My thoughts on breaking the rules.

[Nowelly]

Yeah, there have been alot of stories about that YouTube situation. And you're right. Somebody is going to do something stupid eventually pushing their luck. That's why I said I understand and respect the rules, but that doesn't necessarily mean I agree with all of them. I understand why they have them, at least here in the US, but there's always going to be people who do careless things, always. That's just in life!

From what I've been reading from all of you UK folks, it sounds like the UK is a little ridiculously extreme in some areas.

There was someone who said there is no such 400' rule; Yes, there is and this is the excerpt from the official Part 107 FAA regulations:

107.51 Operating limitations for small unmanned aircraft. A remote pilot in command and the person manipulating the flight controls of the small unmanned aircraft system must comply with all of the following operating limitations when operating a small unmanned aircraft system:

(a) The groundspeed of the small unmanned aircraft may not exceed 87 knots (100 miles per hour).
(b) The altitude of the small unmanned aircraft cannot be higher than 400 feet above ground level, unless the small unmanned aircraft:
(1) Is flown within a 400-foot radius of a structure; and
(2) Does not fly higher than 400 feet above the structure’s immediate uppermost limit.

I agree with you mate, and am on your side. In an "ideal world" I would like to see the drone police, as we could call them, all xxxx off lol... But, sadly we don't live in an ideal world, and I just want our hobby to SURVIVE in tact and not be so severely neutered that it becomes a waste of time doing it

 

[Nowelly]

I agree with you mate, and am on your side. In an "ideal world" I would like to see the drone police, as we could call them, all f**k off lol... But, sadly we don't live in an ideal world, and I just want our hobby to SURVIVE in tact and not be so severely neutered that it becomes a waste of time doing it

My view is simple: I KNOW I fly safely and with others in mind, and I have spend over $2000 getting into this pastime, and I don't want a bloody expensive doorstop at home at the end of this process

 

[Nowelly]

Was reading this month's AMA magazine and they say there are 600,000 drones out in the USA now. Bad stuff is just going to happen.

I saw too that the NPS is now having 10 days a years for free admission to the National Parks. I'd also like them to set aside maybe 4 days, one for each season, for "Drones allowed days in the National Parks." Set aside some low attendance day like a Tuesday and maybe even some $10 fee that day if they need the cash. They could have a ranger as a monitor for small groups for areas that might be popular.

I think this is a VERY good argument in the context of the United States, GMack. US national parks are enormous, and there are plenty of open spaces that are beautiful to go and film and photograph safely away from people completely, which is why I see this aspect of American regulation utterly stupid. In the UK, national parks are fair game for drone flyers. All you have to do is call the National Park authority and inform them of what you are doing and where, and job's a good'un. But I do think it is unfair on American citizens to close off public national parks: that is ridiculous

 

[jwmcgrath]

...there would be a lot more crashes if we had remotely driven cars running around the streets.

I bet Elon Musk, and the Google self driving car engineers would disagree!


Jeff
Still-Stock P3S

 

[AlecW]

I bet Elon Musk, and the Google self driving car engineers would disagree!

We already have self driving semi trucks in Colorado doing tests. They have a driver as a backup but the trips are automated.

 

[jwmcgrath]

We already have self driving semi trucks in Colorado doing tests. They have a driver as a backup but the trips are automated.

There is no doubt in my mind that's the way it's go. I'm sure they are going to do everything they can to either make it safer, or convince us it's safer than human driven cars...

But what I have the problem with is I can see it being forced upon us, and I for one ENJOY driving. I WANT to drive.

Today's and the future's litigious society will probably remove that privilege as a choice, and I hope I'm long dead before that happens.


Jeff
Still-Stock P3S

 

[AlecW]

There is no doubt in my mind that's the way it's go. I'm sure they are going to do everything they can to either make it safer, or convince us it's safer than human driven cars...

But what I have the problem with is I can see it being forced upon us, and I for one ENJOY driving. I WANT to drive.

Today's and the future's litigious society will probably remove that privilege as a choice, and I hope I'm long dead before that happens.

Yeah I'm the same, I like driving although on long HW trips I would use automation. Out here in the west I think we will see a lot of automated depot to depot semi runs via the interstates within the next 10 years, there's profit to be made. I think there will be small 5-10 truck convoys with a driver in the front and back truck only.

 

[dwallersv]

I bet Elon Musk, and the Google self driving car engineers would disagree!

Actually, I know several of the engineers working this project (there are many), and they do agree.

Of course, they're working on autonomous vehicles, not remotely operated ones. If you read what I wrote, you'll see that is what I was explicitly talking about.

 

[jwmcgrath]

If you read what I wrote, you'll see that is what I was explicitly talking about.

I know... I was just making a generalization about automation.

I'm smart enough to know you can't get away with misreading a post on here without being caught pretty quick! [emoji6]


Jeff
Still-Stock P3S

 

[ukphantomclub]

Thanks guys for clearing that up!

 

[42FrankZ]

I bet Elon Musk, and the Google self driving car engineers would disagree!


Jeff
Still-Stock P3S

Elon also would tell you they are shooting people towards Mars by 2020.... He isn't making that timeline from just the .gov paper work much less the technical hurdles...

 

[Tenly]

I strongly disagree too. The difference with anything like that is there are strict regulations in place for motorized vehicles. You have to learn how to drive. You have to pass an officially approved driving test, you must acquire a license to operate a motor vehicle. And, when you have done so, you must also have appropriate insurance and other obligations (e.g
Regulated official regular servicing of the vehicle to prove it is safe and roadworthy, for jnstance). None of this currently exists for drones, and that is why they are looking at it. A 1.5 kilo rock falling from the sky onto someone's head from 400 ft is likely to do someone a very serious injury at best, or kill them at worst... So it is easy to understand why this is being looked at, objectively. And it doesn't matter how much any of us might happen to moan about it either: in the US, for instance, if as many peope bought drones as they buy guns eventually, you are talking about seriously congested air space at some point. I don't think the drone craze has caught on quite as profoundly in Europe yet as it has in the states as millions of owners are talked about there. So, as a pragmatist, I,say I am riding this storm out, I have contributed my dollar's worth to the debate, and I hope for common sense to prevail. I also commented about companies like Amazon and Google being given preferential treatment to try and HOG the lower airspace for commercial gain, freezing out us hobbyists - something that I am highly opposed to

In response to the original poster that quoted me and "strongly disagreed" I will respectfully agree to disagree with him and move on...

But you... you took my quote out of context and "strongly disagreed" with it for reasons that were covered in my post that paragraph was removed from. It was message 168 in this chain if you care to go back and read the entire post - which talks about licensing, insurance, proficiency and the other things you based your disagreement on...


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[Tenly]

I've said this before and I'll say it again. People breaking this existing rules will not result in more rules.

If you see someone breaking a rule - it is not "your duty to the hobby" to report them or try to educate them. If you see someone doing something that is clearly dangerous - that's a different story. By all means - report the bastard and point out the danger he is exposing others to.

But if you see someone flying in a secluded area of a national park - or exceeding 400' in an area that is clear of other air traffic - and you approach them or report them - you're just a nosy busybody. This would be the same as reporting someone who changed lanes without signalling or made an illegal U-Turn when there was no traffic coming in either direction.

And always keep it in the back of your mind that the stranger you are watching "break the rules" may in fact have a special permit for doing what he's doing - and that it's not your job to validate that permit.



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[dwallersv]

I know... I was just making a generalization about automation.

I'm smart enough to know you can't get away with misreading a post on here without being caught pretty quick! [emoji6]

Sincerely apology for getting snippy.

I'd just been dealing with some tendentious troll on a political board, and was already a bit ticked when I came over here, started catching up, and made that post.

 

[jwmcgrath]

Sincerely apology for getting snippy.

I'd just been dealing with some tendentious troll on a political board, and was already a bit ticked when I came over here, started catching up, and made that post.

Never a worry... I'm also smart enough to know that not only is the written word easy to misinterpret, but that everyone has something else going on in their lives!


Jeff

 

[Nowelly]

I bet Elon Musk, and the Google self driving car engineers would disagree!


Jeff
Still-Stock P3S

Of course, it is their livelihood and they can be expected to defend it

 

[Nowelly]

Has anyone seen that new first time human carrying drone the chinese have come up with? We'll all be flying around in ome soon

 

[Nowelly]

Wicked this is! Anyone feeling VERY flush? $200-300,000 with a range of 350 miles and up to 4000 feet. How will the FAA view this fella? Wonder if you can get a 4k gimbal attachment for it

 

[Tenly]

Wicked this is! Anyone feeling VERY flush? $200-300,000 with a range of 350 miles and up to 4000 feet. How will the FAA view this fella? Wonder if you can get a 4k gimbal attachment for it

This one starts operating as a taxi in Dubai just 5 months from now! (In July)

This MegaDrone Will Be a Self-Flying Air Taxi in Dubai This Summer

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[jwmcgrath]

Wicked this is! Anyone feeling VERY flush? $200-300,000 with a range of 350 miles and up to 4000 feet. How will the FAA view this fella? Wonder if you can get a 4k gimbal attachment for it

But I heard with a DBS mod you can get 500 miles...


Jeff