Drone carrying a video camera

rwbradley wrote:

hershey wrote:
I have several drones (quadcopters). You are correct in that they can be chocked full of features that make them desirable and functional. I don't see any doing what I think you want them to do. They all require an operator to do the flying either by sight or by First Person View (FPV). With FPV you must have a spotter to have eye contact with the quad. I do a lot of aerial filming with my quads and it is rewarding but......its getting harder and harder to stay legal. National Parks and State Parks absolutely forbid their use. People don't want you to invade their private space...that could be their umbrella on a beach from 400 feet above them. Realtors are finding them very useful but there is licensing being considered for that use. Most of the Youtube videos that you see that produce some fantastic pictures are done with quads and cameras that most cannot afford. I don't want to rain on anyones parade, quads are fun and exciting and I still am able to do a lot of photo and video work with them but its not as easy as it was three years ago.

First off I don't claim to be an expert in the topic, but I read a few articles that said the FAA regulations on Drones that were passed a few months back basically put an end to legal FPV for drones. I think it is really cool, I have seen it done before and would love to try it one day. I am just curious if I misinterpreted the articles.

FPV is perfectly legal if you follow the rules. Rules do change very rapidly and its getting harder and harder to adhere to them. Basically, you have a max transmitter output and you must have a spotter to keep eye to eye contact with the quad. You can buy some very small airplanes or quads with FPV for just a couple hundred dollars. They have a very limited range and are funtional but still a toy. Don't get sucked into the quads that fly by smartphones. Range is very very limited.