Drone or RC quadcopter?

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When did a phantom become a drone? It's such a bad connotation.
 
Most the definitions online have to do something with military surveillance. To me, calling a Phantom a drone is like calling a civilian jet a Bomber. Uses same tech but totally different purpose. When I built my first quad, it was a quad never a drone. None of my hobby friends called it a drone. In short, the press makes drones look bad, and that's bad for the hobby. No one ever called my powered glider a drone even though I had fpv and it looked more like a military drone and this was way before the phantom.
 
I'm not gonna debate about the semantics; the word 'drone' has been used on UAVs long before consumer grade quads are around and we certainly fall into that category when most things are considered.

But do you know what bothers people about 'drones' in our hands? Why weren't they bothered by RC planes or even helis in the past?

I think these are the reasons...

1. There are are more of these than ever.
2. They appear in more places. In the cities, close to homes.
3. They can HOVER and they can fly close to walls and grounds with greater precisions.
4. They are equipped with CAMERAS!

In short: I don't blame them :mrgreen:
 
LeoS said:
I'm not gonna debate about the semantics; the word 'drone' has been used on UAVs long before consumer grade quads are around and we certainly fall into that category when most things are considered.

But do you know what bothers people about 'drones' in our hands? Why weren't they bothered by RC planes or even helis in the past?

I think these are the reasons...

1. There are are more of these than ever.
2. They appear in more places. In the cities, close to homes.
3. They can HOVER and they can fly close to walls and grounds with greater precisions.
4. They are equipped with CAMERAS!

In short: I don't blame them :mrgreen:

Pretty much sums it up. "Cameras" is the keyword. If they weren't known to have cameras on them, the topic would be moot. I personally prefer to fly in areas with the least likelihood of spectators (almost impossible) because I don't want to cause some paranoid person to think I'm "spying" on something or someone. Right now there are no actual laws on the books regarding "drones" (that I know of), but we all know that some of our lovely politicians want to change this and will hastily rush new laws out of fear and ignorance.

My fear is that the people sunbathing at a pool or hanging out in their backyards who happen to see a quad in the distance buzzing by may call the police, which will help cause the media to pour fuel on that fire of fear and ignorance. Not good for us.
 
They wont call them RC copters any longer as soon as someone terrorizes with one.
So how long will it be before we see that is the real question.
 
gbshovel said:
They wont call them RC copters any longer as soon as someone terrorizes with one.
So how long will it be before we see that is the real question.


True. Also, when one crashes into/malfunctions and falls out of the sky on someone's head, they will become "deadly" flying objects that don't belong in the hands of civilians. The media can be our worst enemy.

I like the plans that Amazon has for them. The more they can demonstrated to have a "positive" side, the better. I'm really not trying to sound cynical, I just love this hobby and don't want to see the media/politicians ruin it for us ;-)
 
The irresponsible attitude of FlyTrex that encourages flying above 400 ft AGL and out of VLOS range is also an invitation to disaster. I asked them about it and the response was:

We do our best to advise our users to fly safely. ....If you have any other ideas for how to regulate the legality of our users' missions, we'd love to hear them.
(FlyTrex support)

Yeah! Quit encouraging people to fly it 3,000 ft up into the path of a Cessna or a mile away from VLOS where they could hit an ultalight, by awarding "badges" for it! "Best"? How about telling their US members not to do that. Besides, the FAA could seize the FlyTrex chip as evidence in a damages trial. That's what I would advise.
 
These next few months or year is very critical in our hobby because the FAA is cracking down. Google "Drone Spotted" and you'll see why I hate being associated with drones. It's either military related or some idiot flying into a crowded area. No no no no no!!

https://www.google.com/search?q=drone+s ... S:eek:fficial

If you google Quadcopter Spotted, you get a bunch of guys enjoying their hobby.

Yes there is a big difference in calling our flying machines Drone or Quadcopter or UAV. I for one will not give up my rights, within limits, to fly my quadcopter, but they can take your drone anytime :D
 
Any RC aircraft is considered a 'drone'. Take a look around the FAA website sometime for some interesting reading. I happen to live close to the one of the chosen air base's they are using for military & commercial testing of 'drones' or "UAS" - Unmanned Aircraft Systems. I imagine they will be flying over my head soon doing their research. You can bet there will be heavy regulation on our hobby before they are done. Especially when people post crazy videos of things like handguns attached to quadcopters and so on. Lets hope it doesn't get too crazy.

Some interesting FAQ's from the FAA-
http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/uas/uas_faq/
 
yep, I agree. But I always look on the bright side, if Tomorrow the FAA takes away my wings, the Walking Dead mid season premier is a week away.
 
You cant smoke a joint legally in most parts fo the world ....but people do it .... Drones, UAVs. Quads, HEli RC's ... whatever you want to call these flying machines of madness, whether the laws change or not, .... monkeys will fly them badly, responsible people will fly and say its not badly .... and other will just fly regardless ... they are out, capable and not going away anytime soon ... some of you people are way way to paranoid.
 
In America if you live in a state where marijuana is illegal you don't go to the local park or school to smoke a joint in public. Great, now I'm gonna have to fly my 'drones' in my moms basement all day! :mrgreen:
 
LuvMyTJ said:
In America if you live in a state where marijuana is illegal you don't go to the local park or school to smoke a joint in public. Great, now I'm gonna have to fly my 'drones' in my moms basement all day! :mrgreen:

Just be careful when flying through the clouds in there ;)
 
GMANNZ said:
You cant smoke a joint legally in most parts fo the world ....but people do it .... Drones, UAVs. Quads, HEli RC's ... whatever you want to call these flying machines of madness, whether the laws change or not, .... monkeys will fly them badly, responsible people will fly and say its not badly .... and other will just fly regardless ... they are out, capable and not going away anytime soon ... some of you people are way way to paranoid.

Yeah but weed dont kill, drones do. :lol:
 
thongbong said:
Yeah but weed dont kill, drones do. :lol:

Drones in USA military do really well, public ones not so much ...... people with guns do every single day ... dont see much being done about stopping monkeys owning guns, ... all still bit much paranoia about flying things !!?? .... give a group of monkeys a pile of bananas ... eventually one will die by "death by banana" ... its the human monkey way in everything, generally across the world most people are bat **** crazy, people will die regardless, ... always has been that way, is that way, always will be that way.... I dont sweat it .... if you think people are crazy with drones, dont fly commercially and you'll be ok ... if you think people are ok with drones, fly and dont worry about it ... if you get hit by a drone in your airliner... remember I warned you about the choice you had to fly or not .... choice is a funny thing.
 

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