Developer Comment by R_Lefebvre on May 18, 2012 at 7:18am

Addictive...  I'm going up to a beautiful lake house with my family for a long weekend... and I'm taking my laptop, helicopter, and a bunch of tools, etc with me. ;)

Comment by Ellison Chan on May 18, 2012 at 10:21am

Addiction?  So, Chris is our pusher?

Also, why does everything police or military have to be painted black, to look intimidating? Why not neon orange or some pastels?

Developer Comment by Doug Weibel on May 18, 2012 at 12:16pm

Thinking UAV operators need RC aircraft piloting experience is short sighted.  I used to think about drones that way...  ...but before you know it there will be no need for "piloting".  It will all be automated point and click.  It doesn't take much experience to be able to click on a point of interest on a map.  Within a small number of years at the current rate of development UAVs will be much more competent to fly themselves than to be piloted by operators on the ground.

However, becoming addicted to RC aircraft has its own benefits ;)

Comment by Ellison Chan on May 18, 2012 at 1:10pm

Doug, spoken(written) like a software developer. ;-)

Personally, I would not trust an autopilot completely.  There's always got to be a competent pilot behind one, in case of any unforeseen issues.

Comment by Alex Arevalo on May 18, 2012 at 1:15pm

@Ellison: It would be hard to take a cop seriously if he/she were wearing pastel (powder blue?) uniform, I think. The cop has to look like he/she means business. Having said that, however, maybe it would be easier to apprehend a perpetrator if he just fell to the ground, laughing because of the cop's uniform!

Comment by Ellison Chan on May 18, 2012 at 1:27pm

Alex, I was talking about the drones, but come to think of it, I think we should force all cops to wear neon pink.  That would make them less likely to go on power trips.   Here in Canada, there's going to be a lot of cops in Toronto being charged for excessive force usage during the G20 summit in 2010.  I bet there wouldn't have been that problem, if they were all wearing the right coloured uniform.

Comment by Alex Arevalo on May 18, 2012 at 2:06pm

I think Arizona's Sheriff Joe Arpaio should take your suggestion to show how tough his deputies are. After all, he makes the prisoners wear pink underwear! 
Wan't there a Susan Korman breast cancer movement recently, where they asked football players and other men to wear pink with the motto: "Tough enough to wear pink" ? 

Comment by Jared S on May 18, 2012 at 2:21pm

@Doug: A uav operator typically acts as mechanic, flight planner, safety officer, pilot, etc. Only one of those can be automated (until robots become self aware). For example, a uav operator needs to look at the flight vehicle before it takes off to make sure there aren't parts missing. The uav operator needs to make sure batteries are properly charged and taken care of. The uav operator needs to have common sense about when and where not to fly. The uav operator needs to take responsibility. Some people do not have the aptitude for all of this. Being an RC pilot is a great way to demonstrate that you have the aptitude. Also, being an RC pilot means you know it can crash, you know it has limited power, you know it isn't magic, you are aware that YOU can be responsible for a crash so you take responsibility and care.

In the same way that cars, airplanes, and computers are only so good on their own. The more skilled the operator/maintenance person is, the fewer problems will occur.

Obviously, for very small inexpensive platforms, it may not make financial sense to use a skilled UAV operator. It is worth the risk. The larger the system, the more it pays to have skilled operators.

Comment by Ellison Chan on May 18, 2012 at 2:39pm

Jared, perhaps in the pioneering days, running a UAV will be a one man, jack of all trades, deal.  However, I suspect that as time progresses, it's most  likely involve flight crews, and the pilots will become specialists.  I suspect the government regulations would drive us toward that state by favouring licensing for companies with qualified flight crews, and pilots.

Comment by Jared S on May 18, 2012 at 3:25pm

Ellison, I think we are saying the same thing. It sounded like Doug was saying that virtually anyone can (or will) be able to operate a UAV because the UAV will fly itself. I was pointing out that there is more to a UAV than flying and that it takes someone with a certain mindset to operate it safely and reliably.

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