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What a fine little drone...

Ok. A disclaimer first. I'm not attacking anyone, making fun of anyone, or attempting to modify the behavior of anyone. OK? Also, this is intended to be somewhat humorous, in a Will Rogers sort of way.

I've read quite a few versions of this discussion on this forum and elsewhere and I keep wondering about why drone regulations get people's hackles up so badly. I wonder what the discussion would sound like if we substituted another activity for flying drones.



And I will probably go driving my car this afternoon if it doesn't rain. And I truly do not "give a darn" who likes it or not. I don't bother others and I hope for the same from them. I will look into driver training and a driver's license - I've never heard a word about such a thing before- and if it seems helpful, I will do it. If not- then I'll just go drive my car.
That's all well and good, but there isn't millions of drones in the air and they don't weigh over a tonne.
Cyclists riding on the highway with no lights or visual aids are more dangerous if you ask me, but they seem to manage to get away with it just fine.
 
You're a nice polite fella Ed, glad you stuck around, enjoying your Mini 2, and learning when you visit here.
If you haven't done so, I would recommend getting legal and doing the Trust test, registering your drone if you feel like it . . . not required for sub 250, but it could help get it back if it does fly off one day (labelling with your contact info can serve this purpose as well).
All the best.
 
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Its all the old dudes having a cry hahahaha. Joy kill much

Welcome to the forum.
Usually best to do an intro first, but no matter, a stirring post will suffice.
Hey, you are half way to old fart yourself :p

Anyway, plenty of Faceache drone groups out there that don't care about stinking rules.
One day, people usually grow up a bit, and realise the World doesn't revolve around them.

It's killjoy, I believe.
 
Its all the old dudes having a cry hahahaha. Joy kill much
Hopefully, you are mature enough to realize that what you do with your drone is your business -- and your responsibility if things go wrong -- so if flying BVLOS is the source of your joy, then your life can be filled with joy. However, if your joy comes from bragging about it on forums and YouTube, then you should expect to be criticized by people who don't want that to be the stereotype of amateur drone pilots. But it's probably too late to close that barn door, anyway -- it's the stereotype now because there really are a lot of people who not only disregard regulations, but have some need for everyone to know it.
 
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Good morning to all-
Roger- I have not bragged about my flying- or anything else here- and I don't do the Facebook thing. Believe me, had I chosen to BRAG, you would have known it. I merely reported what I had done. I did not intend to inflame anyone's mind with my transgressions- which I did not not understand at the time. I will not report on any distances I fly- since it seems to put a burr under some folks' saddles.
And I admit, I AM an amateur flyer, since I don't get paid for it.
And I am very much mature enough to realize that what I do with my drone- or anything else- is my business. And since I am a professional writer, I also realize that the honest exchange of experience and information is a good thing in most cases.
And as far as being criticized by others, I don't give a hoot in Hades what others say.
So, if you don't like my reports on my flying, don't read it. That loss won't cause me any pain at all.

good day to all- Ed
 
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Good morning to all-
Roger- I have not bragged about my flying- or anything else here- and I don't do the Facebook thing. Believe me, had I chosen to BRAG, you would have known it. I merely reported what I had done. I did not intend to inflame anyone's mind with my transgressions- which I did not not understand at the time. I will not report on any distances I fly- since it seems to put a burr under some folks' saddles.
And I admit, I AM an amateur flyer, since I don't get paid for it.
And I am very much mature enough to realize that what I do with my drone- or anything else- is my business. And since I am a professional writer, I also realize that the honest exchange of experience and information is a good thing in most cases.
And as far as being criticized by others, I don't give a hoot in Hades what others say.
So, if you don't like my reports on my flying, don't read it. That loss won't cause me any pain at all.

good day to all- Ed
Well, there ya go! The first rule of Illegal Flight Club is, don't talk about Illegal Flight Club.
 
Old fart myself ? I said old dudes

Same thing / meaning, so take it easy.
Making a post like that as a first one isn't going to endear you to a (generally) pro bunch of hobbyists / commercial pilots.
"having a cry hahahaha" sort of thing is childish and provocative.

Dont think this place is for me.

Shame, this place is worth 1000 times more than any social media places, where you will find the cowboys.
 
Old fart myself ? I said old dudes

I never once said i like to fly BVLOS nor did i brag in anyway.

This just reinforces what i said about old dudes on here having a cry, and going on power trips.

Dont think this place is for me.

#lovetobrag#fcknsendit#BVLOSLIFE
Yeah, I suspect you'd be happier on a site that speaks Emoji.
 
Dont think this place is for me.
Well that’s easy enough to fix just don’t log on no more 🤷‍♂️
Folks let’s please stay civil in this.
Thanks
 
I can understand the why of some FAA rules. The 400ft altitude rule is to create a buffer zone for helicopters flying at 500ft. Not flying over people or vehicles is to prevent injury & damage from a falling drone. VLOS had me stumped until I realized the only way it makes sense is if the drone doesn't have a camera. Of course you could crash it into a building with no camera to warn you of an impending crash if you can't see where your drone is flying! Does the FAA know that 99% of drones have cameras so we can see what's in front of & below us? And no flying under the influence of alcohol & drugs? You mean I can't sit in my camp chair under a shade umbrella in the desert & let my Mini 2 hover while I take a sip of beer or a toke on a joint (I live in a rec legal state)? C'mon FAA! You're making some of us into outlaws for no reason!
 
VLOS had me stumped until I realized the only way it makes sense is if the drone doesn't have a camera. Of course you could crash it into a building with no camera to warn you of an impending crash if you can't see where your drone is flying! Does the FAA know that 99% of drones have cameras so we can see what's in front of & below us?

Yes, it's VERY easy to fly BVLOS, have great telemetry / map on screen drone orientation skills etc.
Camera can only give us a limited straight on view, no peripheral view, no real ability to lock onto an aircraft motor sound quickly.

It's situational awareness of the airspace around that matters, along with being able to control your aircraft to suit a quickly developing scenario, like the approach of an aircraft.
The further away a drone is from the PIC, the less ability the pilot has to do all that.

Many light aircraft / helis can and do fly below 500', I guess sometimes without proper authority, but there none the less.

Welcome to the forum too, maybe drop by the intro section and say hello.
 
I can understand the why of some FAA rules. The 400ft altitude rule is to create a buffer zone for helicopters flying at 500ft. Not flying over people or vehicles is to prevent injury & damage from a falling drone. VLOS had me stumped until I realized the only way it makes sense is if the drone doesn't have a camera. Of course you could crash it into a building with no camera to warn you of an impending crash if you can't see where your drone is flying! Does the FAA know that 99% of drones have cameras so we can see what's in front of & below us? And no flying under the influence of alcohol & drugs? You mean I can't sit in my camp chair under a shade umbrella in the desert & let my Mini 2 hover while I take a sip of beer or a toke on a joint (I live in a rec legal state)? C'mon FAA! You're making some of us into outlaws for no reason!
And what would happen if you had your phone or display device go dead on you while your drone is in the air BVLOS? You then have no camera view, no telemetry, NOTHING!! You now have no idea where your drone is except the general direction you flew in. You might say, I can hit RTH and it will come back. What if there was a plane or helicopter in its path? What if it doesn't come back? What if something else went wrong? What if you had your Failsafe RTH set wrong? etc There are so many things that can go wrong.

By the way, I had my phone die on me yesterday while I was flying as I had forgot to check the charge on it before I went out. Since I fly within VLOS, I had no problems manually flying my drone back to me and landing.

Basically anytime you knowingly fly BVLOS you are taking risks and putting others at risk. There is no other way to slice it. Some people don't seem to care and take that risk anyway. I just hope for their sake and any manned flight where they fly, that they never cause an accident to occur.

Chris
 
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Yes, it's VERY easy to fly BVLOS, have great telemetry / map on screen drone orientation skills etc.
Camera can only give us a limited straight on view, no peripheral view, no real ability to lock onto an aircraft motor sound quickly.

It's situational awareness of the airspace around that matters, along with being able to control your aircraft to suit a quickly developing scenario, like the approach of an aircraft.
The further away a drone is from the PIC, the less ability the pilot has to do all that.

Many light aircraft / helis can and do fly below 500', I guess sometimes without proper authority, but there none the less.

Welcome to the forum too, maybe drop by the intro section and say hello.
So an aircraft illegally flies below 500ft and I'm flying legally below 400ft in uncontrolled airspace & they collide, so I'M at fault???
 
So an aircraft illegally flies below 500ft and I'm flying legally below 400ft in uncontrolled airspace & they collide, so I'M at fault???

It's not illegal for manned aircraft to fly below 500 feet. This has been discussed several times here.

There certainly are ways for aircraft to fly illegally at altitudes less than 500 feet but there's no general prohibition.
 
So an aircraft illegally flies below 500ft and I'm flying legally below 400ft in uncontrolled airspace & they collide, so I'M at fault???

Yep, according to FAA, UAV must give way to manned aircraft of any type, any situation.
Not to say the manned aircraft pilot wouldn't get some grief in your scenario, but they may be not around to cop that if they lost control and crashed.
If something bad happened and the UAV pilot was BVLOS, they can be blamed quite squarely, as had the incident happened within VLOS, they could / should have been able to avoid it.
 
I think your approach is just fine! Don't let the bright-liners get you down.

I fly the Mini-2 also, and it's definitely a delightful and capable little machine. I haven't been able to fly for a while due to weather and work, but today looks like a real possibility.

Drone on!

:)

TCS
I agree its a awesome little drone, small but yet packs a punch like its big brothers, i dont live like most of you all.. in the country or anywhere better than here in Los Angeles or Communist Cali.. too much houses and no real place to fly, i take my drone to the park and video my german shepard thats cool but i just been taking great shots in the mornings and eves, just fly straight up and take a pano or 180 and fly down.. made some killer desktop pics.. i live near the ocean so i get really nice water shots with land and mtns.. but im having fun just doing that. but would love to be able to fly out in the country and really drive this not just go up and back down.
 
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