Yes to the plane crash. The pilot had already crashed a plane, and from what I've read his family wanted him to stop flying, but instead he bought a bigger plane and ended up killing himself, his son, a mom and her two babies who were home when his plane came down. The husband who lived there lost his wife and two of his three children, and the house was completely destroyed. Very sad.

Article today in the NY Times about news organizations joining Virginia Tech in testing drones in the airspace. So now I can look forward to the Times overflying my house. (Our tiny airport is one of the test sites.) The video is interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/16/business/media/10-companies-join-effort-to-test-drones-for-newsgathering.html?emc=edit_tnt_20150115&nlid=26752818&tntemail0=y&_r=0

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 13, 2015, 09:38

"Last year, a group of media organizations, including the Associated Press, New York Times and Tribune Co., filed an amicus brief in a case challenging the FAA�s legal authority to regulate drones. They complained that the FAA�s �overly broad policy� violates the First Amendment and has already had �an impermissible chilling effect� on some journalists� reporting."

or

"In countries where drone rules are less restrictive, journalists are already using them to gather news. Drones helped show the scope of recent protests in Thailand and Hong Kong. BBC has used the devices to do some reporting. And last year, CBS News used a drone to explore the contaminated areas around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine."

You can be sure that gov wants to be able to watch you but they don't want you to be able to watch them.

As far as safety concerns, should we outlaw something because somebody somewhere might be injured someday?

What about kids riding bicycles, they get going pretty fast and some of those kids are big. What if one hits somebody and injures them? Better make bicycles illegal. And what about home swimming pools? You know how many people drown in them every year? Better make those illegal too. And silverware. Those knives and forks are too sharp to be used at the dinner tables of people who might suddenly decide to stab each other or do so by accident. Only plastic spoons should be legal.

To stay on topic: Drones are cool when used responsibly.

Off topic: You really have a cool portfolio, Michael.

Bicycle laws have been in effect for well more than 40 years.

If you ride a bicycle on any street in any state you must obey the traffic laws and that includes speed limits, stop signs, stop lights, crosswalks and everything else.

I got pulled and warned by police when I was 14 or so for going 30mph and the speed limit where I was was 25mph.

No  one truly enforces bicycle laws no matter if they are on the books or not.

Quote from: michaeldb on January 16, 2015, 01:24

Quote from: Uncle Pete on January 13, 2015, 09:38

"Last year, a group of media organizations, including the Associated Press, New York Times and Tribune Co., filed an amicus brief in a case challenging the FAA�s legal authority to regulate drones. They complained that the FAA�s �overly broad policy� violates the First Amendment and has already had �an impermissible chilling effect� on some journalists� reporting."

or

"In countries where drone rules are less restrictive, journalists are already using them to gather news. Drones helped show the scope of recent protests in Thailand and Hong Kong. BBC has used the devices to do some reporting. And last year, CBS News used a drone to explore the contaminated areas around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine."

You can be sure that gov wants to be able to watch you but they don't want you to be able to watch them.

As far as safety concerns, should we outlaw something because somebody somewhere might be injured someday?

What about kids riding bicycles, they get going pretty fast and some of those kids are big. What if one hits somebody and injures them? Better make bicycles illegal. And what about home swimming pools? You know how many people drown in them every year? Better make those illegal too. And silverware. Those knives and forks are too sharp to be used at the dinner tables of people who might suddenly decide to stab each other or do so by accident. Only plastic spoons should be legal.

Who's talking about outlawing them? The FAA is trying to determine how they'll operate in existing airspace and how to set reasonable regulations for operating them. All the items you mentioned have regulations, possibly with the exception of silverware. Bicyclists have hit and killed pedestrians, just recently in Central Park, leading to bike speed restrictions there. Kids are required to wear helmets while on a bike. Pools have regulations, and you can't get a certificate of occupancy for your house without meeting them, at least where I live. I'm sure there are even more regulations regarding public pools�requiring lifeguards and use of chemicals, for example.

Well here we go. If you can use it, you can abuse it:   

Traffickers have used drones to do their dirty work for several years, according to the Latin Times. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration reported that, in 2012, about 150 passes were made across the U.S.-Mexico border. Over the summer, there came reports that Mexican drug cartels were building drones to move narcotics into the United States.

Last year, a drone carrying marijuana, tobacco and cellphones crashed outside a South Carolina prison. One was even used to sneak cigarettes into Russia.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/01/22/a-meth-toting-drone-just-crashed-in-tijuana/

Not that this has anything to do with the local issue, photographers and drones. But it was amusing. Overloaded drug drone crashes...

Well I must compliment Chase for his excellent R2D2 imitation during the unboxing. (people say sarcasm doesn't play well in messages, hope people get that one, it's annoying as heck Mr. Jarvis)

Wow, I'd have to decide new UAV or replace two cars and the riding lawn mower, with one good car? Hmm, which will it be?

4K video and 12MP stills, that is impressive.

I remember when I launched a rocket and as the parachute deployed, it would trip the shutter and take one photo on B&W 16MM film. We thought that was really up there in space.  Then We'd run home to the dark room (if we found the rocket and the camera) develop and have ONE really cool photo!

Now you can watch on the remote controller 720P live?

My Brother gave me a "Drone" for Christmas. It's still in the box. Came with spare batteries and spare propellers. Smart guy, isn't he? Plan ahead. I think it was $14.99 on ebay and has a camera, takes some tiny size video. I'll go terrorize some cows in the Spring (not really, but I will go take pictures of them) No GPS, doesn't fly in the wind and I won't be taking it out over water, but what the heck, it could be fun?

Chase Jarvis just unpacked a new one this morning (says something like "what do I call it, a drone?")  New gizmo to be released at the end of the month - just in case you want your own before they are banned

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152593149955978&set=vb.58624920977&type=2&theater

I remember when I launched a rocket and as the parachute deployed, it would trip the shutter and take one photo on B&W 16MM film. We thought that was really up there in space.  Then We'd run home to the dark room (if we found the rocket and the camera) develop and have ONE really cool photo!

I had one of those too and it was incredible magic at the time. Now we have so many toys that I don't know what to do half the time.

Guess what ... it's against the law to operate a drone in Washington D.C.  Since when is a law against something going to stop anyone?  It's against the law to do a lot of things, but some people still do them.  Or, as Captain Barbosa said on the first Pirates of the Caribbean, "they're more like guidelines."

Guess what ... it's against the law to operate a drone in Washington D.C.  Since when is a law against something going to stop anyone?  It's against the law to do a lot of things, but some people still do them.  Or, as Captain Barbosa said on the first Pirates of the Caribbean, "they're more like guidelines."

Maybe small SAMs

Drones are illegal at the race courses, so are fireworks, guns, kites and... OK you get the idea. We had a safety team meet last month, and I said, someone could start off the property and fly over and take photos, then fly back. They aren't "on the property".

When someone owns the land, like any of us or a business, they do not own the air space over it and often not the mineral rights under it.

Just one more case where someone could get into trouble.

My answer was much like yours. Allow the staff to bring shotguns from home. If the UAV is over the race track, we shout PULL and blast it out of the air!  Not really a safe and sensible idea, but it's sounds like fun?

The models have GPS and are now being programmed so they can't fly within 5 miles of an airport. Also the White House and I'm sure other locations. That's one way to deal with people who can't understand self control and living within the regulations or acting in a sensible manner.

Another idea would be a Government drone that captures UAVs. (only when they are flying illegally) Kind of like the  old tractor beam or the big doors that open and the little space ship is captured by the big one. This big drone, flies up and "recovers" the little ones. Brings them back and the officials can check to see who it belongs to and issue a citation.

We have your drone, pay the fine and get your toy back.

Those goddamn commies and their drone thingamabubs. If I see one within a mile of my property I'll take a twelve gauge to it and that'll be all she wrote.

I'd agree and it will never end.

I'm just angry because I don't have my own Drone with a HD GoPro on it. I still want to fly like a bird, over cows and cornfields...  But come on, why would I spend a couple grand to do that? At least some people have sensible commercial uses, and that's what's banned?

So what do we get? People with loads of money, buying a toy, and causing these personal invasions of privacy and disruptions. Heck, maybe it should be "only for commercial use", licensed, and then restrict the private use?

Yes, just a thought. You probably know my viewpoint. I'm for freedom of choice and rights being with individuals not bloated or oppressive government regulations.

Uncle Pete, you're being stymied in an attempt to make sense of a world regulated by government bots, trying to regulate a renegade populace.

I filmed with a couple of GoPros last year and got pretty tired of them. I see that there are copters now that take Real Man cameras with serious optics.

Are you within 5 miles of an airport or military airport? If so, flying drones there at any height is illegal, as far as I know. Unless they're testing them at the airport, like they will be at mine. Then it's just hunky dory to have them skimming your rooftop and treetops.