The extent of the stupidity that exists with the U.S. Federal government is mind boggling. You can fly a drone around a house and take photos and video for fun, but sell a copy of those pictures and video and you can go to jail or be heavily fined????

Are things this bad in the other countries represented by the users of this forum? Yesterday I placed an order for this preassembled turnkey Quadcopter package as a quick way for a newbie to get into the sport / hobby / profession. I'm curious if others outside the U.S. are subject to this kind of government overreach?

Here is a working link to the article.

Gary,
You may be aware of this already, but there are simulators that let you get a little experience prior to launching the real thing. Some experienced pilots also suggest buying one of the sub-$100 multicopters to get some experience before moving on to the more expensive units.

to RalphM: +1.

The whole concept of being allowed to fly drones in the first place is ridiculous at best.

Aside from the obvious, as in privacy concerns, the dangers it poses are tantamount to potential accidents with any elevated structure, not to mention the landing and take-off of commercial aircraft.

I think the FAA should go even further in regulating the whole UAV industry.

Actually, the idea of the FAA regulating the flight of model aircraft is ludicrous. Private citizens have been flying RC controlled model aircraft for as long as I can remember; and I'm an old fart.

The only difference now is the RC control systems are much more sophisticated, and the models have four props instead of one. It's the whining from uneducated people running around like chicken little yelling "what if a hobby drone gets sucked into a passenger jet engine" that's the problem. This has never been a problem for the past 50 years, so why is it suddenly a National crisis?

If I were a droner, I would film houses for sale, then anonymously GIVE the footage to a broker/realitor for FREE. HA! I'm breaking no laws as a non commercial filmer, I'm not profiting or selling, they are not buying anything, have not paid or commissioned a drone video to be made.

Anthony,

I couldn't disagree more.

I'm a Boeing 747-400 Instructor and Pilot for a global airline. Additionally, I fly RC planes including quadcopters. I'd love to buy a bigger one and start taking video, but I'm afraid the gov'ment will make it illegal soon.

A quad the size people are using for video/photo purposes are very small, especially when compared to large scale RC's. Do you think all RC's should be banned? How about jet's capable of 200+ mph? Current AMA rules prohibit RC flight above 400 feet or within the vicinity of airports. That would be more than sufficient for the quads shooting video.

Fact is, this is just another "hot button" issue for the media to whip people in to a frenzy with. How many quad deaths have you heard of this week? Tonight I'll watch the Denver news and tell you how many people were killed in car crashes here today.

Cheers.

Keith

PS. The FAA is one of the most laughable agencies we have. The level of ineptitude is frankly amazing. If you want very specific examples, I'll start another thread....

to Rv6tc +googolplex

Gary James said:

[I]"Are things this bad in the other countries represented by the users of this forum?"[/I]

Much the same down here in Australia. New regulations are in the pipeline.
The new regulations will prohibit the flying of the craft using a HUD.
This is where the technology has changed everything. Today one doesn't even need someone flying the craft thanks to precision GPS. For sure the regulators have been asleep but I don't know what they could have done.

Bob.

We're what, eleven posts in, and nobody has remarked on the irony of the government who's banning this using the same technology to drop high explosives elsewhere in the world?

OK I'll get my coat ... but the bottom line is, laws will never keep up with technology. The other thing I'll just briefly hint at, is that law only applies after one gets caught. Putting this footage on the internet is asking for trouble!

as an aside - drones ? guns?

if you're going to legislate, then do so against technology with PROVEN lethality....

The regulators are usually kicked into action by st*pid acts, so it's unsurprising that the resulting regulations appear unnecessarily restricting to operators with "common sense". Presently our regulations are common sense for non-commercial RC aircraft and one needs to be licensed for commercial use, and I don't see that requirement as arduous. Bob says that the use of Head Up Displays are to be restricted, I expect on the grounds that users are at the risk of losing situation awareness if they are totally immersed. Regulations get decided through a process of consultations, so if the only strong inputs are the st*pid and the fearful then that's what you get.

Rv: "Current AMA rules prohibit"

The AMA is a private organization with absolutely no rulemaking authority.

I am also a pilot and flight instructor, as well as a Hex driver. Any day there are probably several hundred, if not thousands of light drone flights, and because an idiot in a helicopter sees one in the air and imagines a threat, it makes the news all over the world.

If a light drone pilot tried to, it would be almost impossible to hit a helicopter, let alone a moving aircraft. And even if it did, the aircraft pilot would probably not notice the impact.

Steve,

I'm well aware that the AMA has no rulemaking authority. But since you fly, you well know that the only agency with ANY guidelines on radio control aircraft is the AMA. In fact, the FAA actively solicited the AMA's input in crafting their proposed NPRM on UAV/Drones in the NAS. So therefor, the AMA's input and guidelines will likely be influential in the regulations ultimately enacted.

Keith

If a drone flies over my property do I have the right to shoot it down for the sake
of privacy?
JJK

Shooting down a UAV for the sake of privacy would be a little bit in the gray area. If it's hovering outside your bedroom window, it's probably in the same status as a peeping tom. If its 200 feet overhead and passing through, it's probably not much of a threat to your privacy.

Shooting a peeping tom is probably not on the approved use of firearms, and it's unlikely that most people are going to be sympathetic to having your bullets or pellets sprayed into the air without certainty as to their landing zone.

[I]If a drone flies over my property do I have the right to shoot it down for the sake
of privacy?
JJK[/i]

Only if you live in the Middle East or the USA, all other countries sensibly have laws against that sort of thing :-)

BTW, if you want to see what a good RC pilot can do, take a look at this, it is absolutely insane: http://thechive.com/2013/05/06/controlling-an-rc-helicopter-with-freakish-accuracy-video/

shooting it down is for self defense. that's what I say when they ask about the black triangles I've dropped that they won't fess up to.

You can always GO-SLO-PRO
Qudie without the worry


[LINK=

Steve and Keith, I'd like to thank you guys for mentioning the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics) in your posts. I wasn't aware of this organization even though I've been a Model Rocketry hobbyist for a long time. I just looked at their web site and signed up for a membership.

When my DJI Phantom 2 system arrives, it's nice to know that I'll have the resources of this organization available to me, including the $2.5 million liability insurance that membership provides.

Oh, by the way. I'm looking forward to taking some spectacular aerial video that I can load into Vegas to produce some entertaining Youtube videos. <obvious reference to Sony Vegas to make some token attempt to associate this thread with the product of the company that supports this forum>

Geebax, I suspect that video of the helicopter is fake, for two reasons. First, I don't know any cameraman, especially an amateur cameraman, who would be able to follow the action that precisely given the random nature of the motion. Secondly, it seems the helicopter is moving in ways that can't be accounted for based just on rotor thrust. So it appears someone got creative with digital effects.

With regards to the RC helicopter -- fake or not, I don't see any " freakish accuracy " ..
Freakish accuracy would entail navigating a complex flight path, not just accomplishing a lot of maneuvers in a lot of wide open spaces...