How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or people

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I love my Phantom but I find difficult to find places to fly it. I feel intimidated if I just see a place and start flying it. How do you select the place, do you ask the people first, don't you feel intimidated by people looking at you? I'll appreciate your advice
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

I live in a place where there's lots of farms and just pastures I can fly around or over to make my runs so I don't have the problem a lot of folks have like in big city's .
I do talk with the folks that own the places where I go and most already know me or have heard of me from my line of work just to let them know I am there and they have never had any problems with me doing so . Ya never know when ya might go down and need to access their land to get your bird back [ which I have had to do ] so they don't think nothing about seeing me there .
As far as feeling intimidated ? Naaaa ..If I was scared I would stay in the house ;)
I think having good PR around folks is just good for all of us !! JMO
Also if ya not doing nothing stupid ya most likely not going to have any problems with the law !
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

I usually just fly around the house since I'm out in the sticks, but when I do venture out, I usually try to find places that are away from everyone, friends houses, or if I do fly around other people, I try to take it up a little higher than usual so the prop sound doesn't bother anybody unless someone actually comes up to me to check it out. I love giving flight demos of what it can do, and will usually let them hold the phone to watch it as I send it up to "400 feet" and then if I have the battery left, I'll even play around with manual a little to let them see a few tricks. After the flight, I try to tell them about the negativity the media gives us and how most of us are simply hobbyist just like r/c plane/helicopter operators are and so on, and they usually end up wanting one for themselves.
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

I live in an urban area, and I just fly at a middle school football field on Saturdays. Never had anybody complain, since I don't fly outside of the field.
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

lalvar40 said:
I love my Phantom but I find difficult to find places to fly it. I feel intimidated if I just see a place and start flying it. How do you select the place, do you ask the people first, don't you feel intimidated by people looking at you? I'll appreciate your advice

Check out the Regional Meetups Forum on this site. It has a SE subforum where you could perhaps meet some fellow flyers in your area.

Gary
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

If you aren't aware of good flying locations, get on Google Earth to search out likely spots.
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

I live in Wyoming, not so many folks around here. When I go to a new town I will ask around.
The Police or Sheriff usually know where the RC folks hang out.

I googled your town. Looks wide open to the West. ;)

County Line Dragway looks like a great place, if you can get in there.
It's a closed airport just a few miles to the South.
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

There's a field about 5 minutes away. I like to get there early morning where there's just a few dog walkers and a handful of people about.
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

lalvar can I ask why you feel intimidated, you used it twice in your question.

Personally if "they" look at me I feel they are wanting to know until they don't and look hard at me but that doesn't often happen.

I've had the worst experience with a lady up the road saying I was filming when her 2 year old was without clothes in her back yard, I said nothing, landed and left, I can't help the ignorant and refused to engage such rudeness, looking back on this I didn't feel intimidated. Do you feel a bit embarrassed maybe flying the we toy ;)..who cares, it's fun.
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

steveeds said:
lalvar can I ask why you feel intimidated, you used it twice in your question.

Personally if "they" look at me I feel they are wanting to know until they don't and look hard at me but that doesn't often happen.

I've had the worst experience with a lady up the road saying I was filming when her 2 year old was without clothes in her back yard, I said nothing, landed and left, I can't help the ignorant and refused to engage such rudeness, looking back on this I didn't feel intimidated. Do you feel a bit embarrassed maybe flying the we toy ;)..who cares, it's fun.

Well this post has help me a lot, thanks for all the folks that have contributed...maybe I am using the wrong word...I am a little bit shy, that is... but I do like to fly this little toy. Also, I am electrical engineer ( and know about video editing) and I really enjoy the technology behind this. Google earth is a good suggestion.
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

Any other drone pilots or drone hobbyist supporters out there.... Please sign up indicating your support for the creation of an app (IOS and Android eventually) that provides international information about great legal and safe locations to fly your UAV. There is no cost to you and better yet there is nothing you need to do other than indicate your support on the website.
They have already met their goal of supporters but there is no limit. As a supporter, you will be able to have input on design and provide input about places you know.

You can sign up here.
https://app-movement.com/view/64

You can watch and hear Simon talk about it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv6_itSlkr8
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

WoW,

I think jeff48920 has a great answer to your question lalvar40.

The link to Simon's video says it all and is a great watch, so here it is again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fv6_itSlkr8
 
Re: How you find places to flight w/o issues with law or peo

There's a local park in the hills near the end of housing before it turns into uninhabited hiking trails. The people I've met have been friendly and curious. I keep the Phantom well away from any backyards. The times I've flown around my house, I keep the Phantom up high and have shared video with my neighbors, so they can see it's about the POV and beauty of a higher perspective. Not spying on people or the like.
 

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