For many people, flying isn’t just a dream, it is a job and indeed a passion.

What would you do if you were a licensed pilot and drone operator, so you frequently flew around your house, which was out in the country, but your neighbors kept accusing you of spying on them.

That is what happened to the pilot in this story, so he finally told his neighbors to either file an official complaint against him or leave him alone, but now he feels like a jerk.

AITA for telling my neighbors to report me if they had an issue, otherwise stop bugging me?

I’m 21. I had a private pilots license before I graduated HS or had my drivers license. I’m now a CPL (commercial pilot license) pilot and fly charter planes part time. I’ve got my AMEL/AMES which means I can fly multi-engine aircraft over land or sea.

This person must really love to fly.

As a hobby I’m a paramotor pilot (no license/training required legally, but I’ve completed training specific to paramotors).

My primary job is designing/building custom drones. I have a part 61 certificate which essentially means I don’t need a drone license because I fly manned aircraft, and everything I build gets registered.

This is a great place to live for his job and hobby.

I live directly across the street from my parents, and behind them is a state park. We’re out in the boonies.

I can see my drone at all times and I have permission to fly over where I do. Even though I don’t legally need permission for the park, I’ve talked to the game wardens and park rangers about the state park who are fine with me flying there.

Clearly he knows what he is doing.

As far as paramotor – as long as I respect airspace per the FAA I can overfly mostly anywhere, and excluding airspace restrictions the only permission I need is from the places I land/take-off – which is my yard.

My immediate neighbors, both sides, feel like I’m spying on them. It’s been an ongoing issue, I’ve tried to work with them, and I give a lot more consideration to everything then I legally need too.

Ahh, they are a bit paranoid.

They’re like the “chemtrail” types, and it seems like they always come over just to argue.

The other day they both came to my door and threatened me with legal action if I didn’t stop flying.

Maybe now they will leave him alone.

I gave them the number of the department of the FAA that deals with complaints, some copies of recent flight records (that I don’t even legally need to make, keep, or give out), and told them to leave.

They kept trying to continue the conversation so I asked if they had anything specific that they’d want me to do or not do.

This is just unreasonable.

They couldn’t come up with an answer aside from not fly, so I told them that I’m done talking with them. Told them to call the number if they can come up with anything illegal, and that I’d call the police if they came over again.

I know I’m in the legal right, but am I in the moral right here?

AITA?

It seems to me that he was nice enough to them. He even asked if they had any specific complaints that he could try to address. What more could he do?

Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say about this situation.

Yup, you can’t please everyone.

Some people are just like that.

It sounds like he was being very courteous with how he flies.

Exactly, he was reasonable, the neighbors were not.

He really isn’t doing anything wrong.

His neighbors can’t expect him to give up his hobby and his livelihood.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.