OT - Time for Drones?

[ricki]

I've been delaying getting a drone for over 1 1/2 years and just bought a DJI package from long time fellow kiter Justin Davis. This makes me a rank newbie in this area and some early impressions follow.

Justin has lived and breathed RC craft for a very long time and has been all over drones in recent times through his company, https://www.facebook.com/dronecamps .

There is a lot of essential information for newbie pilots at http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwojJxGQ0SNeVV09mKlnonA
on how to progress reducing the odds of trashing your new gear, which is fairly easy to do.

There seem to be many parallels between kiting and drone flying. They both involve flight and a learning curve. Drones use rotary wings and some sophisticated technology, while kites comprise a tethered lifting surface or wing. Justin advises learning to first fly without all the automated flight aids first to develop those essential skills using line of sight to better manage things when problems occur. Ironically, both kiting and drone flight have access issues.

Justin Davis created this intro video for newbies along with dozens of others on his youtube channel. Starting with a low cost indoor "trainer" drone (<$100.) to learn basic handling by line of sight is a good idea to improve your skills while not risking your more expensive drone. Sound familiar? So, if you aren't quite ready to get a more expensive drone or even if you are, first working on basic flying with a trainer makes good sense.





He has even more good videos on his channel at:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwojJxGQ0SNeVV09mKlnonA

With the explosion in drone availability, popularity and some splashes in the media of idiotic close passes of drones to airliners, pressure on access has developed. A recent article in Reuters goes into this at: http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/...0TW26I20141214 The article suggests changes in the rules may be forthcoming within a year or so. Joining a Community Based Organization (CBO) for private pilots seems like it may be a requirement of the regulations once they come out.

There are flier advocacy groups like the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) which has been negotiating with authorities for a long time about RC aircraft and more recently about drones. They offer an insurance policy for an annual $58. membership as well as lobbying for access for sustainable drone flight plus they are a CBO. Joining the AMA makes sense for folks looking to fly drones.

For now I understand the current guidelines for drone flight appear in: http://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/m...ular/91-57.pdf

Use your head, be courteous and have fun out there to keep 'em flying!





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