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I hope it's just some hobbyists having fun, but this is totally irresponsible. Whether they are trying to make a statement or just play a prank, they are making

I hope it's just some hobbyists having fun, but this is totally irresponsible. Whether they are trying to make a statement or just play a prank, they are making everyone look bad and giving the media all the reasons they need to run with it.

carbocation 12y ago
The media and authorities' reactions do not make this action irresponsible. Is it unlawful? Apparently, yes. Is it immoral? That depends on the purpose, but it is not intrinsically so.
- centizen 12y ago
  I think that repeatedly flying a UAV in contravention to well known law, over highly populated areas, at night is totally irresponsible. Both to the people below and the UAV community at large. The media reaction has nothing to do with my decision.
  - trvz 12y ago
    Ok, now go tell this to the US.
  - morcheeba 12y ago
    This isn't a highly populated area. There is little chance that if this drone fell at any time it would hit someone or land in a street. A highly populated area is a soccer stadium during a match. And what's wrong with night time? That's when the streets are least populated. You could make many of these bogus arguments about a variety of new technologies ... maybe cars should only be driven during the day? Or film noir rejected because people have an expectation of privacy at night?
    - votingprawn 12y ago
      > This isn't a highly populated area. There is little chance that if this drone fell at any time it would hit someone or land in a street. Only if you consider the only failure mode to be a descent straight down. These 'consumer' multirotors do have a nasty habit of buggering off in random directions when they feel like it: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dji+flyaway https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dji+flyaway > And what's wrong with night time? Maintaining line of sight with the vehicle becomes very difficult when its dark. In some jurisdictions the law actually makes no reference to it being daytime or night-time, only that you able to maintain direct unaided line of sight with the vehicle. When you're in control of what is essentially a 1-2kg flying blender, it is your responsibility to err on the side of caution. Just like when you operate any other device which could significantly harm another. > You could make many of these bogus arguments about a variety of new technologies ... maybe cars should only be driven during the day? You'll probably find laws and rules already exist to protect the public from other new technologies. Take cars for example: - You must be qualified by a government body to use them. - The car must be certified as safe to use on the road, and routinely checked. - You may only use them in specific segregated areas. - You must be able to maintain control over the car at all times. - At night your car must be well lit and must provide you with enough light to see what you are doing. - If you do something stupid/dangerous with your car you are punished.
- TeMPOraL 12y ago
  Also if anything is seriously wrong (and often immoral) in such cases, it's usually the media reaction to things.
- votingprawn 12y ago
  >The media and authorities' reactions do not make this action irresponsible. It is irresponsible because they are flying a dangerous vehicle in an area where if they lost control they could cause harm to members of the public. And they are doing so under conditions that make harder to maintain clear line of sight to the vehicle, increasing the chance of them losing control.

carbocation 12y ago

The media and authorities' reactions do not make this action irresponsible. Is it unlawful? Apparently, yes. Is it immoral? That depends on the purpose, but it is not intrinsically so.

centizen 12y ago
I think that repeatedly flying a UAV in contravention to well known law, over highly populated areas, at night is totally irresponsible. Both to the people below and the UAV community at large. The media reaction has nothing to do with my decision.
- trvz 12y ago
  Ok, now go tell this to the US.
- morcheeba 12y ago
  This isn't a highly populated area. There is little chance that if this drone fell at any time it would hit someone or land in a street. A highly populated area is a soccer stadium during a match. And what's wrong with night time? That's when the streets are least populated. You could make many of these bogus arguments about a variety of new technologies ... maybe cars should only be driven during the day? Or film noir rejected because people have an expectation of privacy at night?
  - votingprawn 12y ago
    > This isn't a highly populated area. There is little chance that if this drone fell at any time it would hit someone or land in a street. Only if you consider the only failure mode to be a descent straight down. These 'consumer' multirotors do have a nasty habit of buggering off in random directions when they feel like it: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dji+flyaway https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=dji+flyaway > And what's wrong with night time? Maintaining line of sight with the vehicle becomes very difficult when its dark. In some jurisdictions the law actually makes no reference to it being daytime or night-time, only that you able to maintain direct unaided line of sight with the vehicle. When you're in control of what is essentially a 1-2kg flying blender, it is your responsibility to err on the side of caution. Just like when you operate any other device which could significantly harm another. > You could make many of these bogus arguments about a variety of new technologies ... maybe cars should only be driven during the day? You'll probably find laws and rules already exist to protect the public from other new technologies. Take cars for example: - You must be qualified by a government body to use them. - The car must be certified as safe to use on the road, and routinely checked. - You may only use them in specific segregated areas. - You must be able to maintain control over the car at all times. - At night your car must be well lit and must provide you with enough light to see what you are doing. - If you do something stupid/dangerous with your car you are punished.
TeMPOraL 12y ago
Also if anything is seriously wrong (and often immoral) in such cases, it's usually the media reaction to things.
votingprawn 12y ago
>The media and authorities' reactions do not make this action irresponsible. It is irresponsible because they are flying a dangerous vehicle in an area where if they lost control they could cause harm to members of the public. And they are doing so under conditions that make harder to maintain clear line of sight to the vehicle, increasing the chance of them losing control.