Flying Etiquette - Man Attacks my Drone with a Fishing Rod after Boat Grounding

[noki49]

I think you are very lucky to still have your drone.
You stayed near enough, long enough, for that guy to have two attempts to down your drone.
I'm not a fisherman but I'm sure at that range I'd have had your drone with two shots.
I think in the circumstances most people would have reacted in a similar way, even fellow drone pilots.
It was defiantly an interesting subject, but you should have kept a respectful distance.
It wouldn't have spoilt the video to have watched from 200ft.

 

[Steve_in_DE]

OK let's be clear about the Phantom camera field of view. This webpage includes a chart listing the FOV of various lenses for 35mm cameras, and the closest equivilant to the Phantom's 94 degree diagonal view is a 20mm lens. THAT IS A VERY WIDE LENS. Items appear much further away than they actually are when viewed through this lens.

From what I gather from the OP here, he has been flying around with the opposite assumption. Yikes!

 

[DCDrone]

Analogy, your at a public park, you're a Break dancer and your good. While you are performing in this public park, someone comes by with their cell phone and takes a video of you. Your doing something interesting, and your doing it in public why would you have a reaction at being filmed.

Analogy #2. While they are stuck A news organization finds this situation interesting and a news helicopter begins to hover. The boaters are going to be mad and try to shoot down the helicopter?

1. These people weren't performing in a public area. They were trying to have some private time out on the water, and you stalked them.

2. You're not a reporter, who I guess we tolerate more because they're media. You were stalking them at a time when they certainly were doing nothing newsworthy.

Just because we have mobile long-range cameras and anonymity, it doesn't make the rest of the world our performing seals.

This is the kind of thing that makes a large portion of the public HATE drones, and is the cause of our hobby's legal problems.

 

[Kirby Johnson]

I'm surprised that shallow reef wasn't marked with a warning buoy.

 

[Kirby Johnson]

I'm surprised that shallow reef wasn't marked with a warning buoy.

I am surprised any boat with that much fish killing equipment on board didn't know the waters better. I live in coastal SouthWest Florida and have been a powerboater for 20 years here. I try to be courteous and boat by the rules and help others if they need my help. My experiences with fishing boats or boats with fishing enthusiasts aboard has not been positive. I may be totally wrong about this as I do not fish, or hunt, but the fishing community seems to believe the water belongs to them for their exclusive use and all us go-fast boats and blow-boats are just in their way. Add in no fishing trip is complete without as much beer as fuel and you have a little problem.

 

[Steve A]

I'm not for sure but I would think he was a little too close to shore. A big boat like that puts off a big wake. With that said, I wouldn't have hung around long. It's too bad even with 1600 horses he was still stuck

 

[tenpine]

Interesting thread and I agree with the majority. But I have a question. I was under the impression that when you post on YouTube, it is considered a commercial venture. Do I have that right? ...And if so you would have to abide by commercial flying rules. Maybe it is too much of a gray area.

 

[erkme73]

How did you get the names of the passengers on the boat? Or was that just made up? If they're real, what's the point of blurring their faces if you out them when the credits roll?

 

[Airtex]

Watched it a second time. From your grammar and references to attorneys, doesn't sounds like you're underage and are spewing teenage angst because you can from behind the cloak of a remote control. While that would be more understandable, still wouldn't be right. I've always found if you have to ask, you're probably wrong. Oh, and great profiling, you feel you weren't to close to be invasive and rude, but close enough to run a visual DNA test on their heritage. Fascinating and . . . sad.

 

[VAIL8150]

I think anytime anyone that is caught in the middle of a blunder it is embarrassing for them. We drone pilots are not the "News at 8" crew so I can see their ire!
What we all need to keep in mind is that if enough people start complaining to the FAA or other authorities it will not go well for us as we are a very small minority of the population.
You did nothing wrong but you might consider what makes for good etiquette while flying and filming. We have many fly fishermen and kayakers and rafters here in the Vail Valley and they can get pretty upset if we don't consider their need for space. Just my thoughts.

 

[gravity]

I own/fly a drone myself... wouldn't be here if I didn't. If the shoe was on the other foot, I myself would have been angry if someone was hanging around me and my friends/family just recording us. That would be like you and your family walking down the street and some stranger was just following you with a camera at close range just taping you the whole time. You're in the public and they have every right to video you but it's very rude and ignorant.

My 2 cents but this is how I would feel.

This 100%. If I was in a boat and someone was following and constantly getting this close I would be annoyed too. Illegal? Probably not, but I honestly think you're flirting with the line here with it being harassment. A few fly by's are fine, but you were much too close and definitely violated etiquette in my opinion.

 

[Mark The Droner]

Interesting thread and I agree with the majority. But I have a question. I was under the impression that when you post on YouTube, it is considered a commercial venture. Do I have that right? ...And if so you would have to abide by commercial flying rules. Maybe it is too much of a gray area.

No. FAA tried to intimidate some drone youtubers a year or so ago calling a youtube drone video a potential commercial enterprise, and therefore making that drone a non-hobby drone, but it was eventually determined that FAA has no authority to make that determination.

 

[henchMedia]

Your flying was invasive, rude and showed your severe lack of basic etiquette. You deserved to have that fisherman's line take down your drone. It is people like you who give the sport a bad name. It is people like the folks on the boat who will tell all their friends about some idiot continuing to film them with a drone and how annoying it is. If that was your goal, then congratulations on being a ****. If thats how you want to make people feel, then I am sorry for whatever happened to you earlier in life which led to you treating people this way. At least you are open enough to talk about it so that others may learn from your mistake. Thats huge, actually, and my only reason to justify my post.

 

[Jason Porembski]

Wait too close after grounding.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots mobile app

 

[Tom Gauger]

Something that deserves mentioning: The boat was in a "No Wake" zone and it appears to me that it was moving at a speed way above 6 kts.
The water around that dock may not have been marked with a "No Wake" sign; however, the CG and state regs state that you may not travel at excessive speed (above 6 kts) near a marina or public dock.)

 

[Tom Gauger]

Your flying was invasive, rude and showed your severe lack of basic etiquette. You deserved to have that fisherman's line take down your drone. It is people like you who give the sport a bad name. It is people like the folks on the boat who will tell all their friends about some idiot continuing to film them with a drone and how annoying it is. If that was your goal, then congratulations on being a ****. If thats how you want to make people feel, then I am sorry for whatever happened to you earlier in life which led to you treating people this way. At least you are open enough to talk about it so that others may learn from your mistake. Thats huge, actually, and my only reason to justify my post.

If a TV station chopper had happened by, the grounding of the boat would have been fair game. HenchMedia is flaming and out of order.

 

[Jason Porembski]

Doesn't matter if the boater people were doing something wrong. The question is whether or not the drone was doing anything in poor etiquette. Fly bys are one thing, but hovering like that, especially with a group of angry people, is a major no no.

 

[Jason Porembski]

If a TV station chopper had happened by, the grounding of the boat would have been fair game. HenchMedia is flaming and out of order.

You know... This is a very good point. I never though of that at all. Very interesting take.

 

[qrandle]

You asked for our opinions so I'll give you mine. There is a difference between privacy and courtesy. I think getting so close is exactly why people hate drones and you aren't doing us any favors. All you were doing is nagging, intruding and embarrassing them. You act you you are some big First Amendment guy but what's the point. There is no point. You were just being a jerk and invading on their space. There are ethics and then there are laws. Posting this to the general public is not doing us any favors just embarrassing drone fliers. IMO.

 

[SnouBert]

you're an a$$ in my opinion. plenty of people telling you you're an a$$. learn some manners.