More hype and ammunition for those that wish to regulate the hobby....and the usual picture of the Phantom:@
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-30369701



Unmanned drones are "undoubtedly" being used to harass people, police say.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-30088520

Need to regulate cricket bats too, because they can be used in a criminal manner.  Oh wait, there are already laws out there that cover using a bat as a weapon.  Bottom line, there are already laws on the books to cover illegals acts no matter what the 'instrument'.  This is just another attempt by legislators to jump at anything to try to justify their existence.  And the public is so easily panicked that this will be an easy sell.

For the do-gooder, there is just no end to the good that needs doin', is there?

If the powers that be would spend a little more time improving their own house, and less time hell-bent saving me from me, the world would be a much better place!  But alas, such is the stuff of fairytales...

away-point Posted at 2014-12-9 03:25
For the do-gooder, there is just no end to the good that needs doin', is there?

If the powers that  ...

Cricket ....
Oh yes very dangerous game. Must be more regulated....lol

Happy Landings

Its idiots & youtube,  thats doing it.  Compared to the parrot UAV's Phantoms are heavy hard 'proper' multi-roter and you would think that at the price all the owners would be carful.  Sadly all the drones I have seen that have been in the news for bad flying/accidents/arrests have been of the phantom.  I have not seen a parrot drone reported yet.  The bebob might change all that, as it looks like a baby version of the phantom.

It's very annoying these people that are doing stupid things especially for those genuine ones among us who take it seriously! I might have misunderstood it somewhere but I thought there was restricted areas around airports and therefore phantoms wouldn't opera rate in these areas?

For the USA, there's a drone no fly map here: https://www.mapbox.com/drone/no-fly/
It's only common sense to avoid flying a drone close to a busy airport.

On a flip side, I don't agree with all the people pushing for a complete ban on drones. Trains and cars are very dangerous too. And we don't ban them...
I think the experienced drone pilots can actually come up with suggestions how to make drones safer.
IMHO, I think GPS assisted fly makes this hobby safer, but also more accessible to way more people. The problem is there - what to do in case that GPS fails and there's interference.

I think the emphasis should be on education and not restrictions. Every single user should be responsible for their own actions.
For example, I understand the argument about not disturbing or scaring wildlife in national parks, not creating noise by flying at under 100-150 feet, or some privacy concerns when somebody brings a drone next to a window... Unfortunately, these incidents trigger an overreaction, and rules/bans... Sometimes it's hard to understand that we won't and can't get much detail while we're more than 200 feet away from somebody's window, we're not all crazy about scaring wildlife or crazy about diving with a drone into a lake (especially after spending a lot of money on that drone).

It's always the misuse of technology that make the best news. Don't blame the media, it is their job. Blame the selfish idiots who feel it their right to do as they wish without regard for the law and others.

Smithypn Posted at 2014-12-9 05:25
It's always the misuse of technology that make the best news. Don't blame the media, it is their job ...

I feel the Youtube videos that glorify the phantoms abilities and the various height records etc...  are exactly what has given this platform the attention and success.  There's always a down side to such achievements and the ignorant masses that just want to try to do the same as they have seen....

Monkey see , Monkey do......  When you make a platform viable and accessible to all novices, this is a natural consequence. {:2_40:}

I do blame the media, in the sense that they portray themselves as neutral providers of fact.  If they were such, people would be more informed, not misinformed.

I agree that we already have ample laws on the books to handle the vast majority of inappropriate use.  And between that, and the fact that anyone who uses one of these things without ample understand and care, won't have it long anyway, its more non-issue than anything else.

I fall in to that category a little.  If it was not for barnaclease nerdgasam YouTube channel I would never have given the Phantom a look in. Then I saw some incredible footage (not knowing it was illegal)  and decided I had to get one.  I buy one have much fun, and then find out that barnaclese also goes and gets one lol.

The advert for the parrot bebop looks appealing so with a little luck  it will do well this Christmas and the focus might lean towards that so we might eventually be classed as prosumer and left alone .

umpa Posted at 2014-12-9 15:27
I fall in to that category a little.  If it was not for barnaclease nerdgasam YouTube channel I woul ...

me too... I still own a T-Rex RC heli, but my interest in drones was kind of dormant until I've seen some beautiful youtube videos...
For some reason, I think it's good if drones are used by more and more people... Some are ignorant at the beginning, but they can become very experienced pretty fast.

I say, as long as a user will read the manual and watch a few instructional videos - they should do pretty good (I personally watched 5 videos from B&H Photo Video - the seller of my drone).
And the "safety list" is not so long:
- know your surrounding (fly in a open field, away from people, airplanes/airports, houses, cars, trees, etc), eventually far away from possible interference
- stay away from bad weather (strong winds, snow, rain, night time, etc)
- know your drone (be patient, follow calibration procedures, don't start until you get a good GPS reception, learn different flight modes)
- practice in small steps (start with hover a few feet above the ground, be gentle on controls, avoid extremes - high speed, nose in flying, etc)

More users mean more interest in drones, healthy competition in this market and hopefully few less ignorant people in favor of blanket drone bans...
Yes, "ignorant masses" will make mistakes... But the mankind learns from mistakes... most of us learned walking by falling first.

Watch this dick of a newsperson trying to fly one and read the comments.  Pathetic......

http://www.theguardian.com/lifea ... s-toy?commentpage=1

and if want to scared of a quadcopter this is one to scared of:



Enjoy!

talk2t_c Posted at 2014-12-9 20:39
Watch this dick of a newsperson trying to fly one and read the comments.  Pathetic......

http://www ...

I think this guy should stick to reviewing hair products and very nice men.....

talk2t_c Posted at 2014-12-9 20:39
Watch this dick of a newsperson trying to fly one and read the comments.  Pathetic......

http://www ...

The video of that quadcopter with a machine gun has to be a fake. If you examine the "gun" carefully it looks suspiciously like just an upper (anyone know from which gun?) held on by its picatinny rail with a tube stuck in the back. It doesn't appear to have any of the action parts you'd expect on a working gun. There's also no way for it to be fed ammo or for it to expel the spent casings.

The comments are priceless...  I'm really beginning to detest the 'general public'.  Bunch of ignorant, panicky sheep.

Agree, the video looks suspicious

+1 jmtw.  Everything you said is spot on.  Also, he remarked in that entertaining but fake Russian accent this thing would carry a 100 round magazine.  The magazine would weigh more than that thing could carry.  Bottom line, this guy on the video is clearly a UAV operator.  And he is clearly part of the problem, bringing unwanted notoriety to this hobby by panicking the ignorant public.  Hey, if you want to make a video like that to entertain your friends, knock yourself out.  Once it goes public on idiot-tube, you are a menace and a threat to our hobby.

kjkisatsky@comc Posted at 2014-12-10 13:01
+1 jmtw.  Everything you said is spot on.  Also, he remarked in that entertaining but fake Russian a ...

Right... A politician or some "concerned citizens" will see that kind of video and then we'll start screaming "ban the drones"...
I've heard rather educated people expressing concerns about drones - what if drones are used by bad people... And some of the "what if scenarios" looked interesting until you simply realize that the "bad people" don't need to mix the drones into their "evil scenarios"
For example if  bad guys want to spy on somebody, they  are more successful using binoculars from ground (inside a car) or in a tree or some higher location; they don't need a drone buzzing around to attract attention.
And drones with guns is not really a new concept - it's just a matter of the size and cost of the drone and the fact that armies usually have such kind of drones (not civilians)

So the Heathrow incident was a rc helicopter - not a 'drone' and showing photo of a Phantom.  According to cabin crew they new it was a rc helicopter when it happened - so why talk about drones?   They said it was 20 feet above a wing.  How would the cabin crew see it looking out the window?  Things are moving too fast in that situation to spot it surely.

Here's something else in the news today... People can't enjoy their lives because a neighbor is playing with a drone... drones are evil, "they spy on us", "they annoy us", etc:
http://www.king5.com/story/news/ ... -stalking/20344221/

I wonder - why the press didn't try to talk to the guy who's flying the drone? Does he really spy on that old lady?
I've noticed that the police and FAA said they can't do much as long as the drone doesn't come over the old lady's property.

It reminds of a book by Arthur Clarke - "The Light of Other Day"... I understand all these privacy concerns, but to a specific limit. And wait and see until universal and completely autonomous robots with roam the earth.

Need to get this guy on the site and show us the spy shots of his neighbours - can hardly wait. (not)