Comment by Ellison Chan on November 21, 2011 at 9:28am

@Marc Ramsey

Indeed, Drone Journalism has its uses, but that doesn't mean we need to break laws.

For instance, with a zoom lens, a drone can hover well away from crowds and outside police lines, and still be able to take the pictures needed.  In a civil society we can't make laws, and break them whenever it becomes inconvenient to us.

Comment by Marc Ramsey on November 21, 2011 at 10:34am

In a civil society we can't make laws, and break them whenever it becomes inconvenient to us.

Sadly, you must have missed school the day they discussed Letter from a Birmingham Jail or even the very founding of this country.  Here's a more technical issue: should a camera equipped flapping wing drone weighs a few ounces be subject to the same regulations as something the size of a Predator?

Comment by Ellison Chan on November 21, 2011 at 11:21am

As been discussed to death previously, the right to fly a multirotor into a crowd carrying a camera over police lines, is not a civil liberty issue.  Yes, there are clear FAA rules regarding size and of model aircraft, and when they need to be licensed.

Comment by Marc Ramsey on November 21, 2011 at 12:22pm

@Ellison Chan:

My argument is simply that to maintain a "civil society" it is sometimes necessary to break inconvenient laws.  As a licensed pilot and aircraft owner, I also know the difference between a Federal Aviation Regulation and an Advisory Circular.  I do know there are good reasons to voluntarily refrain from flying a multicopter over a crowd, but multicopters are not the only type of drone.  If, on an amateur basis, a small camera equipped flapping wing or LTA drone in compliance with AC 91-57 is being safely flown, say, 30m above a crowd, please tell me exactly what laws are being broken?  And, I'll again ask the question that was missed at the beginning of the thread, exactly what jurisdiction does the NYPD have that permits them to (as they reportedly done) close any airspace?

Comment by Ellison Chan on November 21, 2011 at 12:41pm

Well Marc, if all laws are followed, then there's no issue from a legal standpoint.  I don't agree with breaking laws because they are inconvenient.  If the law is unjust, that's another story.

But, getting a stable zoomed image from that distance poses technical issues, like camera stabilization.  However, whatever type of drone you're using if the craft is flying above the crowd, and you loose control then you are liable for any injuries or damages.  If you want to take that kind of risk with other people's safety for the sake of taking some pictures, then it's your choice, but don't expect to hide behind any kind civil liberty defence.

Comment by Tim - Arduino for Visual Studio on November 21, 2011 at 12:50pm

@marc I think one point is that if a motor stops then the craft will drop out of the sky. Maybe we need triple  redundancy, protected props and reliability over a long period before we can fly over people. Right now, it is  possible to use large zooms from the roof of buildings to get the same visibility in a safer way. If one copter is allowed then what is to prevent two? If two or more then we will also need a good collision avoidance system.

The police should be able to close air space when they feel that they, or demonstrators, might be harmed. After all, there are so many cameras everywhere these days I doubt that they closed it for privacy reasons.

Comment by steve F11music.com on November 24, 2011 at 4:15am

Great video and I see no problems with it. My bigger concern is when this site will start working on the iPad before I break my screen or finger :)

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