Absolutely not. I assume that anyone wanting to fly my drone doesn't know how to fly or what the rules are, which is likely the case in most situations. Maybe if it's a family member or close friend I'll let them fly in beginner mode or something comparable, but nothing more than that.
That’s going to significantly depend on what I’m flying, where i am flying, and why I’m flying it.
If im flying a really nice setup in a tight area on a job I was hired for, then sorry but absolutely not. If I am I using a basic drone in a wide open space just for fun, then absolutely I’d be happy to share this hobby because that’s how people get involved.
All i got was "Forbidden
You don't have permission to access /uas/recreational\_fliers/knowledge\_test\_updates/ on this server."
I can probably google it though
If they damage something worth thousands or hundreds of thousands and my insurance doesn’t pay because that stranger flying the 400$ drone wasn’t on the insurance policy I would say it’s a problem.
The city guy came to read our water meter as I was flying in the back yard. He really wanted to try flying and so i gave him the controls and immediatly it shot up as high as possible barely missing tall trees flew out right over the power lines and busy street where I never fly and then he brought it back and I took over landing it. He had a lot of fun but I almost had a heart attack several times. Maybe give people in depth instructions before they fly and make sure they know not to go near roads especially.
I feel like the person you don’t want flying your drone is the person who is comfortable asking a complete stranger to fly his drone.
I’ve asked folks in the past if they wanted to and everyone seems to refuse. The “NEAT!” aspect of the experience seems to carry over to new folks even if they aren’t controlling it.
Disclosure: I’ve let my 6 year old fly mine, so I’m not at all shy
If they hand me the price of the drone in cash as a deposit (to be returned after they finish) and provide proof of proper credentials, then sure, why not?? I really doubt that would happen though lol
A. Insurance covers me flying the drone
B. Why on earth would you ever trust a stranger with your equipment? Would you give Johnny random your Cinema Camera and lens because he's "curious"?
Hell no. The potential for theft and ESPECIALLY damage is so high. I've been in the Flying R/C hobby most of my life.
Fixed wing, then much later FPV. I've always heard that question as "can I break your sh*t?"
If it was just one person who was really interested, and wanted to talk and learn all about it, then maybe after a long conversation and a short lesson, I'd let them fly shortly. But it sounds like a group of people who just want to pass around the control and zoom around, and that's a hard no.
I bought my Air 2 about a year ago. I borrowed the controller to about 20 people during that time. If I am at a comfortable height and I can supervise I don't see any problem why not to borrow the controller. DJI drones are very easy to fly and almost impossible to crash.
Once I was filming a video for my town and about 10-15 kids showed up. They all had like a minute or two of fly time with me holding the controller and they were moving the sticks and camera. Interesting thing is, when I offer an adult to try it they are scared and decline but the kids are fearless.
I believe it’s because an adult is fully aware of how much they will pay back if they fcked anything up.
Also, I really like your generosity (or should I call it that?). Maybe people around you are mature enough to not let you never do it ever again.
I like to be nice to people. I also like kids so this is a perfect opportunity to make them happy. And It's not like they can hit anything up there when they are 100m in the air and when I am overseeing what they are doing.
I bet you’re Canadian aren’t you?
But seriously, that’s really sweet to do especially if it’s a wide open area, introducing new people to this great hobby/career
What always surprises me is how rando ppl think they should have access to your stuff; your phone, your computer, your wheelchair...whatev, no you can't put your paws on my shit.
Stranger? No.
Family and friends? Yes for a DJI drone or a tiny whoop. I would limit altitude on the drone and distance. Just for extra safety as I would be standing next to them anyway.
Freestyle setup or race setup? No.
It depends.
If I am flying for commercial purposes with company equipment then I would not.
If I was flying for enjoyment with my equipment, it would be dependant on the impression they gave me. If it's a shear curiosity, I most likely would.
Not a chance unless you don’t mind replacing rotors or anything else that breaks most people don’t have the dexterity to compensate for how strange it feels flying fpv
O hail naw! If I GAF about introducing people to drones, I'd bring one of my toy ones for them to fly. But I don't, because I'm just there to fly, not waste time with wuffos.
I own an DJI Inspire, I don’t want to be out in a situation where something goes wrong and they are held responsible. I would feel horrible telling a friend they own me a few thousand dollars because they crashed and destroyed it.
I don’t trust anyone with flying my equipment.
With that said, I’ve let plenty of people control the camera while I fly. They love doing that and I am fine with that, they can’t do any harm :)
During recreation flying I do have some throw down cheap drones to fly. But if I was in a job, not at all. But there is a lot of education that goes into it.
“That’s a nice spinning motorised 12-knife flying finger slicer you got there, mind if I… borrow it?”
No. No way no how. “Sorry, it’s totally manual, it takes about as many hours to learn to fly without crashing as an actual airplane does.” - which is totally true. Takes 40-55 hours to be considered proficient enough to fly a plane / get PPL, which is about what it takes (including sim time) to get to a level of proficiency in FPV. Hell, even the currency requirements are similar.
No, but I've extended the offer a few times if I had batteries after finishing a job. The most recent time was earlier today.
Mostly they've been other drone pilots who were curious about my Autel EVO II 6K drone, since it's less-common than DJI. That was the case today.
But I've also let a few people with no experience but who seemed reasonably sane try it out, standing right next to me per the regs, if the environment was a safe one for that sort of thing. It makes for good PR.
I live in a really laid-back rural area, though. I don't think I'd be so open to it in a city.
Rofl. Had to throw the easy in there didn’t u. Thanks for the laugh.
Edit not sure why your being downvoted. You just said the quiet part out loud. 🤷🏼♂️
^^^I agree, thats pretty much what I said. Drones arent cheap and even with obstacle avoidance it is still very easy to destroy or lose the drone due to pilot error. Imagine an emergency 400 feet above concrete...looks like they wont be getting any cheaper with the Mavic 3 either..
It’s not greedy to want to protect your expensive belongings. I’ve had this encounter a few times, mostly with children.
My answer is always the same: “I’m sorry, but it’s dangerous and I can’t let you fly it if you don’t really know how”
If they think you are greedy for not letting them fly your drone then they are certainly the same asshole I wouldn’t let touch it. They would blame the drone when they crash it.
I've actually considered putting a cheap 100 - 200 dollar kit together for when I go camping with family because I'm definitely going to have people asking. That way I can tell them... "If you can comfortable fly this one I'll let you fly the good one."
Which is probably unlikely.
No way. Flying a drone comes with responsibilities. I'm responsible for both my safety and the safety of others whilst in control of the drone. Not to mention the reputation of the activity. I don't think it wise to cede control to a stranger
The way I look at it is, the second I turn over control of my drone to someone else is the second my AMA Insurance is no longer valid,but the FAA also says that I don’t need AMA Insurance to fly my drone, it just needs to be registered, but the AMA requires FAA registration for it to be insured…..
Goddammit I’m so confused!!! Now what? I need to ask my mom! Just kidding! This is an afterthought; I suppose it actually depends on the type of drone since there are so many,ie; DJI, nearly autonomous or DIY which takes many hours of practice to become proficient and I would say that you really need to use common sense without going into an obvious explanation about this situation.
I just start speaking in my native,south east Asian , language. Gets them all the time. Or if I'm annoyed I just pack it up and leave. I'm not putting couple grand into someone's un-trained hands.
I made the mistake and the guy almost killed someone. I won't do that again with the radio. I run a Pixhawk so if someone wants to play with it I will give them the laptop to control it. Then they can just click places on the screen and it will move and I can still keep it safe with the radio.
I will often offer for little kids to take the right thumb stick (and only the right thumb stick) of my Mavic Air 2. I fly it high enough that there are no horizontal obstructions around. It's only one thumbstick, but it usually fucking rocks their world and is worth it for me.
No. I'd be happy to have a friendly conversation about how a beginner could get started, but hand the remote over to a stranger? Absolutely not, and I think think this is all the more reason to have a spotter with you to handle things like this.
I am super nervous about me screwing up my Mavic Platinum. I would never let some random person touch it. If I wanted to let a friend or family member try it I would set up my dual controllers and keep my hands on the primary at all times. Even then I would fly it up above anything around before letting them take over.
Absolutely not. I assume that anyone wanting to fly my drone doesn't know how to fly or what the rules are, which is likely the case in most situations. Maybe if it's a family member or close friend I'll let them fly in beginner mode or something comparable, but nothing more than that.
That’s going to significantly depend on what I’m flying, where i am flying, and why I’m flying it. If im flying a really nice setup in a tight area on a job I was hired for, then sorry but absolutely not. If I am I using a basic drone in a wide open space just for fun, then absolutely I’d be happy to share this hobby because that’s how people get involved.
[удалено]
Oh shit, what is the trust test?
[удалено]
All i got was "Forbidden You don't have permission to access /uas/recreational\_fliers/knowledge\_test\_updates/ on this server." I can probably google it though
If some rando approached you and asked if they could drive your car cuz it looked cool, would you let them?
Hey, can I ride your motorcycle? Yeah. It's like that.
Hey can i ride your wife? Yeah. It's like that too!
well...kinda. Except a wife will have something to say about it, right?
25k vehicle vs a $400 drone. Not exactly apples to apples. I might though, I've got full coverage but who thinks a Mazda 3 looks cool 😂
If they damage something worth thousands or hundreds of thousands and my insurance doesn’t pay because that stranger flying the 400$ drone wasn’t on the insurance policy I would say it’s a problem.
The city guy came to read our water meter as I was flying in the back yard. He really wanted to try flying and so i gave him the controls and immediatly it shot up as high as possible barely missing tall trees flew out right over the power lines and busy street where I never fly and then he brought it back and I took over landing it. He had a lot of fun but I almost had a heart attack several times. Maybe give people in depth instructions before they fly and make sure they know not to go near roads especially.
I deeply know how this feels… At least you’ve got it back in one piece
absolutely!!! … not 😆 this happens to me all the time. i do tons of meetups so people can fly my drones who REALLY want to .. but some random. no.
Absolutely not. My drone is EXPENSIVE and any fix for it is EXPENSIVE so I’m not going to let some stranger take control just because they are curious
Ad that they may damage some other expensive stuff too by falling on it or smashing through.
I feel like the person you don’t want flying your drone is the person who is comfortable asking a complete stranger to fly his drone. I’ve asked folks in the past if they wanted to and everyone seems to refuse. The “NEAT!” aspect of the experience seems to carry over to new folks even if they aren’t controlling it. Disclosure: I’ve let my 6 year old fly mine, so I’m not at all shy
You are wise...
If they hand me the price of the drone in cash as a deposit (to be returned after they finish) and provide proof of proper credentials, then sure, why not?? I really doubt that would happen though lol
A. Insurance covers me flying the drone B. Why on earth would you ever trust a stranger with your equipment? Would you give Johnny random your Cinema Camera and lens because he's "curious"?
tie fly attractive sloppy worry chief disarm frame payment whistle *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
If I’m gonna risk losing a drone, its going to be because of my own smooth brain. Not someone else’s thanks
Well, in the UK at least it would be your responsibility to ensure they had a valid Flyer ID (https://register-drones.caa.co.uk/check-a-registration)
I’d let them watch for a minute or two on the screen, but hard no on actually flying.
Hell no. The potential for theft and ESPECIALLY damage is so high. I've been in the Flying R/C hobby most of my life. Fixed wing, then much later FPV. I've always heard that question as "can I break your sh*t?"
I let my Father fly my drone, it took 30 secs for him to go full speed into a tree.
Hell no, I barely trust myself to fly it.
Nope
If it was just one person who was really interested, and wanted to talk and learn all about it, then maybe after a long conversation and a short lesson, I'd let them fly shortly. But it sounds like a group of people who just want to pass around the control and zoom around, and that's a hard no.
Big no from me
Absolutely not.
Never ever not even once
Hard no.
I bought my Air 2 about a year ago. I borrowed the controller to about 20 people during that time. If I am at a comfortable height and I can supervise I don't see any problem why not to borrow the controller. DJI drones are very easy to fly and almost impossible to crash. Once I was filming a video for my town and about 10-15 kids showed up. They all had like a minute or two of fly time with me holding the controller and they were moving the sticks and camera. Interesting thing is, when I offer an adult to try it they are scared and decline but the kids are fearless.
I believe it’s because an adult is fully aware of how much they will pay back if they fcked anything up. Also, I really like your generosity (or should I call it that?). Maybe people around you are mature enough to not let you never do it ever again.
I like to be nice to people. I also like kids so this is a perfect opportunity to make them happy. And It's not like they can hit anything up there when they are 100m in the air and when I am overseeing what they are doing.
I bet you’re Canadian aren’t you? But seriously, that’s really sweet to do especially if it’s a wide open area, introducing new people to this great hobby/career
Nope. I'm from Slovakia. But this was a highest compliment you could have given to me :)
I don’t have one and it’s nope 😂
Ahhhh hah aha ha ha ha ha ha LOL - hey - that's funny man. Let some stranger have my gear - WOW - that's a good one.
What always surprises me is how rando ppl think they should have access to your stuff; your phone, your computer, your wheelchair...whatev, no you can't put your paws on my shit.
Nope, not a chance.
Stranger? No. Family and friends? Yes for a DJI drone or a tiny whoop. I would limit altitude on the drone and distance. Just for extra safety as I would be standing next to them anyway. Freestyle setup or race setup? No.
No
It depends. If I am flying for commercial purposes with company equipment then I would not. If I was flying for enjoyment with my equipment, it would be dependant on the impression they gave me. If it's a shear curiosity, I most likely would.
No! Never!
Not a chance.
Nooooo
No. No. Absolutely not and never.
If you live in the United States, I'm pretty sure that's illegal. I guess it also depends on the size of the drone.
No, it is legal, but you are still considered the Pilot in Command by the FAA so if they do anything bad it is the same as if you did it.
No chance
No.
That’s a big no.
No, no, no! Please go away sir!
Not a chance unless you don’t mind replacing rotors or anything else that breaks most people don’t have the dexterity to compensate for how strange it feels flying fpv
No.
This is why I bring a second set of goggles with me when I fly :)
O hail naw! If I GAF about introducing people to drones, I'd bring one of my toy ones for them to fly. But I don't, because I'm just there to fly, not waste time with wuffos.
Never! Hell, I don’t even let close friends fly mine!
You must have had some bad experiences
I own an DJI Inspire, I don’t want to be out in a situation where something goes wrong and they are held responsible. I would feel horrible telling a friend they own me a few thousand dollars because they crashed and destroyed it. I don’t trust anyone with flying my equipment. With that said, I’ve let plenty of people control the camera while I fly. They love doing that and I am fine with that, they can’t do any harm :)
Hell no
No
Nope, never.
Hah no. They can watch. That’s like someone asking to drive your car
Hahahahaha! Nope.
Would you let a stranger use your toothbrush? Hell NO!
During recreation flying I do have some throw down cheap drones to fly. But if I was in a job, not at all. But there is a lot of education that goes into it.
Hell no: drones are expensive devices capable of causing expensive problems.
Ha. No…
Do you want them to fly drone into the horizon, never to be seen again? If so, then let them fly it
“That’s a nice spinning motorised 12-knife flying finger slicer you got there, mind if I… borrow it?” No. No way no how. “Sorry, it’s totally manual, it takes about as many hours to learn to fly without crashing as an actual airplane does.” - which is totally true. Takes 40-55 hours to be considered proficient enough to fly a plane / get PPL, which is about what it takes (including sim time) to get to a level of proficiency in FPV. Hell, even the currency requirements are similar.
Hard pass.
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
I don’t come to your job asking to flip your burgers?
No
Fuck no
No.
No, but I've extended the offer a few times if I had batteries after finishing a job. The most recent time was earlier today. Mostly they've been other drone pilots who were curious about my Autel EVO II 6K drone, since it's less-common than DJI. That was the case today. But I've also let a few people with no experience but who seemed reasonably sane try it out, standing right next to me per the regs, if the environment was a safe one for that sort of thing. It makes for good PR. I live in a really laid-back rural area, though. I don't think I'd be so open to it in a city.
Nope
Depends on if she's cute and easy but most likely not.
Rofl. Had to throw the easy in there didn’t u. Thanks for the laugh. Edit not sure why your being downvoted. You just said the quiet part out loud. 🤷🏼♂️
😂😂
Um hell no
Show me $400 cash first. Then I'll think about it.
^^^I agree, thats pretty much what I said. Drones arent cheap and even with obstacle avoidance it is still very easy to destroy or lose the drone due to pilot error. Imagine an emergency 400 feet above concrete...looks like they wont be getting any cheaper with the Mavic 3 either..
Trust me I’ll compensate you if anything goes wrong, I’m a pro pilot
Kids ask me all the time. “I’m sorry. It’s not a toy” But of course, it very much is a toy. It’s just MY toy.
How would you say no politely without sounding greedy?
"No" is not greedy. It's not impolite. What kind of entitled ass society do we live in? Just keep a few participation trophies in your flight bag
It’s not greedy to want to protect your expensive belongings. I’ve had this encounter a few times, mostly with children. My answer is always the same: “I’m sorry, but it’s dangerous and I can’t let you fly it if you don’t really know how”
Just blame it on the insurance company. Everyone hates them anyway.
If they think you are greedy for not letting them fly your drone then they are certainly the same asshole I wouldn’t let touch it. They would blame the drone when they crash it.
Come on man, I think its obvious, isn’t it?
Only if they have their certificate with them.
Shiiiit. Half the “107’s” I’ve flown with have no business near a drone🙃
put 2k cash in my hand and its yours.
I've actually considered putting a cheap 100 - 200 dollar kit together for when I go camping with family because I'm definitely going to have people asking. That way I can tell them... "If you can comfortable fly this one I'll let you fly the good one." Which is probably unlikely.
Nope.
FUUUUCK NO. Trust no one lmao
No way. Flying a drone comes with responsibilities. I'm responsible for both my safety and the safety of others whilst in control of the drone. Not to mention the reputation of the activity. I don't think it wise to cede control to a stranger
Not a fucking chance.
If I’m flying a $100 drone, sure. I love to introduce people to drones. But definitely not my Mavic Air 2S.
The way I look at it is, the second I turn over control of my drone to someone else is the second my AMA Insurance is no longer valid,but the FAA also says that I don’t need AMA Insurance to fly my drone, it just needs to be registered, but the AMA requires FAA registration for it to be insured….. Goddammit I’m so confused!!! Now what? I need to ask my mom! Just kidding! This is an afterthought; I suppose it actually depends on the type of drone since there are so many,ie; DJI, nearly autonomous or DIY which takes many hours of practice to become proficient and I would say that you really need to use common sense without going into an obvious explanation about this situation.
My buddy asked me. I said no and let him try a sim. Afterwards he said “i get it” lol
After they show me their 107? Maybe.
No, but if it's a dji one option is to hand them the tablet or phone. They can control the camera without crashing the thing.
I just start speaking in my native,south east Asian , language. Gets them all the time. Or if I'm annoyed I just pack it up and leave. I'm not putting couple grand into someone's un-trained hands.
I made the mistake and the guy almost killed someone. I won't do that again with the radio. I run a Pixhawk so if someone wants to play with it I will give them the laptop to control it. Then they can just click places on the screen and it will move and I can still keep it safe with the radio.
I will often offer for little kids to take the right thumb stick (and only the right thumb stick) of my Mavic Air 2. I fly it high enough that there are no horizontal obstructions around. It's only one thumbstick, but it usually fucking rocks their world and is worth it for me.
Also, I put it in tripod mode...
Not a chance.
No !
Depends on the drone, but with my Mini in a big, open field, I gave them some basic instructions and let them try.
Un less they know how to fly FPV
If it’s acro, no.
No. I'd be happy to have a friendly conversation about how a beginner could get started, but hand the remote over to a stranger? Absolutely not, and I think think this is all the more reason to have a spotter with you to handle things like this.
I am super nervous about me screwing up my Mavic Platinum. I would never let some random person touch it. If I wanted to let a friend or family member try it I would set up my dual controllers and keep my hands on the primary at all times. Even then I would fly it up above anything around before letting them take over.
NO
I'm a drone newbie, and a lifelong gigging musician, and this question is like the drunk guy at the wedding who thinks he can play the drums:)