7 ms·

> If you're currently using a drone to fly over downtown LA illegally and take shots, why in the world would you put identifying information on it? Because the

> If you're currently using a drone to fly over downtown LA illegally and take shots, why in the world would you put identifying information on it? Because the proposed regulations make it illegal to sell drones that don't identify themselves.

slenk 7y ago
Build your own. It's easy. I've built 2 myself and have learned from/taught some of my friends. I have registered myself with the FAA for their current program, but I know plenty of people that haven't. Nor do I want to have to figure out what I need for a TinyWhoop or similar because every little bit of weight is important at that size.
- jedberg 7y ago
  You can build your own car and drive it around on the streets without a license plate (or license), but you won't get very far.
  - slenk 7y ago
    Yeah if you drive in a busy city. But if you build a car on your farmland and want to have fun, do whatever you want. And in most states, if its private property, that is perfectly legal. Likewise, if I am flying a drone in middle-of-nowhere Michigan on my own property, why should the FAA care what I am doing? The problem with the FAA rules is that it is a poorly thought out blanket statement. If you are flying around downtown LA, yes, you should have a license because you are putting people's lives at danger with a "vehicle". They don't make sense to me on private property, and I think that they should be different depending on city limits. If we get into some of the autonomous aspects that both cars and drones have, I think we run into some other gray areas where a blanket policy doesn't fit.
- 0_____0 7y ago
  99% of the people flying drones in unsafe or harrassing ways have an off-the-shelf camera quad. The DIY operators are far more likely to understand the ramifications of what they're doing, maybe because you have to have just a bit of common sense to build one in the first place. Credentials: raced 250 class quads (poorly), have chewed Phantom operators out for doing stupid shit
AWildC182 7y ago
Building drones is stupid easy. It doesn't even need to be a quadcopter, you can make a glider that will stay aloft on thermals using nothing more than two servos, some foam core, some AA batteries and a receiver. This seems dumb...

slenk 7y ago

Build your own. It's easy. I've built 2 myself and have learned from/taught some of my friends. I have registered myself with the FAA for their current program, but I know plenty of people that haven't. Nor do I want to have to figure out what I need for a TinyWhoop or similar because every little bit of weight is important at that size.

jedberg 7y ago
You can build your own car and drive it around on the streets without a license plate (or license), but you won't get very far.
- slenk 7y ago
  Yeah if you drive in a busy city. But if you build a car on your farmland and want to have fun, do whatever you want. And in most states, if its private property, that is perfectly legal. Likewise, if I am flying a drone in middle-of-nowhere Michigan on my own property, why should the FAA care what I am doing? The problem with the FAA rules is that it is a poorly thought out blanket statement. If you are flying around downtown LA, yes, you should have a license because you are putting people's lives at danger with a "vehicle". They don't make sense to me on private property, and I think that they should be different depending on city limits. If we get into some of the autonomous aspects that both cars and drones have, I think we run into some other gray areas where a blanket policy doesn't fit.
0_____0 7y ago
99% of the people flying drones in unsafe or harrassing ways have an off-the-shelf camera quad. The DIY operators are far more likely to understand the ramifications of what they're doing, maybe because you have to have just a bit of common sense to build one in the first place. Credentials: raced 250 class quads (poorly), have chewed Phantom operators out for doing stupid shit

AWildC182 7y ago

Building drones is stupid easy. It doesn't even need to be a quadcopter, you can make a glider that will stay aloft on thermals using nothing more than two servos, some foam core, some AA batteries and a receiver. This seems dumb...