TR Ganey
Well-Known Member
That theoretical "someone" you used as an example of a "professional" wouldn't last two seconds in the industry simply because they would intentionally break the law for the sake of a few dollars that they could otherwise earn doing legitimate work. Those type of cowboys would at best be hanging around the fringes and would eventually have to go back to selling used cars because no one would hire them.
And it's not about knowingly endangering anyone - ok so you wouldn't do that, that's awesome - good for you. It's about the unintentional incidents that occur when drone pilots ignore the regulations and then get reported in the press - and the press totally loves covering that kind of sensational content - anything to do with drones gets on the front page. Think about the big picture - not just how you or anyone else might find it inconvenient to have to obey the law.
Let me ask you a hypothetical question. Picture this setting, it's a cross road way out in the county where hwy 27 crosses hwy 51, hwy 27 has stop signs, hwy 51 does not, it's 3:00am, the roads are dry and it's 70*F. At this particular intersection there is a 40 acre field in all corners with low growing vegetation. A car approaches the intersection on hwy 27 and slows to approximately 5mph. Not seeing another vehicle approaching from any direction the driver continues through the intersection without coming to a complete stop. The law is, you come to a complete stop at stop signs. Given all the conditions the chance of the drivers actions causing an accident is zero. Clearly the traffic control device (stop sign) has served it's purpose as the driver slowed to the extent that he could have easily stopped if something had all of a sudden approached the intersection. But the law is the law! I've been a L.E.O. for over 20yrs and I've never written that citation and I never will because just as with anything else I choose to use a little common sense.
There is always the chance something can go wrong with anything and you don't have to be in or even close to a NFZ to have a drone cause a problem. With the average drone easily flying 30mph and just for conversation sake lets assume it could fly for 30 minutes. Should something go wrong it could fly 15 miles and crash into something. How many NFZ's could it cross in 15 miles. Laws, rules and regulations will never control every situation but if we use a little common sense it'll go a long way to ensuring a good outcome. I had sworn off commenting after our last exchange but I give in and come back one more time. I'll go ahead and allow you the last word and then lets just put this to bed as I don't see either of us budging from our positions and I don't believe the rest of the forum is getting any benefit from our exchanges. I believe your heart is in the right place and hope you have a blessed day.