Drones

[Stranger]

Who's got one?
What kind?
Where do you fly it?
Any special purpose for it?

[PenMan]

I have a Mavic Pro and really enjoy it. I only fly for fun and do not have the 107 license. I do use the drone to check the top of my camper (I don't climb on top as I'm a little heavy) for debris, etc. and can even blow leaves off the slide outs with it. You do have to be careful where you fly it as there are many places where it is illegal. I started flying with a cheap drone that did not have GPS and flew it a lot indoors. The range was so short and the camera was too cheap to get good photos so I ended up buying the Mavic Pro. It is a big step up from a $100 drone to a $1000 Mavic but well worth the price.

[CFerguson]

2edgesword wrote:
BTW, included in the bill is a requirement that ANYONE flying a drone pass a aeronautical knowledge test...

(g) AERONAUTICAL KNOWLEDGE AND SAFETY TEST.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator, in consultation with manufacturers of unmanned aircraft systems, other industry stakeholders, and community-based organizations, shall develop an aeronautical knowledge and safety test, which
can then be administered electronically by the Administrator, a community-based organization, or a person designated by the Administrator.

As stated the test has to be developed within 180 days so at some point in the next year everyone that wants to legally fly a drone will have to take and pass this test. If the current Part 107 test (commercial drone pilots) is a guide it will include airspace regulations, communications, chart reading, elements of aerodynamics and weather.

Honestly, I think that horse has already left the barn. Theres just too many hobbyists now. Regulators are years behind. Rules such as this will only be invoked when someone becomes a problem.

That said, I am a ham and completely legal. afaik, anyway.
The aim of gov seems to be to make everything illegal so they can tax, I mean fine you for it.

[2edgesword]

BTW, included in the bill is a requirement that ANYONE flying a drone pass a aeronautical knowledge test...

(g) AERONAUTICAL KNOWLEDGE AND SAFETY TEST.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this section, the Administrator, in consultation with manufacturers of unmanned aircraft systems, other industry stakeholders, and community-based organizations, shall develop an aeronautical knowledge and safety test, which
can then be administered electronically by the Administrator, a community-based organization, or a person designated by the Administrator.

As stated the test has to be developed within 180 days so at some point in the next year everyone that wants to legally fly a drone will have to take and pass this test. If the current Part 107 test (commercial drone pilots) is a guide it will include airspace regulations, communications, chart reading, elements of aerodynamics and weather.

[lj2654]

I have a DJI Mavic Pro Platinum. I don't get to fly it as often as I would like. The Florida State Parks have a no fly restriction, as does the military base we are staying at till the end of January. Hopefully as we travel North this spring and summer I will find some place to fly a bit.

[CFerguson]

2edgesword wrote:
.....Do you get hassled by the authorities for flying in a local park or large empty parking lots when no one is around?

No not at all. I'm flying low all the time and its obvious I'm not putting anyone at risk. If people do show up, I shift to another spot or quit entirely.
But then I fly in the South mostly and folks here tend to be friendlier or at least a bit more Live and Let Live.

fwiw, RMRC has a fantastic starter deal that I wish was available when I got into quads. The Fatshark box goggles in particular are astonishingly good for the price. I actually bought this package deal and put it up for a future backup or to give as a gift if any relative takes to the hobby.
https://www.readymaderc.com/products/details/fatshark-rtf-votrex-150-starter-bundle-recon-goggles?utm_source=All+RMRC+Customers&utm_campaign=41db0287db-Email+154+-+Multirotor+Madness&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_79eb0f9c30-41db0287db-143161041&mc_cid=41db0287db&mc_eid=795e8cada5
236 with the coupon but youll still need batteries and a charger. But its the best price option for a hi quality starter kit imo.

[2edgesword]

atreis wrote:
I fly racing quads. Nothing at all like camera quads. These DON'T fly themselves. I also have a camera quad - a Phantom - for checking out the fence line on the fields. It doesn't get a lot of use. Compared to the racers, it's boring.

Some things to keep in mind:

NOTE: Current rules apply only to quads that weigh 250 grams or more when in flight trim. New rules will apply to all quads and their flyers.

The FAA website is still showing the 0.55 lb and above criteria for registering a drone. Do you know when the new rule requiring registration for drones under 0.55 lbs becomes effective?

[2edgesword]

Funny you should post this because I just got Drone fever. I've had a couple of mini drones and flew them sporadically for a while but decide to go full throttle with the hobby and my kids got me two for Christmas, a Holy Stone HS160 and Hubsan H501SS. The Holy Stone will be for practicing until I get comfortable with line of sight and then I'll graduate to the Hubsan for more extensive line of sight and FPV with goggles.

I'm also thinking about getting the FAA drone license. I have a private pilots license (single engine land with instrument rating) so familiar with airspace rules, chart reading and communication. That said the flying skills for fly regular aircraft do NOT translate into knowing how to fly a drone.

Anyone have the part 107 license?

Do you get hassled by the authorities for flying in a local park or large empty parking lots when no one is around?

[CFerguson]

Some good advice in this thread, esp regarding the legal limitations/requirements. Yes, NP's are definitely out and so are many other gov properties. Make sure you know the regs before you fly cause those people have zero sense of anything.

fwiw, I fly racing drones and have buds that fly pretty much everything else, including commercial. I fly ImmersionRC quads + my own builds. I use it to scout areas I want to hike sometimes, but mostly just for flying fun.

I fly in parks, schoolgrounds, and any public open area where people AREN'T. Things do happen so above all be safe and have a safety margin well in excess for your abilities. The photo drones aren't that hard if you have enough braincells, but (again) things do happen. Only fly where you can retrieve your drone/quad if all goes wrong- at least until you learn your abilities. Pretty much all drones/quads can cut you for stitches, so be aware of that. Plenty of internet examples if you want to see that kind of thing.

Legally speaking, drone law hasn't been tested in the courts enough to say it is settled. It seems that the exact circumstances tend to weigh into a drone shoot more than the underlying principles of flying over private property. Shot down while photo'ing bikini girls in their backyards = you lose. Shot down flying by = gray area. Local laws on if you can shoot where/how you did seem to be the most important factor so far. Theres gonna be a lot more cases in the courts before the exact line is drawn More likely, some fedgov agency is just going to make some rules and that will be the answer. And before someone tears into me, I NEVER fly over private property without permission- I fly race quads and really aren't interested in photo drones.

I wouldn't have a dji if you gave it to me. They are a very controlling company that restricts your flight areas well into completely legal areas. And every time they give you a free software update via the internet, they pile on more restrictions. By owning a dji, you are also giving them permission to possess all photos and flight data from that drone. If you want a photo drone, I strongly recommend Yuneec or one of the other large companies that actually care about their customers beyond seeing them as a cash cow. They are just as good as a dji, often better, and they have none of the nannystate software that dji mandates.

For beginners, I recommend going to a hobby shop and buying something in the $100 range that you can fly line of sight (without goggles). This will help you learn the necessary flying skills. If you like it, you can go more expensive from there.
If you REALLY want to po boy it to start with, you can get something like a Eachine E011 that is in the $10-15 range. I got these for my nieces/nephews as a stocking stuffer for xmas and they were a huge hit (ebay title: Eachine Flying Santa Claus With Christmas songs RC Quadcopter for Kids Gift )
Do NOT get something where the video works over WiFi if you want to fly by video(called first person viewer, or fpv). You will run into a lot of these on the low end of the hobby. WiFi works, but the delay (latency) makes those things all but unflyable. If it was consistent, you could work with it, but the latency will be 20 milliseconds and then jump to 2 seconds then somewhere in-between. I'm an experienced fpv pilot and I cant fly that way for very long without crashing.

I'm happy to help if you have further questions. Just post or PM me.

[tragusa3]

I've had a Phantom 3 standard for a few years now. Easy to fly, great video. Mines taken several crashes without a problem.

Without hesitation, it has been a lot of value for what we paid. Next time I have spare money around, I will be upgrading to a Mavic Pro or whatever the equivalent is at the time.

I find that I get lots of attention, with all of it being positive. I also find that I'm not allowed to fly it in the places I would most want to! That's been a little disappointing.

We have a YouTube channel (in the signature), and bought the drone to add another dimension to those videos.

[drsteve]

gbopp wrote:

Bionic Man wrote:
@downtheroad, you missed this one.

It took 6 posts to get to the anticipated destroy/steal the drone response. Isn't that a record? 🙂

A lot of people are under the mistaken belief that they own the airspace above their property.

[azdryheat]

I used to fly RC helicopters, now I'm flying drones. First got a cheapy toy drone to learn about drones then got a DJI Phantom. I upgraded last year to a Mavic Pro, which I use quite a bit. Very easy to fly, has a long range, high altitude and I don't lose radio signal contact with it like I did the Phantom.

One thing I don't do is fly it in my neighborhood so as to avoid complaints from those who think drones do nothing but spy on them. I do fly it at RV parks to get shots of the campground and the general area. So far no complaints. It is very compact and can be carried in a pouch on your belt. I now have a RZR and use it when we're out in the boonies. I am part of a team at work that sets up our dealer's RV shows and I use the drone to gets shots of our work.

I've found that if I go high enough I can't hear or see it. Max altitude is set at 500 meters (about 1650 feet) by the manufacturer and I've gotten some great shots up there. It took some getting used to to have something so expensive at an altitude where it can't be seen but I always knew it was under control from what the camera was showing me.

I used to be a pilot and know enough to stay away from real airplanes and airports and only fly when I can do so safely. Can't speak about other drones but DJI won't let me start the motors if I'm too close to an airport and won't let me fly to an airport as it will stop my forward progress. It uses GPS to know where I'm at and keeps me out of trouble.

I would highly recommend getting a drone.

[Moderator]

Regardless of how one feels about it, it is currently illegal to shoot a drone; even over your own property. And, it's not even to topic of this thread so let it rest and let's just enjoy the holidays; and answer the OP's questions. Thanks. 🙂

[GordonThree]

I wonder how many YouTube travel logs, which are commercial endeavors have the proper professional drone operator certificate and licenses?

Commercial endeavors meaning monetized through YouTube or pateron.

[gbopp]

Bionic Man wrote:
@downtheroad, you missed this one.

It took 6 posts to get to the anticipated destroy/steal the drone response. Isn't that a record? 🙂

[Bionic_Man]

SidecarFlip wrote:
I have a quad copter. It's for scouting fields, checking on crops and perimeters. I farm and use it for that only. Not for fun, for business only. I don't find them to be a fun item and I certainly don't want one hovering above my property snooping. I'd have to employ an anti-drone weapon, my 12 gauge with Number 8 and remove it from the sky.

@downtheroad, you missed this one.