Annoyed by people approaching me

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So this past Saturday, i was out in a park on the edge of a 5 mile radius to a small airport, not a major airport by any means.

I literally had the drone in the air for no more than 5 minutes when i get approached by some random person asking if i called the airport. I didn't lie, i said i had not b/c i was not going to be here long, just showing some friends the phantom, and wanted to grab a few quick shots of the city off of the lake. Next thing i know he starts saying how people here will report me and that he wasn't going to do it, but that people here do that, and that it was cool as long as i was being safe. I was really annoyed, but remained calm, and just brought the drone back down and put it away.

I was away from people, not flying over or near anyone, i was out over the lake. This person literally walked up a hill from about a half mile away just to come harass me.

I guess i could have been wrong for not calling the airport, but i was on the very edge of the 5 mile radius, and was no more than 100 feet out and 200 feet up, it was very windy so i didnt plan on being there long at all.....

In the past I've only had people come up and ask questions and just be curious. Nothing like this guy....who comes up to a total stranger and starts preaching..... Whats the best way to handle this situation?

Its really annoying when i'm trying to focus on flying safely to be bothered by people.
 
Whats the best way to handle this situation?

Its really annoying when i'm trying to focus on flying safely to be bothered by people.

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but I would say the answer to your questions would be to Call the Airport. We better get use to doing so, because more and more people are going to be phoning big brother for flying in these area's.
 
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It's agree that it gets frustrating. I'm debating if that is more frustrating or some of the people in this forum who always seem to find the time to work regs into every post (not this thread).

I just _try_ to stay positive and realize that setting the tone now speaks for the direction of the hobby.
 
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I think my response would be, If I were flying in total compliance, would be to say" I have checked all the rules and regulations and am flying in accordance with them, but it if it offends you I will land and fly elsewhere". It is not worth the effort of engaging in discussion, and it annoys them when you do not respond.
However if you are not in accordance with the rules, then expect a bad response.There will always be someone with a grudge who knows the rules, and wants to enjoy their grudging. " I know my rights", sort of person.
Personally,I have never had a bad response from other members of the public,quite the reverse, always interested, and I take the time to explain what I am doing.
 
So this past Saturday, i was out in a park on the edge of a 5 mile radius to a small airport, not a major airport by any means.

I literally had the drone in the air for no more than 5 minutes when i get approached by some random person asking if i called the airport. I didn't lie, i said i had not b/c i was not going to be here long, just showing some friends the phantom, and wanted to grab a few quick shots of the city off of the lake. Next thing i know he starts saying how people here will report me and that he wasn't going to do it, but that people here do that, and that it was cool as long as i was being safe. I was really annoyed, but remained calm, and just brought the drone back down and put it away.

I was away from people, not flying over or near anyone, i was out over the lake. This person literally walked up a hill from about a half mile away just to come harass me.

I guess i could have been wrong for not calling the airport, but i was on the very edge of the 5 mile radius, and was no more than 100 feet out and 200 feet up, it was very windy so i didnt plan on being there long at all.....

In the past I've only had people come up and ask questions and just be curious. Nothing like this guy....who comes up to a total stranger and starts preaching..... Whats the best way to handle this situation?

Its really annoying when i'm trying to focus on flying safely to be bothered by people.
Best way to handle that is to pop the 7th beer out of a 12 pack and offer them one and tell them you don't recall.
 
I think my response would be, If I were flying in total compliance, would be to say" I have checked all the rules and regulations and am flying in accordance with them, but it if it offends you I will land and fly elsewhere". It is not worth the effort of engaging in discussion, and it annoys them when you do not respond.
However if you are not in accordance with the rules, then expect a bad response.There will always be someone with a grudge who knows the rules, and wants to enjoy their grudging. " I know my rights", sort of person.
Personally,I have never had a bad response from other members of the public,quite the reverse, always interested, and I take the time to explain what I am doing.

Me too! That's what astonished me! He knew the rules, and claims to have flown drones himself. I'm totally for following the rules, which by the way do not require permission to fly within the 5 mile limit, they only ask we notify the airport, but in this case it didn't seem warranted. if i would have walked across the parking lot, i would have been outside the 5 mile radius of the airport, so to me in this particular case it didn't make sense to call for such a short planned flight. Anyway, i brought the drone down and left the area.

I think i'm going to make a sign that says "DO NOT APPROACH, DO NOT ASK QUESTIONS, OR YOU WILL BE SMACKED UPSIDE THE HEAD" lol just kidding obviously, but MAN people suck.
 
So this past Saturday, i was out in a park on the edge of a 5 mile radius to a small airport, not a major airport by any means.

Doesn't matter if it's small or not... if you're within the 5m area you make the call. All of the problems could have been avoided with that simple phone call. It's a pain but if you want to play with the big boys you gotta act like a big boy.

And let's not let this thread degrade into punching and so forth. We'll shut it down in a heart beat with any more suggestions like that.
 
You will always get approached. Media and news has a done a great job making drones seem "evil".

How I would have handled your situation and any time I'm approached by someone regardless of what they say or ask - I always respond with, "I'm a responsible drone flier, I'm not breaking any laws, and I'm registered with the FAA. I'd love to chat but I need to focus on flying, if you'd like you can watch my screen and we can talk more after I land."

Works every time.
 
I was approached by a old man in a wheel chair. I seen him coming from a mile away. I thought oh no here we go. Once he got close enough he said Hello. I said hello. He asked if I was flying one of those thingys from Harbor Frieght. I was confused told him no sir this one I bought from best buy made by DJI . We chatted for awhile. He did mention me possibly hitting an airplane or helicopter as a joke. It was the only time someone actually came up to me. But I do notice weird looks and evil stares. Especially if I fly outside my house. My neighbors are not very friendly.
 
I was approached by a old man in a wheel chair. I seen him coming from a mile away. I thought oh no here we go. Once he got close enough he said Hello. I said hello. He asked if I was flying one of those thingys from Harbor Frieght. I was confused told him no sir this one I bought from best buy made by DJI . We chatted for awhile. He did mention me possibly hitting an airplane or helicopter as a joke. It was the only time someone actually came up to me. But I do notice weird looks and evil stares. Especially if I fly outside my house. My neighbors are not very friendly.
Move to Fort Collins. My neighbors love me and my drones. [emoji3]

NoCo Drones
 
I was flying a few weeks ago and had a few really good interactions, surprisingly.

When I started, near some old ruins and a bike trail, I was the only person there. Within about 15 minutes a couple of cars with people stopped, unloaded bikes, and other bikers came up the trail and stopped. Suddenly my private little spot had over a dozen people, all watching me.
I wasn't within any NFZ, and there was no airport for many miles. Still, I felt uncomfortable enough that I brought the drone down and left.
As I was leaving, two ladies actually thanked me for the "entertainment" (!), and one guy just asked me some general questions about what drones do and what kind of camera they have.

I'm hoping that interaction will have been positive enough for those people that they won't look at all drones as demon spawn, and all drone pilots as in league with the devil.
 
Happens to me a lot and I really enjoy ignoring them while i set up my antennas and carying on usual. If u are within your rights hold firm and stick to the operation.
I believe that all active pilots are Ambassadors for the drone industry. Being courteous to strangers, following the rules, being considerate in our choice of flying locations can go a long way to offset those few who are giving our industry a bad name. The public is curious and we have a chance to control the narrative. Let's make 'em love us.
 
I don't want to sound like a jerk, but I would say the answer to your questions would be to Call the Airport. We better get use to doing so, because more and more people are going to be phoning big brother for flying in these area's.
If you're more than 5 miles, I respectfully disagree.

The last thing we want is the towers to be inundated with people calling them when they done need to.

If you were five miles away from any airport, as long as you are flying within the FAA rules, you are breaking no laws and in fact, the local government can't over-rule the FAA in public areas.

As for people bothering you, kindly say without giving them any info "Thank you for your concern. I am flying within the FAA regulations, I am certified to do and am aware of all state and federal legislation now please let me be so I can safely fly my craft. Have a good day and thanks again for your concern".

By the way, personally I have found most people to be nice and the only ones who aren't are the ones concerned with safety until I school them on how ridiculous that is.
 
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If you're more than 5 miles, I respectfully disagree.
The OP stated
"I guess i could have been wrong for not calling the airport, but i was on the very edge of the 5 mile radius, and was no more than 100 feet out and 200 feet up, it was very windy so i didnt plan on being there long at all....."

I think you're always better SAFE than sorry. If there is an incident and your "distance calculations" were off or you were "barely" within that 5 mile section then you'll wished you had made that call before hand.
 
I believe that all active pilots are Ambassadors for the drone industry. Being courteous to strangers, following the rules, being considerate in our choice of flying locations can go a long way to offset those few who are giving our industry a bad name. The public is curious and we have a chance to control the narrative. Let's make 'em love us.

Only problem with that is that we do NOT create the narrative the media does. And the narrative here is to shift the blame of domestic spying by nsa to literal phantoms. Fact is some of the alphabet news watchers are down right hostile as result of media programming. Now if the dude is cool then I enjoy showing how it works.
 
The OP stated
"I guess i could have been wrong for not calling the airport, but i was on the very edge of the 5 mile radius, and was no more than 100 feet out and 200 feet up, it was very windy so i didnt plan on being there long at all....."

I think you're always better SAFE than sorry. If there is an incident and your "distance calculations" were off or you were "barely" within that 5 mile section then you'll wished you had made that call before hand.
I fly over Mulholland all the time here in LA which is exactly 5.3 miles away from BUR. I was calling every time I flew over there.

It happens to be one of the few places where I can fly in peace without ever calling or anything. I called the tower because I encroach on their 5 miles every now and then if I fly North. I was realizing I was calling the tower too much and so I decided I was safe, especially since the tower manager told me I probably didn't need to call from that location because the the take off spot was outside of the range and that I am not encroaching more than .5-1 mile.

I agree, better safe than sorry but we should choose our battles before we make the towers say "I'm sick of all these quad people calling, it's getting in the way of our airliner business".

I don't disagree with you but nuance.

So how exactly does one get the telephone numbers of the local airport tower??

I don't want to sound rude, but if you can't figure that out on your own, you are not ready to fly near an airport.

Stick to the five miles, study the sectionals and aeronautical terms and then you won't need to ask that question.

I don't mean to sound rude, truly but once you are flying within that five mile radius, you are flying along with choppers, landing and taking off airliners, you had better know what you are doing and if you don't even know how to get a hold of the tower, I am guessing you don't.

I again, know that sounds rude, but I don't mean it to. I am just stating how I feel.

FLY SAFE!
 
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