As a pilot and former flight instructor, I'm not terribly sympathetic to the recreational drone complaints. There are recreational kite fliers too, and they have FAA regulations that apply to them, I don't hear them complaining. There are model airplane pilots, they have FAA regulations, they have a community that is very serious about education, training, mentor-peer relationships and self monitoring and reporting.
I do not see this at all with the drone pilot community. It's a community of individuals. And even if it's less than 1% of the total drone pilot population, there is a real problem with this bizarre demand that they have a right to do what they want. They do not. This is shared space. Ham radio operators have more rules, testing, peer review and community than recreational drone pilots.
> There are model airplane pilots, they have FAA regulations, they have a community that is very serious about education, training, mentor-peer relationships and self monitoring and reporting.
Right. And that community, the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) is probably doomed if these new rules pass. A lot of their models can go faster than 100 MPH and higher than 400 feet. A lot of their fields are in controlled airspace where they won't be allowed to fly.
Interestingly much of the (hobbyist) drone hardware also requires a Ham license to operate, so there's quite a bit of overlap there.
There are at least 3 distinct groups potentially impacted by this. First there are the non-commercial, "toy" users that are flying around cheap little "smart" drones using phones. Most of this class are using drones under 5" and that weigh negligible amounts. The second class are the non-commercial hobbyists that mostly build their own drones and use them either for recreational freestyle or racing. These drones can be anywhere from 3" all the way up to 12" on the extreme end, and similarly have a very wide weight and performance envelope. Much of the equipment in this class requires Ham licenses, or in some cases other federal licensing. Lastly there are the commercial operators that are mostly using drones for aerial photography. These tend to be medium to large sized drones (everything from 6" all the way to multiple foot wide monstrosities) which most definitely require FAA licenses to operate.
Part of the problem here, is that each of these groups has different expectations. Little Timmy getting the 4" plastic drone he flies with his iPhone for Christmas shouldn't really be required to pass a FAA license to fly it around his backyard. The professional across the street with access to the 5 foot wide 150 pound hexacopter with the gyrostabilized 4k camera mount and an effective range measured in miles probably should have some kind of license. The guy who built his own 5" drone out of parts and tools around the local park probably falls somewhere in the middle. Lumping all drones under one single set of regulations really isn't going to work because not all drones are the same. It would be like trying to cover unicycles, bicycles, segways, and motorcycles with a single set of regulations just because they all had less than four wheels and required you to balance on them.
> The professional across the street with access to the 5 foot wide 150 pound hexacopter with the gyrostabilized 4k camera mount and an effective range measured in miles probably should have some kind of license.
1) that category of person already had to have a license (a license I hold) before this new bill and does require testing.
2) that size drone weighs nothing near 150lb. I have a commercial grade 5 foot octocopter with advanced gyro and a professional grade dSLR and fully loaded (drone, battery, comms, gyro, camera and lens) itβs under 25lbs.
I do not see this at all with the drone pilot community. It's a community of individuals. And even if it's less than 1% of the total drone pilot population, there is a real problem with this bizarre demand that they have a right to do what they want. They do not. This is shared space. Ham radio operators have more rules, testing, peer review and community than recreational drone pilots.