Had my first hostile encounter with guy threatening to shoot my drone and call the cops

[Weaponized]

I wear an orange safety vest and mark off my area with small yellow traffic cones. I also use a nice orange takeoff pad. When you look "official" people treat and react to you differently. Plus when you yell at some idiot to leave your launch area, all of that official-ness seems to carry more weight and people back off.

 

[Dave Pitman]

I don't disagree with you but being face to face with an idiot threatening you is not the best time to argue the finer points of the law and regulations. Walk away and live to fly another day.

My response was in reply to @MapMaker53 comment about needing a law.

I agree with your comment. If someone gets it in their mind to confront you in a hostile manner, it may be difficult to talk them down. As I said above, if they threatened to call LE, I would agree with them that they should do it as soon as possible. In most cases that leaves them standing there with a blank look on their face followed by their retreat while mumbling something.

I think it is rare that people will go out of their way to confront you. If there are people near by, they may comment one way or another. But to go out of their way and approach in order to voice their displeasure is uncommon from my experience. I have been approached in that way a couple of times. I think it's inevitable if you are fly enough. I think all we can do is keep a cool head and be polite as possible while at the same time letting them know that there are laws in place and that we know what they are and have an FAA certification to prove it. Then ask them if they do. Of course they don't and it gives them something to think about.

Being apologetic and quickly loading up your gear and getting out of there would leave the with the wrong impression.

 

[R Martin]

My response was in reply to @MapMaker53 comment about needing a law.

I agree with your comment. If someone gets it in their mind to confront you in a hostile manner, it may be difficult to talk them down. As I said above, if they threatened to call LE, I would agree with them that they should do it as soon as possible. In most cases that leaves them standing there with a blank look on their face followed by their retreat while mumbling something.

I think it is rare that people will go out of their way to confront you. If there are people near by, they may comment one way or another. But to go out of their way and approach in order to voice their displeasure is uncommon from my experience. I have been approached in that way a couple of times. I think it's inevitable if you are fly enough. I think all we can do is keep a cool head and be polite as possible while at the same time letting them know that there are laws in place and that we know what they are and have an FAA certification to prove it. Then ask them if they do. Of course they don't and it gives them something to think about.

Being apologetic and quickly loading up your gear and getting out of there would leave the with the wrong impression.

You can argue with a pig, but it just annoys the pig. Our PD has an above average response time and they can handle crackpots. My job is flying. Stick with what you do best.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

The FAA should establish a law that makes it illegal to interfere with or create a situation that distracts a PIC while the UAV is in the air. It is certainly a safety issue. Might help it happen if we Part 107 operators request that from the FAA.

18 U.S. Code § 32 - Destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities
49 U.S. Code § 46504 - Interference with flight crew members and attendants
The federal laws exist, whether a US Attorney will put away her/his drug & murder caseload to charge anyone with blowing away your drone is a different question. (but I would love to see it)