This is a topic that is dear to my heart. When I first found out about Quad copters (several months ago), I found my nearest hobby shop. I went to Micro RC which was located in Longwood Fl. at the time. It has since relocated to Casselberry, Fl. I went in and spoke to the owner Steve. I asked him, if I could pick his brain on the subject for a bit, because I had read some reviews on him and found out that he was very passionate about flying RC aircraft, of all sorts. He is very knowledgeable, he doesn't try to sell you something, that you do not need and simply one heck of a nice guy. He obliged and we began to discuss a wide variety of topics.
The main thing we discussed, was the importance of "Safety". He recommended that I start out with a Blade 180QX (which I did purchase), as I was not and experienced pilot. Unfortunately, he did not carry DJI products, because he was not satisfied with their customer support. In any event, we talked for over an hour on the subject. Knowing that I was untrained, he kept referring back to safety. He told me to "always" have a line of sight, fly under 400 feet, stay away from people, power lines, trees, certain municipalities (such as power plants, water treatment centers and the like, mainly due to the events of 9/11), airports, etc. I remember him telling me, that if I were to run into him with my lil Blade 180QX, he'd give me a look, but if I were to hit him with a Blade 350QX or something like a Phantom, we'd have a serious problem. I never forgot that.
It has been some time and I now have over a dozen or so flights under my belt (I know it's still not much). I just wish that everybody who purchases a Phantom or any type of RC aircraft, would've been in on the conversation, we had about the importance of SAFETY. I keep seeing reports of people getting hit, flying too close to airports and basically flying irresponsibly.
I love this new found hobby and I don't want a few bad apples to ruin it, for the rest of the people, who are here to enjoy it and act responsible. I think would be a great service, if this site would have a topic that is dedicated to SAFETY. I think it'd be great, if it were to be a requirement, for all to read, before being able to join up. Those are just a few of my thoughts.
Please let me know what you think. Sincerely, Thanks!
The main thing we discussed, was the importance of "Safety". He recommended that I start out with a Blade 180QX (which I did purchase), as I was not and experienced pilot. Unfortunately, he did not carry DJI products, because he was not satisfied with their customer support. In any event, we talked for over an hour on the subject. Knowing that I was untrained, he kept referring back to safety. He told me to "always" have a line of sight, fly under 400 feet, stay away from people, power lines, trees, certain municipalities (such as power plants, water treatment centers and the like, mainly due to the events of 9/11), airports, etc. I remember him telling me, that if I were to run into him with my lil Blade 180QX, he'd give me a look, but if I were to hit him with a Blade 350QX or something like a Phantom, we'd have a serious problem. I never forgot that.
It has been some time and I now have over a dozen or so flights under my belt (I know it's still not much). I just wish that everybody who purchases a Phantom or any type of RC aircraft, would've been in on the conversation, we had about the importance of SAFETY. I keep seeing reports of people getting hit, flying too close to airports and basically flying irresponsibly.
I love this new found hobby and I don't want a few bad apples to ruin it, for the rest of the people, who are here to enjoy it and act responsible. I think would be a great service, if this site would have a topic that is dedicated to SAFETY. I think it'd be great, if it were to be a requirement, for all to read, before being able to join up. Those are just a few of my thoughts.
Please let me know what you think. Sincerely, Thanks!