As title, had an argument with an ignorant old fella. I’d been flying my drone over the bay and started packing up. While packing, what looked like a newer small DJI (arse hanging down at the back), flew very close to me just above head height then slowly moved around, like I was being watched. It bounced around a bit, not steady flying then went up a few feet and towards an ice cream van on the prom where I saw it drop down. The prom is about 5mtr wide and the “pilot” was stood across from the van eating an ice cream, controller hanging down on a neck strap chatting to someone with the drone between him and the van around head height. Plenty of people strolling on the prom and some cyclists go at decent speeds, it was absolutely bloody stupid flying so I told him.
He thought nothing wrong of it so I told him what a stupid dangerous idiot he was and wandered off.
He didn’t want to smile. That was taken when it was watching me, he took it up from head height when he’ll have seen me point my phone at it. By the time I confronted him, I’d packed everything away including my phone because I was on may way to the nearby shop where I volunteer.
Sadly these twats walk amongst us… I had an idiot once try to follow me with a Mini 4 Pro so I decided to take them out on a very extended flight across the Solent, they soon gave up!
They walk among us, but they also fly among us… you can’t ejumacate pork!
Had one myself a while back, followed him with my Mini 4 Pro. He flew straight out across the Solent, obvioulsy way beyond his VLOS, thought he was heading for the IOW, so I turned back in order to be safe, at least on my part, absolute psycho…
(there may or may not be an element of wind-up to this post)
Being a bit more serious, you really can’t educate pork, and I have come to the conclusion that it’s not my job to try. I leave the carrots (look up the Welsh translation) to their idiocy and feel smugly superior, no point in engaging with them. 'Specially this weather, all our fuses are a bit shorter and I am of the view that, if they lack the intelligence to fly properly, their lives are probably shit and they’re cross about it, which increases the likelihood of my savagely attacking them in the fist with my face. This is a non-productive way of dealing with them…
I’m a very “live and let live” kind of person .. but, endangering the reputation of our hobby is one thing .. twats exist .. but this is endangering the public. A very different thing, and inexcusable.
Across water where there nothing to hit .. unless you try ridiculously hard. If you fuck up on that it’s only you and your drone going to suffer .. nobody else.
Really? I’m guessing that’s Hurst Castle to Fort Albert? Yeah, quite possible, then. Pushing it a bit for VLOS with my poor old eyesight and a Lito, but I reckon I’d be ok at night with the Strobon… You’d stand a chance with a paper dart at 0.8 miles!
(just scanread that to check and registerd that I’d be ok at night with a strapon. Pretty good in the day now you mention it!0,
Thought about it but he was flying at head height on a busy promenade. By the time they’d arrive, he’d be long gone, as he was very soon after I walked away.
Agree 100%, this idiot could have caused injuries. As well as the group he was flying to show it off to, lots of people walking & cycling past plus a class of young school kids immediately behind the ice cream van.
I’d been flying shortly before and hopefully one photo might have him in it but it could be too far away to be any use.
I think I’ve seen him before somewhere, without a drone.