Someone threatened me to call the cops on me today while flying my drone

In the U.S., a police officer is breaking the law if he or she even approaches you and asks your name if you are not committing a crime and if the officer has no reasonable cause to believe you have committed a crime. If one does, don't identify yourself. Rather, make sure to get the name and badge number and if you wish, advise the officer that you will contact the local prosecutor and also file a complaint with the internal affairs division.
 
In the U.S., a police officer is breaking the law if he or she even approaches you and asks your name if you are not committing a crime and if the officer has no reasonable cause to believe you have committed a crime. If one does, don't identify yourself. Rather, make sure to get the name and badge number and if you wish, advise the officer that you will contact the local prosecutor and also file a complaint with the internal affairs division.


A Police officer will rarely put him/herself in that position.

However if called, like in this case, they must investigate. They will speak with the party that called and the suspect. The conversation won't center on asking him for his ID.

The original poster disappeared on us in this thread. It seems our replies are not what he expected.
 
Last edited:
I show people what I do if they show interest or have questions. This is all you can do. Planet is sadly full of haters as we currently observe everywhere.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
 
It's the media that makes us all look very very bad because nobody understands what these are really about


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
....and stupid pilots like the one who flew his drone 10 meters (33ft.) next to a landing A 380 at Munich airport the other day. Guys like this will be responsible that one day we have no fly zones every where.
 
First of all , people have a fear of the unknown .. The second thing is that they ignore that in all major cities there are thousands of cameras for traffic and so on.
People are just stupid in their ignorance of technology and understanding of privacy ..
Long live drones! :D
 
  • Like
Reactions: Vichian-Bruno
So, i just got a brand new PH4. Today was my 2nd. flight with it. I owned a PH1 and PH2V2 before. I'm an experience pilot and one of the first pilots since 2013.
I never encounter such hateful reaction before from people, being a drone operator.
Today, I drove up a nice rich community, up into the mountains in La Canada flintridge CA. There was a very amazing and beautiful sunset and a lonely road with just a flew townhouses, right next to the La Canada flintridge country club.
I was on my 2nd. battery. On the monitor i saw that my SD card was full. I brought my drone down and switch cards. The drone was on the floor when all of the sudden an older couple started yelling at me from their balcony. The conversation went like this.

HATERS: Hey you! You there, stop flying your drone! This is a private road, you are not allow to fly here.

I look to see from where the voices came and saw them an older male and female on the edge of the balcony.
I thought the best wasn't to respond and to ignore them. So i choose not to engage and continue with what i was doing.

HATERS: Are you not talking to us? Ok, fine, we will call the cops now.

They went on the phone, angrily. I was considering what to do. The sun will set in 10mins and I was waiting all day for this shot, if i leave now, i will miss it. So, I decided to start up the drone and fly again.

HATERS(Continues): Stop flying your stupid drone. The cops are on the way to arrest you.

By now I have already gained altitude. I didn't want any trouble with these people. They seam very mean.
So, I got into my car and flew my drone to 400ft. high, almost out of their sight. I pull my car away from their balcony and from their sight, around the corner, then from the new spot, i flew my drone over to where i was and got the beautiful sunset shot that i wanted.
During the whole time i was shaking, but I needed this shot. Once the sun was down, i brought it back down and took off.
I'm just really buff to encounter such hateful people against Drone operators. I wasn't interested in them, their house or anything. They seam like very boring people. I just wanted the sunset. I have never experience this kind of reaction before. Usually when i fly, people are curious and nice and want to talk and see my footage. The drone was always a ice-breaker and i could make new friends while flying.

Has anyone encounter something like this?
What are the rules for flying in CA, Los Angeles?
When I got my first drone back in 2013 flying was legal and there weren't any regulations.
Do, i need to get a license now?
Let's say, I would had an encounter with cops today, what were my rights?
What type of papers do I need to have? Any advice?
Was it really illegal to fly there?
Thanks a bunch
Down load app B4UFLY your question will be answered
 
...Don't you hate it when you are just being creative--and feel like a criminal?

I would add to being creative - feeling like a kid again, not hurting anyone or anything, not defacing property, finding beauty in the world from a different perspective... Yeah. It sucks that something I find so fun and, within the scope of my use - innocent, is moving further away from where it began for me. I find myself not flying my drone because I'm nervous about the repercussions. Turns out that almost every good spot in Miami is under Class B airspace. There has to be some sort of compromise... I feel so disappointed.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NRJ
...This is a private road, you are not allow to fly here...Was it really illegal to fly there?

Shady area. But "private road" says a lot. I live on a private street, i.e., a street that was not built with taxpayer dollars, that is not maintained at taxpayer expense. You have no right to drive on my street unless you have been invited to do so.
 
I am feeling the same way... I just enjoy flying and want to get more experience. I live in a fairy urban town in Massachusetts. There arn't any places where I can fly and not encounter humans. I do not want to disturb anyone's peace. I often choose places that are a little removed from activity. I get the feeling some are not you keen on my flying, but many are friendly enough. My hope is that there are more drone flyers who are respectful of others and will result in more flexible laws not less.
It is difficult to fly without feeling like I am distributing someone or something.
If someone walks up to me I engage them in conversation and answer any questions they have. I think I show my enthusiasm and they see that. I really do enjoy flying.
Janel
 
This happens in Australia, too...

My son and I were flying our new P4 earlier this year for the first or second time on a sporting reserve. There were no games going on, but a lot of people walking dogs. He had the P4 hovering about 300 metres away, and was fiddling around trying to get the orientation and gimbal adjusted. A short while later a woman walked up and abused us for spying on her family.

We had no interest in this woman or her family. We were pretty focused on the iPad screen and the orientation of the P4. She wasn't particularly unhinged, but in this situation you can react in a variety of ways. We didn't engage with her directly, but tried to make it clear that our complete focus was on controlling an RPA. I've also had a man race down a hill towards me in his car to abuse me for dumping rubbish [it is a major industrial site]. I just started packing up. Another time I was scouting a disused industrial site [I like industrial archaeology] and a security guard appeared to have materialised from nowhere. And even when someone is really, really insisting on engaging me in a heated conversation, I have a 3 kg aircraft flying around nearby that I have to control and keep an eye on.

In the end it's just a camera, but now I look for a spot to fly from where I'm not going to be visible to random passing punters. Not everyone is a ****, but it certainly detracts from the flying experience.

I like to engage the folks around me and share the video I am shooting to help demystify the "Spying" issue. I also like wearing a safety vest to stand out of the crowd. This helps to defuse the privacy issue a step or two.
 
I registered my drone with FAA for $5, and one time the cops were called and they approached me nicely. They asked how long I had it and I showed them my registration on my phone. They talked to the people and I haven't had any problems since. On quite a few occasions people have approached me with questions like, "can that see through my windows?" Or "what happens when it runs out of battery? What if it falls on a house?". I have over 100 flights and flying my P4 is 2nd nature to me. Just make sure to have a printed or digital copy of your registration and you should be alright.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
 
[...]On quite a few occasions people have approached me with questions like, "can that see through my windows?" Or "what happens when it runs out of battery? What if it falls on a house?"[...]


Those are good questions.

Do you recall how you answered? :)
 
@historymaker06


Why are you not posting on the thread you created?

Now that you've had a few days to think it over and perhaps, after reading the comments on here, what is your take on what happened?
 
Register you and yourself. Put your numbers on your drone, and print out the registration to carry on you. Have a copy of the current FAA rules, let them call he cops, when they come show them the paper work and explain you are flying within the Federal Rules. Dont park your car, or person on a private drive or park. If flying / taking off / landing from a public park, make sure the city dent ban RC flight. If there is a sign at the park, listing what is prohibited, take a picture of it, to show the police that there was nothing posted about prohibiting the use of RC vehicles. Trust me if you look and act professional, show that you are following FAA rules, stay off of private property, no cop is going to bother you.
 
This might come in handy if you get someone accusing you of spying on them or anyone else.
To view this content we will need your consent to set third party cookies.
For more detailed information, see our cookies page.
It helped me in one instance & shut down a TV station story on drones spying.

Make sure you follow the rules & guidelines, get registered if not already & I would (just me) also get a license to be safe. in case someone wanted to accuse you of being for hire.

Good luck & try not to let these ignorant folks upset you.


So, i just got a brand new PH4. Today was my 2nd. flight with it. I owned a PH1 and PH2V2 before. I'm an experience pilot and one of the first pilots since 2013.
I never encounter such hateful reaction before from people, being a drone operator.
Today, I drove up a nice rich community, up into the mountains in La Canada flintridge CA. There was a very amazing and beautiful sunset and a lonely road with just a flew townhouses, right next to the La Canada flintridge country club.
I was on my 2nd. battery. On the monitor i saw that my SD card was full. I brought my drone down and switch cards. The drone was on the floor when all of the sudden an older couple started yelling at me from their balcony. The conversation went like this.

HATERS: Hey you! You there, stop flying your drone! This is a private road, you are not allow to fly here.

I look to see from where the voices came and saw them an older male and female on the edge of the balcony.
I thought the best wasn't to respond and to ignore them. So i choose not to engage and continue with what i was doing.

HATERS: Are you not talking to us? Ok, fine, we will call the cops now.

They went on the phone, angrily. I was considering what to do. The sun will set in 10mins and I was waiting all day for this shot, if i leave now, i will miss it. So, I decided to start up the drone and fly again.

HATERS(Continues): Stop flying your stupid drone. The cops are on the way to arrest you.

By now I have already gained altitude. I didn't want any trouble with these people. They seam very mean.
So, I got into my car and flew my drone to 400ft. high, almost out of their sight. I pull my car away from their balcony and from their sight, around the corner, then from the new spot, i flew my drone over to where i was and got the beautiful sunset shot that i wanted.
During the whole time i was shaking, but I needed this shot. Once the sun was down, i brought it back down and took off.
I'm just really buff to encounter such hateful people against Drone operators. I wasn't interested in them, their house or anything. They seam like very boring people. I just wanted the sunset. I have never experience this kind of reaction before. Usually when i fly, people are curious and nice and want to talk and see my footage. The drone was always a ice-breaker and i could make new friends while flying.

Has anyone encounter something like this?
What are the rules for flying in CA, Los Angeles?
When I got my first drone back in 2013 flying was legal and there weren't any regulations.
Do, i need to get a license now?
Let's say, I would had an encounter with cops today, what were my rights?
What type of papers do I need to have? Any advice?
Was it really illegal to fly there?
Thanks a bunch
 
So, i just got a brand new PH4. Today was my 2nd. flight with it. I owned a PH1 and PH2V2 before. I'm an experience pilot and one of the first pilots since 2013.
I never encounter such hateful reaction before from people, being a drone operator.
Today, I drove up a nice rich community, up into the mountains in La Canada flintridge CA. There was a very amazing and beautiful sunset and a lonely road with just a flew townhouses, right next to the La Canada flintridge country club.
I was on my 2nd. battery. On the monitor i saw that my SD card was full. I brought my drone down and switch cards. The drone was on the floor when all of the sudden an older couple started yelling at me from their balcony. The conversation went like this.

HATERS: Hey you! You there, stop flying your drone! This is a private road, you are not allow to fly here.

I look to see from where the voices came and saw them an older male and female on the edge of the balcony.
I thought the best wasn't to respond and to ignore them. So i choose not to engage and continue with what i was doing.

HATERS: Are you not talking to us? Ok, fine, we will call the cops now.

They went on the phone, angrily. I was considering what to do. The sun will set in 10mins and I was waiting all day for this shot, if i leave now, i will miss it. So, I decided to start up the drone and fly again.

HATERS(Continues): Stop flying your stupid drone. The cops are on the way to arrest you.

By now I have already gained altitude. I didn't want any trouble with these people. They seam very mean.
So, I got into my car and flew my drone to 400ft. high, almost out of their sight. I pull my car away from their balcony and from their sight, around the corner, then from the new spot, i flew my drone over to where i was and got the beautiful sunset shot that i wanted.
During the whole time i was shaking, but I needed this shot. Once the sun was down, i brought it back down and took off.
I'm just really buff to encounter such hateful people against Drone operators. I wasn't interested in them, their house or anything. They seam like very boring people. I just wanted the sunset. I have never experience this kind of reaction before. Usually when i fly, people are curious and nice and want to talk and see my footage. The drone was always a ice-breaker and i could make new friends while flying.

Has anyone encounter something like this?
What are the rules for flying in CA, Los Angeles?
When I got my first drone back in 2013 flying was legal and there weren't any regulations.
Do, i need to get a license now?
Let's say, I would had an encounter with cops today, what were my rights?
What type of papers do I need to have? Any advice?
Was it really illegal to fly there?
Thanks a bunch

That is sad. I just had an incident where I was flying in Porter Ranch, Ca and it is a very ritzy area like La Canada Flintridge. I have been flying here off and on for about 2 months. I usually fly over the mountains and sometimes over the neighborhoods. I'm usually 250 - 300 feet up. It's usually between 12 noon and 2pm when I fly. No people around at all.
Today, I went there and was going to fly at 12 noon and park in my usual spot under a nice shade tree. However, there was an SUV there under my tree. I thought, nobody is ever here at this time. I thought, something is not right. I thought, the rich people here have hired a security guard or something. So, I left as I didn't want any trouble. I went to another park where I can usually fly without incident and there are no people around. But, there were soccer players there, so that was not good. Later, I went back to the first park I went to and the SUV was gone. I parked and flew my bird. About 10 minutes into my flight, I was 300 feet up and a lady (whom I didn't notice) said, excuse me. I said; Hi, and she asked me; Are you looking into houses? I said, no, I can't see that kind of detail. Then she said; I was swimming naked in my pool and you flew over. I told her; No, I can't see that kind of detail, I'm up 300 feet. She said, Oh, okay, and then she left. I ended my flight on return and left. I probably won't fly there any longer at least not for awhile. It is summer time and I guess people like to swim in their pools naked. It's really humorous. But, there still is no reasonable expectation of privacy. But, I can find another place to fly. Sheesh! Paranoid people. I could care less what they are doing unless they are trying to shoot my drone or something like that. These people are rich and if they all of a sudden want an ordinance against drone flying in that particular park, they will get it. Happy flying.
 
Those are good questions.

Do you recall how you answered? :)

I just told them that I would have to be really trying to see through a window. I also told them that when the battery gets too low or the drone gets too far then it will return to where it took off without doing any damage to a home.


Sent from my iPhone using PhantomPilots
 

Members online

No members online now.

Forum statistics

Threads
143,054
Messages
1,467,297
Members
104,919
Latest member
BobDan