there were a lot of people and I may run into a police officer. After having no incidents I decided to fly my P2 around my apartment complex taking off from the balcony. For the first 2 weeks nobody said anything and most people seemed to enjoy watching it. I came home from work a few weeks ago and found a letter stating that Drones nor Surveillance equipment are allowed in or around the buildings and that residents are advised to take any actions necessary to remove them from the air. This last statement is what really really pissed me off. If they simply asked me to stop flying the quadcopter on the property I would have complied, however they tell people to do anything necessary, which to me implies destroying the drone to take it from the air. I felt like flying it in front of the property manager's window and wait for him to try and take it out at which point I would have marched up to his unit and taken care of business. The smarter thing to do would be to call the police. There was an article in a RC magazine where someone was flying a quadcopter in New Jersey and it was shot down. The person sued for damages and the guy who shot it down had to pay for damages. People complain that their privacy is being violated. If someone really wanted to spy there are better ways to go about it. Most cameras on these drones don't zoom for which reason you can't easily spy on someone unless you are at eye level. In this day and age there are cameras all over the place. Everyone has a cell phone. People will have to get use to it. I had a forest preserve officer walk up to me a few months ago and ask what the fancy equipment was. I made the mistake of telling him that it was a drone. His eyes got big and he said a ddddrone!!!. He told me that I can't fly them here. I told him that their website said that there is a designated area where model airplanes can be flown. He was acting as if the drone had hell fire missiles on it. I read an interesting article that talked about the controversy when bicycles first came out. It talked about how people were afraid bicycles would lose control and run into pedestrians and what not. It seems to me that there are many things out there that are far more dangerous to quadcopters and that people are seriously overreacting. What do you think?

People are simply ignorant. Just fly somewhere else and start testing the new proton missiles :D
 
Yes, people are ignorant...superstitious, fearful and it's not new.
You've probably heard stories about the early "Horseless Carriage" and the rules people created for those darned contraptions:

In United Kingdom, the Locomotive Acts (also known as Red Flag Laws) was a policy requiring self-propelled vehicles to be led by a pedestrian waving a red flag or carrying a lantern to warn bystanders of the vehicle's approach.

Firstly, at least three persons shall be employed to drive or conduct such locomotive, and if more than two waggons or carriages he attached thereto, an additional person shall be employed, who shall take charge of such waggons or carriages :
Secondly, one of such persons, while any locomotive is in motion, shall precede such locomotive on foot by not less than sixty yards, and shall carry a red flag constantly displayed, and shall warn the riders and drivers of horses of the approach of such locomotives, and shall signal the driver thereof when it shall be necessary to stop, and shall assist horses, and carriages drawn by horses, passing the same,
The Red Flag Law was repealed in 1896, by which time the
internal combustion engine was well into its infancy.[

In the United States, the state of
Vermont passed a similar flurry of Red Flag Laws in 1894. The most infamous of the Red Flag Laws was enacted in Pennsylvania circa 1896, when legislators unanimously passed a bill through both houses of the state legislature, which would require all motorists piloting their "horseless carriages", upon chance encounters with cattle or livestock to (1) immediately stop the vehicle, (2) "immediately and as rapidly as possible... disassemble the automobile," and (3) "conceal the various components out of sight, behind nearby bushes" until equestrian or livestock is sufficiently pacified.[1] The bill did not become law, as Pennsylvania's governor used an executive veto. (courtesy of Wikipedia)

So, I guess we can be grateful we don't have to disassemble the bird every time we have a chance encounter with a knucklehead! :rolleyes:
 
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Its funny i flew mine up and down the beach in La Jolla CA, and didnt creep slowly over people i respected the beach i went out to sea to turn around and watching the film back every one that saw it ( I was flying at high Altitude) waved at it. Id just say dont fly it in privet locations and dont be stupid with it and respect people around you.
 
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Because they have sex with underage girls and are responsible for all the peeping toms in the world.
 
Great topic! I have been amazed how some people seem to react when I talk about the Phantom. Most people I have found think it's a cool "toy" and ask questions just to learn more. But some people have concern in their voices. My mom is in her 70's and she lives a couple doors down from me and she seems torn between it being "cool" and telling me they will be outlawed soon because they are an invasion of privacy. I am constantly telling her and other people that at the altitude I am flying at, they would feel silly if they actually saw the video and still thought there was an invasion of privacy. Heck... I know where I am standing when I shoot the videos and can hardly see myself!

In an apartment complex - I am sure there is fear about seeing in windows on the higher floors and I can understand that if you are flying at eye level with their window.

Lastly I was talking to a guy on the beach a few weeks ago where I was flying, and he was one of those that just had questions and wasn't being negative at all... and I said to him - people are carrying around video devices everywhere and recording people MUCH closer up than these "drones" do with their Iphones and android phones which have stupidly advanced cameras on them, and no-one says boo. I'd say cell phones have more of an opportunity to violate privacy than a drone a few hundred ft in the air.
 
People crap when you say DRONES because -- YOU call them Drones, they are not DRONES !! They are A recreational hobby. A Drone is a TOY OF THE MILITARY TO KILL PEOPLE.
 
Are hobbyist “drones” really drones?
Usually, yes. Many drone hobbyists have an extremely high level of expertise regarding systems for autonomous flight. They use this expertise to merge robotics, sensors, and airframe design in an amazing variety of innovative ways. In addition, they are often very careful in their use of terminology. If a serious hobbyist calls his or her platform a “drone,” that is almost certainly an accurate designation.
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/2012/04/12/what-is-a-drone-anyway/


"Drone" is now too embedded in our nomenclature and will never go away. I call my quads drones and will probably continue to call them by that name. We need to educate the public and the media, and I believe that is slowly happening.
 
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