Drones

[PancakeBill]

JPete, thought it might, wasn't sure if the low power excluded that.  So, the guy who is operating is outside the law.

 

[SeilerBird]

I don't think it requires a ham licence.

http://www.phantompilots.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3310&start=10

Nothing is mentioned on Amazon about a licence.

http://www.amazon.com/UDI-2-4GHz-RC-Quadcopter-Camera/dp/B00D3IN11Q/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394300427&sr=8-1

 

[PancakeBill]

Well, they are trying to sell them, corporate greed you know. 

I was gong back to when the RC planes, some of them would require a tech license.  FWIW I didn't agree with it, even as a Ham, they are low power, very localized and not communicating.  I was just pondering this. 

 

[catblaster]

Tom, I don't think you're supposed to sit on it.  Just saying....

Good One.....but seriously i could see Tom flying over an aviary and snapping pics on the "fly", or rather the drone flying over.... ;D

 

[Maddie]

And I have no idea who owned the drone, we were on Crystal River in  FL. But as I've heard thru the infamous grapevine, you are supposed to put out notice if you are going to fly a drone.  Doubt that will happen very often.

Plus, the whole deal with having to figure out how to share airspace.  Although it wasn't that big, if it had collided with a Cessna, the Cessna would probably lose along with the drone.  Interesting times.

 

[PancakeBill]

Should we really call them drones?  Most are just RC planes and copters, a real drone would likely fly higher, plus the cessna would typically fly even higher.

 

[SeilerBird]

Good One.....but seriously i could see Tom flying over an aviary and snapping pics on the "fly", or rather the drone flying over.... ;D

Wrong Tom, but a great idea none the less.

 

[PancakeBill]

http://www.uav-drone.net/hobby-drones.htm#.UxvAwoUZpiY

Good writeup about the question.

 

[JPete]

Mine operates at 900 MHz and therefore requires at least a tech cert. Most of the over the counter RC aircraft have very limited range (300' - 600") and may operate on a different freq. My range so far has only been tested out to about 2 miles. Lots of fun and never around a populated area. Hope the govt. keeps its nose out of it as my opinion is that they never get it right on regulations.

 

[JPete]

Here is mine. Home built and in beta dress.

 

[Larry N.]

Hope the govt. keeps its nose out of it as my opinion is that they never get it right on regulations.

Sometimes they do, especially in aviation. Keep it low and away from airports. Pilots would probably never see these things, at least until just before contact.

 

[JPete]

Never above 300' AGL as per regs and out of controlled airspace. But I cannot sell my photos or videos to customers ( real estate or homeowners ) without a commercial pilots license. My private, VFR/IFR, single engine multi engine, and 1000+ hours are not enough. Tell me that makes any sense. Also, experience and skill in RC do not come from flying a fixed wing aircraft.

I'll get off my soapbox.

 

[PancakeBill]

Commercial, yup, flying for money.  One of those covers all regs. How flying a craft remotely that does not need a liense translates to taking a photo and selling needing a commercial?  Strange, but it is the feds.

 

[JPete]

Roger that...

 

[SCVJeff]

Here's mine:

http://youtu.be/-pwyBRMdW8s

It's been chopped down allot since posted

 

[Kevin Means]

Neat Jeff. Looks like a fun thing to do.

Kev

 

[bobnoway]

I have had a Phantom for about a year now and love flying it. I am also a pilot so I'm well aware of where not fly it.

 

[Dog Folks]

There is an invasion of privacy issue to consider. 

If you fly your camera equipped drone over my fenced in and supposedly "private" back yard, (where i have a reasonable expectation of privacy,) are you the same as a window peeper?

What if a drone scares my animals and causes damage?  I will consider the same rights to destroy it as if it were a coyote threatening my livestock.

I say enjoy your drones, they seem kinda cool, but keep them out of the airspace immediately above my property. 

Those entering my airspace will be grounded, and you will not be allowed to enter my property to recover what's left.

 

[SCVJeff]

The video downlink requires a Ham cert as it operates in the Ham band. I fly a Quadcopter with video downlink and a onboard HD video camera. Much fun.

Negative... . 5.8, and probably 1.2 GHz are open license free bands.

 

[SCVJeff]

There is an invasion of privacy issue to consider. 

If you fly your camera equipped drone over my fenced in and supposedly "private" back yard, (where i have a reasonable expectation of privacy,) are you the same as a window peeper?

What if a drone scares my animals and causes damage?  I will consider the same rights to destroy it as if it were a coyote threatening my livestock.

I say enjoy your drones, they seem kinda cool, but keep them out of the airspace immediately above my property. 

Those entering my airspace will be grounded, and you will not be allowed to enter my property to recover what's left.

Well here it goes.....

Clearly you have never been around one nor have an idea how noisy they are. There is nothing 'spy' about them unless you are all but deaf. And if you are inferring shooting one down, think again. You don't own the airspace over your property as silly as that sounds. And if you shoot or otherwise disable the aircraft... Any aircraft, you are likely to be the only one in trouble. Several headline incidences involving multi-rotors in Calif. proved that with the pilot being slapped for being where he probably shouldn't have been, but the people knocking it out of the sky were the ones busted because they are or could endanger people on the ground, and you are destroying private property.

The FAA is about to issue their idea of guidelines, but there will probably be several court trials before it all settles out.