Let’s Act

[MrsTreat]

So many times I hear about everything bad some drone operators do. We need to show folks that drones can actually be a good thing. Mapping, real estate, rescue, agriculture, etc., you name it. Drones are good! And if we don’t get some kind of grass roots thing going where we show the world we can help and are not just a bunch of idiots wanting to spy on everyone.

We all know the drone revolution is in it’s infancy. We should be the ones who shape it in a good way going forward. For me, I just fly within the rules. But that’s not a good enough contribution. We all need to do more and do it as a single, objective voice. We need some ideas.

 

[whiskeylover]

We need a Drone Lobby (tm)!

 

[Pathogen]

We need a Drone Lobby (tm)!

The anti-drone lobby will squash it like a bug. What I think we need is what keeps the anti-gun campaign at bay, lots and lots more drone operators! I also like the idea of built-in drone parachutes for guaranteed soft landings at failure.

 

[whiskeylover]

the anti-gun campaign

For the sake of not derailing the thread and sending it down the abyss of moderation, I'll just say this one thing and then refrain from further discussing on this topic - there is no anti-gun "campaign". It's not organized like the NRA that opposes any meaningful or common sense laws.
Having said that, I agree on parachutes. They sound very cool.

 

[Hollow Dog]

For the sake of not derailing the thread and sending it down the abyss of moderation, I'll just say this one thing and then refrain from further discussing on this topic - there is no anti-gun "campaign". It's not organized like the NRA that opposes any meaningful or common sense laws.
Having said that, I agree on parachutes. They sound very cool.

When Advertising Age added up TV-advertising expenditures by those on either side of the gun-control issue for 2013, it found that gun-control groups outspent gun-rights groups by 7.4 to one, with 85 percent of their money coming from Bloomberg. And even setting aside Bloomberg’s massive contributions, the gun-control advocates still spent twice as much as the NRA and other pro-self-defense groups.

Yes anything UAV proactive would be good.

 

[MacIak]

So many times I hear about everything bad some drone operators do. We need to show folks that drones can actually be a good thing. Mapping, real estate, rescue, agriculture, etc., you name it. Drones are good! And if we don’t get some kind of grass roots thing going where we show the world we can help and are not just a bunch of idiots wanting to spy on everyone.

We all know the drone revolution is in it’s infancy. We should be the ones who shape it in a good way going forward. For me, I just fly within the rules. But that’s not a good enough contribution. We all need to do more and do it as a single, objective voice. We need some ideas.

I like your positive attitude and wish I had a tiny spec of that remaining...but it's gone. Im not a negative guy, far from that.
The majority of people hating everything about drones happens to be the majority of the population in this region and this is the most dangerous kind: The ones that are dumb as F### and actually thinking they're pretty intelligent. I had my share, not educating mentals anymore. Just enjoying my mechanical buddies and whatever their eye brings me.

 

[MrsTreat]

I still believe we need positive action and a voice for drone operators worldwide so we people also see our good sides.

 

[Jacknet007]

Basically your saying that there should be something similar to the NRA so everyone understands how wonderful drones are. Atomic bombs , guns , cars, and drones are not going to ever disappear. One you let the genie out of the bottle you can't get it back in.

 

[dck22]

Doesn't the AMA lobby for drones as well as fixed wing and helps?

 

[smurfslayer]

Doesn't the AMA lobby for drones as well as fixed wing and helps?

There is a big difference in what large groups like AMA, Brady campaign, Bloomberg and others do vs what smaller state focused organizations do.

Most lobbying groups are about money, email lists to solicit money from (you), and more. Once you’re known, you’re solicited, sometimes pretty frequently. These groups have a vested interest in the status quo, almost never advance an effort to improve their supposed cause, but will shout from the rooftops how the sky is falling and -wait for it- you had better contribute or the heavens will fall on top of the sky falling.

Here’s a good rule of thumb - if you’re asking who lobbies on your behalf, it’s nobody.

 

[Qoncussion]

Good discussion... With companies like Amazon and Google on our side, we have a $trong head start. I searched Google for "Anti-Drone Forums" to see if there was some place online where we could respectfully voice our side of things. One thought was to reply to those who "think" they know what they're talking about, with some of the cinematic videos and photos that this very group have shot using our little Mav's. No such forum, or place exists - thus far (or, at least none that I could find in my 10 seconds of searching). If we, or some among us were to step forward to represent the movement, they (we) would need to remain level-headed at all times. Let the fanatics work themselves into a lather, while we calmly discuss the issues.

If anyone can find such a place online... well, it's a start. And, it would fit nicely into my lobbying budget of zero dollars and zero cents

 

[KDog]

For what it's worth, I don't think lobbying is the right approach, but I do like your thinking. Being positive and level headed in all our interactions with the non-drone operating public and reinforcing a commitment to safe and compliant flying is the key, and then backing that commitment up in actions.

I'm also a keen cyclist, and unfortunately where I live is Brisbane in Australia there's an ongoing and media-fuelled war between those who think cyclists have a place on the road and those who don't. Unfortunately there are zealots on both sides, and Pro-cycling zealots are about the most damaging thing to the cause of safe cycling and mutual respect on the roads.

It would be naive to think that any form of conversation around the pros and cons of drones in the public domain wouldn't be dragged by the media and zealots on both sides into a confounded mess (you just have to look at the number of trolls in here to realise that).

The best way of dealing with this, IMHO, is to stop it from becoming an issue through a sustained effort to fly safely and by reasoned and level headed responses when the discussion inevitably arises.

Unfortunately the cynic inside me says this will probably not play out...

As an aside, I think that spokespeople tend to emerge from interest groups such as this one, so the moderators of the #dronepilots forums are probably the closest things we already have to these spokespeople.

Perhaps the forum moderators should develop a vetting procedure and select country representatives to which media are referred when inquiries do eventually start to come through?? Just a thought...

 

[Pathogen]

People fear what they don't understand. We must recognize that this fear is what gets exploited to create a public sentiment against flying cameras, and that it is the same people that have 12 foot fences topped with barbed wire and patrolled by armed guards who do that exploiting. They have the most too loose.

Once a person flies a drone, or even spectates a friend doing it, they fall in love with them.

We can also remind people that all drones are not created equally!

"It's just a machine. I'm the weapon"

​

 

[collins]

Good point, Pathogen. Actually, it is not just the non-drone crowd that have irrational fears, drone owners generally have their own irrational fears. Imagine you are flying a Mavic and you see another Mavic 30m away from your drone, do you start to worry that they might collide. But the chances of collision are minute because the two drones are operating in 3D space. And take the guy who wants to add a parachute in case of your drone falling out of the sky chances of it actually hitting someone are very slim indeed and the chances of any injury less. Thousands of coconuts fall out of trees every day but it is not something we worry about (I live in Thailand ). Over 800 people a year die on cycling accidents every year in the US and 25,000 are injured...

This is not going to be popular in some quarters. But I think the best thing that we can do as a community is be supportive of DJIs attempts to make our drones safer through say NFZs at airports. The last thing the anti-drone lobby needs is drone users whinging that DJI is restricting our freedom to fly drones where they are not allowed. Also I would much rather a company that has an incentive to sell as many drones as possible implemented restrictions than a Government that is elected by a population that would probably be happy for drones to be banned all together.