Please select Into the mobile phone version | Continue to access the computer ver.
How I failed to become a drone pilot
3036 28 2016-2-8
Uploading and Loding Picture ...(0/1)
o(^-^)o
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

How I Failed to Become a Drone Pilot


Adam Clark Estes

8/15/14








Drones are fun. Let's just get that out there. The small, semi-affordable aircraft that violate some people's privacy, hurt others' faces, and generally cause trouble are super duper fun. They're also very, very complicated.

I know this, because I've spent the past year or so flying (and crashing) them. It was a long time coming, I guess. The ambition to become a hobby drone pilot stemmed in part from spending years writing about combat drones—mainly how awful and inhumane they are. Generally speaking, though, I'm a big technology enthusiast and always felt like easier access to unmanned aerial vehicles could be a really good thing. And I've since learned that it really is.

So I got curious about a few things. First of all, what's all the fuss about? The Orwellian angle about cameras in the sky sort of makes sense, but flying things is hard, right? How easy is it to get a quadcopter airborne and peek in people's windows? Turns out it's very easy.


How it all begins

Before I get into the sort of gorey stories of my many attempts to pilot a drone, it'd be useful if I introduced myself. I'm Adam, and I come from an Air Force family. Three generations of men in my family served, and my brother made a career out of fixing fighter jets in Iraq—during both wars, mind you. Heck, even my mom is a pilot. I wanted to be a pilot myself, but my stupid bum earkept me out of flight school. So I guess you could say we like to fly things.

I'll never forget my first model helicopter. It was a little gas-powered Bell UH-1 Iroquois with a perennially broken tail rotor and no remote control. Trying to fly it was a big event, because it would always, always crash. We just never knew how it would go down. In retrospect, that anxiety was a great learning experience in my larger quest to become a drone pilot. More on that in a second, though.

Anyways, we were not wealthy. I asked for a remote-controlled plane for my birthday God knows how many times, and I would inevitably end up with a remote-controlled car that I would promptly crash and break. All this crash talk makes me sound reckless, but I'm really a very cautious person. The technology never quite lived up to my hopes, though, and the dinky little RC cars would turn left instead of right and SLAM! Right into the flower bed. I don't think I ever grew out of that hope to pilot an aircraft, though—even if it was a small one.

The day I met my Phantom

I didn't pay much attention to the burgeoning hobby drone craze until I worked at Motherboard, VICE's blog about the future. One of the editors there, Brian Anderson, made a documentary about drones that intrigued me to no end, so a few months later, when DJI asked me if I'd like to try out the Phantom Vision quadcopter, I jumped at the chance to fly one of those little critters myself.

The Phantom arrived in a white box that looked like it should be holding an Apple product. It requires pretty much zero assembly—you just screw on the propellers—and so I took a couple friends upstate for a test flight the next day. It was awesome.

The key to drone piloting, I quickly learned, is finding a wide open space. Put another way, the key to failing at drone piloting is believing you can navigate through trees. We found a football field next to the Bear Mountain Lodge near the Hudson River, and much to my dismay got the Phantom off the ground immediately. Like, literally all I did was turn it on and press the control up, and it flew.

Flying a drone is not unlike playing with a smartphone. For some models, the two are one in the same.

If you happen to be an actual drone pilot—hobbyist or otherwise—you may think that sounds dumb. These gadgets are designed to be easy to fly. That's part of the appeal! I just didn't expect it to be so easy.

The UFO effect kicked in almost immediately, and we drew a small crowd. Kids absolutely loved it, and parents looked very wary. The Phantom is Wi-Fi-equipped so you can use your phone as a viewfinder for the on board camera. I took a few photos and couple of videos in a pretty transparent effort to impress a girl I was trying to impress, and when the drone died soon thereafter, we were on our way. The battery life on the Phantom is only about 20 minutes long, so I quickly learned that planning flying time was key to enjoying my new toy.

I mean, let's be honest. To most people, these kinds of hobby drones are just very expensive toys. And according to Federal Aviation Administration, only recreational drones are allowed to fly, and according to a couple other government agencies, they're only allowed to fly in certain areas. This would soon prove tricky in my quest to become a drone pilot.

The day I crashed my Phantom (for the first time)

Fast forward a few weeks, and I thought I was getting pretty good at this drone flying business. Again, a monkey with a blindfold could do it. But steering $1,000 craft this way and that while spying on the Earth from a different angle made me feel something. Weirdly, it felt sort of like a super power. I always wanted to fly!

So I got a little bit cocky. I took the Phantom down to my aunt's house in Virginia for Thanksgiving, largely because my little cousin had just started cancer treatment and could use a high tech distraction. I also took for him to fly. Turns out that quadcopter is virtually impossible to fly, probably because it's so small. He crashed it immediately, and it never flew again.

The Phantom was ready to go, though. Compared to the little Estes quadcopter, this thing looked like the Titanic to my seven-year-old cousin, and when I fired up the rotors, he gave me one of those cooooooooool reactions. I think he switched to woooooooooow, when it took off. His dad might've been more excited.

"How high does that thing go?" he asked. I'd learned that this is everybody's number one question when confronted with a drone in the wild.

"Couple hundred feet?" I said. I knew it went higher but was a little afraid to try it.

"Let's see!" he was taunting me. I watching the altitude increase on my iPhone screen, as we became smaller in the viewfinder. I also noticed a collection of trees nearby. It was already too late. "Go faster!" he said, taunting me still.

I thought the Phantom was high enough to clear the trees, but the problem with a relative novice piloting a drone is that you have few reference points when it's just the white drone against a blue sky. The Phantom zoomed over our heads, clipped the top of a tree, and hit every branch on the way down. The only thing more spectacular than its 200-foot-long fall to Earth was the explosion of plastic when it hit the ground. I felt sick.

Within 15 minutes my uncle, cousin, and I had completely disassembled the drone and assessed the damage. I was actually pretty impressed to discover that the only permanent damage was a couple of broken propellers and a tweaked engine. It looked pretty easy to repair, and the parts were easy to find online. When I asked about the repair, though, DJI said they'd rather just send me a new one. This is when things got really hairy.

The day of the incident

Never fly a drone inside. Never ever fly a drone inside at a party. And in my case, never ever ever let a friend fly a drone inside at a party, especially when it's dark.


How to Get Hit in the Head With a Drone

Last week I attended a lively tech party and was hit in the head by a flying drone. Given that…Read more



The aftermath

So let's recap real quick. In the beginning, hobby drones are incredible, unbelievable, inconceivable. The technological sophistication of a gadget like the Phantom actually continues to blow my mind. And the extent to which you can go from a wannabe with a white box to the cool guy flying a flything in a field is basically ridiculous.

Then reality sets in. Just because it's easy to get a drone up in the sky, does not mean that it's easy to keep it there. Obstacles abound in many settings, and after my crash down South, I shied away from flying anywhere that seemed remotely complicated. I didn't dare fly it in New York City. After all, it only takes a single fall to cause irreparable damage to your expensive new toy, and even though many drones can be repaired, every flight remains a risk.

And then the dark reality sets in. I was pretty shaken up after the incident. I didn't know these things could draw blood. At worst, I thought a drone could give somebody a bump on the head and a funny story. It was an accident, however, and if you stretch a little bit, you could argue that flying a drone is no more dangerous than riding a skateboard. The main difference is that others are more often in the path of destruction with drones.

DJI makes guards to protect both the propellors and people's heads that might be in the way of the propellors.

Now is a great time to remind you that I think drones are fun. Really fun! It's nascent, even unpredictable technology that zooms around at dangerous altitudes and cuts whatever's in the way.

I haven't even gotten into the privacy stuff. It was never an issue for me, because I usually flew the drone in wide open, wild spaces where even a drone couldn't see people nearby. While drones are awesome tools for photographers and filmmakers, I really just wanted to fly. I still want to be a pilot, and this is as close as I've ever gotten. It felt liberating to send a quadcopter into the heavens, and I felt powerful when I steered against the horizon.

Since I started flying drones, I've been noticing more and more in the skies above New York City. A couple weeks ago a friend and I were having drinks on a rooftop bar in Williamsburg, staring at the skyline and sort of having a moment. Skyscrapers are beautiful at sunset, especially right after they light up. The Empire State Building stood guard, looking stern, as the day's last rays of sunshine shot across the East River. That's when we saw them.

"What's that?!" the bartender said, looking up from her phone for the first time in 15 minutes.

Off in the distance, two blue lights appeared to be dancing with each other in midair. The UFO effect kicked in again, and suddenly everyone on the rooftop crowded over to the edge of the building holding their smartphones high in hopes of getting a good Vine. The blue lights, they danced, and they did look a little bit beautiful. I stayed seated and squinted.

"They're drones," I said, too quietly.

"They're huh?" the bartender replied.

"Drones!" now I was walking towards the edge. "You know, like, quadcopters. Little remote controlled aircraft."

"Wow," she sort of smiled. "I've never seen one before."

"Well, now you've seen two," I smiled back. We never did figure out who the pilot(s) were.

The last flight

A few days later, I took the Phantom upstate for one final flight. DJI had just announced a new autonomous flight feature that let you plot points on a map, and the drone would fly the route and return home, maybe safely. I couldn't wait to try it out. Having just written a blog post about airspace restrictions, I also didn't want to push my luck by flying in a no-no zone. New York City is pretty much one big no-no zone.

It ended up taking two days to find a safe spot. I ruled out private property, as flying a drone on someone else's property sounded like a great way to get shot. Areas around airports, national parks, and military bases were all off limits. Trees were friggin' everywhere. There was a bird sanctuary that was otherwise perfect, but the last thing I wanted to do was clip some endangered hawk.

It took us hours to find a public park with few trees and no restricted air space. But it was worth it.

I finally settled on a little park in Beacon, New York. A couple of friends joined me. One sprawled out on the grass to the full view of the sky, and after a couple warm up flights, I passed the controls off to my other friend. She was flying like a pro in no time. She was having a great time, too! Once we got all warmed up, I decided to switch to autonomous mode. The first time I tried I accidentally tapped a spot on the map, and it took off in that direction. I had to do an outfielder-style grab to pull it out of the air. Everybody laughed.

Then, I got it all set up. I picked my points. I checked for obstacles. I boasted a little bit about how cool it would be when this little airborne miracle flew itself. I tapped the screen of my phone to take off, and the rotors slowed. The battery was dead.




RedHotPoker


2016-2-8
Use props
nrgwise
First Officer

United States
Offline

So old...like old.
2016-2-8
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

Yeah, I included the date...
Ah, for the youngsters amongst us, who have only ventured, close to the heart... ;-)

RedHotPoker
2016-2-8
Use props
Michael M
First Officer
Flight distance : 1984898 ft
Canada
Offline

Wow great story red. My first model was an air hogs heli when I was 12. I'll never forget the first time I unboxed it and totally doubted that it would fly and then full throttling up and yelling holy sh!t it actually flies! I was so excited I took it outside and crashed it on the roof.
2016-2-8
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

Hahaha, ahhh, that was well worth the laugh... ;-)

My very first bicycle ride, no one told me it had brakes...
So I wound up in a ditch, full of muddy water, at the end of the street.  Hahaha

Learning how things work is all the fun. Back then, instruction/repair manuals weren't part of the kit.

RedHotPoker
2016-2-9
Use props
aburkefl
First Officer
Flight distance : 78612 ft
United States
Offline

Michael M Posted at 2016-2-9 00:57
Wow great story red. My first model was an air hogs heli when I was 12. I'll never forget the first  ...

Wish I had a dollar for every time I flew a little quad up to the ceiling and it stuck there!

I've never had the nerve to fly any of mine (other than the little itty-bitty guys) indoors.
2016-2-9
Use props
aburkefl
First Officer
Flight distance : 78612 ft
United States
Offline

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-2-9 15:01
Hahaha, ahhh, that was well worth the laugh... ;-)

My very first bicycle ride, no one told me it ha ...

I grew up in a small town - the same town I live in now. I didn't understand the brakes either, but there was a lot of vacant land near where I lived and played. It was a pretty common sight to see me gliding into a patch of tall grass (or some small bushes) so when I fell off the bike I wouldn't get hurt too badly!
2016-2-9
Use props
Michael M
First Officer
Flight distance : 1984898 ft
Canada
Offline

aburkefl@gmail. Posted at 2016-2-9 12:48
Wish I had a dollar for every time I flew a little quad up to the ceiling and it stuck there!

I'v ...

when i feel gutsy i fky my syma x5sw in figure 8s full speed around my kitchen and the support beams in my house.
2016-2-9
Use props
mcphipps900
lvl.4

United States
Offline

aburkefl@gmail. Posted at 2016-2-10 04:48
Wish I had a dollar for every time I flew a little quad up to the ceiling and it stuck there!

I'v ...

I flew my Standard one time in the house.
Did not turn out too good.
It just took off all crazy like and scratched the refrigerator then proceeded to bounce off the kitchen counter top before taking a chunk out of the wood trim and grinding to halt at the entry of the garage.
Needless to say it scared the hell out of my chihuahua and now everytime I fire up the bird to remove video she runs under the bed, Actually if she hears anything the sounds like the Phantom starting she runs for cover.
Worst part of it was I had to change two props and listening to my wife bitch me out for an hour...

Just make one little mistake and they won't let you live it down.
2016-2-9
Use props
joelhav
lvl.1
Flight distance : 118104 ft
United States
Offline

Great read...just got my  Phantom last week and having a blast with it. If I get bored...I can always go back to my other one....
2016-2-9
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

I love our early life lessons. And how we never forget those moments, and experiences.
I bet we all could write a short book, and it become a best seller, in our own minds anyway. Hehe

Thanks to everyone, for sharing those memories...

RedHotPoker
2016-2-10
Use props
fans30254479
First Officer
Flight distance : 78612 ft
United States
Offline

mcphipps900 Posted at 2016-2-9 21:47
I flew my Standard one time in the house.
Did not turn out too good.
It just took off all crazy li ...

I have a P3Pro. I find it far easier to remove the SD card, insert it into a small USB-driven card reader and download my video.

Can you not access the SD card manually on your Standard?

Art - N4PJ
2016-11-13
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

fans30254479 Posted at 2016-11-13 16:45
I have a P3Pro. I find it far easier to remove the SD card, insert it into a small USB-driven card ...


Still learning to fly here... Haha

I often wonder why old threads are revived...
I am not surprised, indoor flying is fun, if you have a little space, clutter free. Ha.


RedHotPoker
2016-11-13
Use props
fans30254479
First Officer
Flight distance : 78612 ft
United States
Offline

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-11-13 23:25
Still learning to fly here... Haha

I often wonder why old threads are revived...

I was away from the forum for a really long time. All these old posts are new to me! LOL

Art - N4PJ
2016-11-14
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

fans30254479 Posted at 2016-11-14 19:22
I was away from the forum for a really long time. All these old posts are new to me! LOL

Art - N4 ...

Eh, no problem, I find it fun to reminisce. To be perfectly honest with you, I had completely forgotten about this thread, and was surprised to see my name beside it.  It "more or less" seemed like a prank someone had pulled on me. I had to read it, to see what was going on. Seriously, how's that for long term memory?  ;-)

So hey, if you'd be so kind, could you please update your forum handle/name. Saves me going into my friends list to know who I'm presently giving hell to?! J/K Ha

RedHotPoker

2016-11-14
Use props
Art - N4PJ
First Officer
Flight distance : 78612 ft
United States
Offline

RedHotPoker Posted at 2016-11-15 01:27
Eh, no problem, I find it fun to reminisce. To be perfectly honest with you, I had completely forgo ...

I went to SETTINGS and changed my username to "Art - N4PJ"

My other hobby (currently a lot less expensive!) is amateur radio.
Hope that will help you more readily identify me if we start trading insults - LOL

I'm pulling your leg - I pretty much feel I can always "trust" your posts!

Happy droning

Art - N4PJ
2016-11-15
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

Art - N4PJ Posted at 2016-11-15 07:47
I went to SETTINGS and changed my username to "Art - N4PJ"

My other hobby (currently a lot less e ...

I try to be honest and forthright, but sometimes my dark side takes over. And nasty words get spoken/written. Ha

Seriously, I enjoy my time spent on the forum and satisfied that there are many decent people on here, like you and a few others
I share my voice with. Yes, I'm Happy as a lark here... Chuckles


RedHotPoker
2016-11-15
Use props
Same Avartar at
Second Officer
Flight distance : 199970 ft
United Kingdom
Offline

Nice story ...
Someone should write a song for us poor desperate air heads !
2016-11-15
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

Same Avartar at Posted at 2016-11-15 09:17
Nice story ...
Someone should write a song for us poor desperate air heads !

Swell idea, so if you wouldn't mind, could you please quote the Title. ;-)


RedHotPoker
2016-11-15
Use props
Same Avartar at
Second Officer
Flight distance : 199970 ft
United Kingdom
Offline

Paper Plane ?
2016-11-15
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline


Oh Gawd No...  

Not another pilot without wings... Haha


RedHotPoker
2016-11-15
Use props
Same Avartar at
Second Officer
Flight distance : 199970 ft
United Kingdom
Offline

I always wanted one of those Cox plastic .049 control-line models . I eventually got the cheapest one 3 years later for Xmas .
I started the engine and threw it ..."this thing needs to be free flying" ............It spiraled in and broke .

2016-11-15
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

Same Avartar at Posted at 2016-11-15 11:42
I always wanted one of those Cox plastic .049 control-line models . I eventually got the cheapest on ...

What's an Avartar? Hehe you need to correct your avatar spelling. Haha
I never flew anything in the early RC days, we only watched with mild amusement. Wide grin

You now may seriously also want the new hot off the press, Inspire 2 announced today, that thing is crazy awesome...

Have you seen it yet?  If not go have a look. They really stepped it up, several notches this time.
Where are you going at that speed? I guess if the car chase requires shots from above, you will buy it. ;-)


I would hate to see anyone crash their brand new Inspire 2, that would be devastation row...


RedHotPoker
2016-11-15
Use props
Same Avartar at
Second Officer
Flight distance : 199970 ft
United Kingdom
Offline

Still happy with Standard 3 ! plenty more stuff to try .
...and I'm relatively poor !
Cant think of a clever user name ......
2016-11-16
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

Same Avartar at Posted at 2016-11-16 06:41
Still happy with Standard 3 ! plenty more stuff to try .
...and I'm relatively poor !
Cant think of  ...

Happiness is a warm gun, I thought? Haha

I mistakenly figured that you had spelled it wrong, but you actually purposely chose your handle... Cool!


Yes, I'm more than content here, with my Phantom 3 Pro as well. ;-)


RedHotPoker
2016-11-16
Use props
Pegasus
Second Officer

France
Offline


One of my first babies.  Ground radar RAF 1969.
concorde.jpg
2016-11-17
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

Yes, and then they grounded you. Haha

But you did make a good point... Chuckles


RedHotPoker
2016-11-17
Use props
fans705464bb
First Officer
Flight distance : 817713 ft
United States
Offline

Ahh remember the good old days when drones flew away on their own or routinely fell out of the sky for no reason? Yes I remember two years ago.
2016-11-17
Use props
RedHotPoker
Captain
Flight distance : 165105 ft
Canada
Offline

fans705464bb Posted at 2016-11-17 15:21
Ahh remember the good old days when drones flew away on their own or routinely fell out of the sky f ...

For some it might have seemed like only yesterday, it just last week. ;-)

That's the kind of reminiscing I don't want to have deja vu with. Hahaha


RedHotPoker
2016-11-17
Use props
Advanced
You need to log in before you can reply Login | Register now

Credit Rules