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  • John Ian Gettings October 3, 2013 at 7:27pm

    Looks like a "Copter" problem...Fixed wing would not typically have the same issues.

  • Developer
    Randy October 3, 2013 at 7:05pm

    I think Jared's idea is a good one.  It won't save the world but the subtle message might stop a few accidents.

  • Jared Reabow October 3, 2013 at 3:02pm
    Oh here os a simple partial solution

    Can someone code missionplanner, arther code droid planner and the guy of andropilot so that it has a startup screen then shows a different simple message every time eg: rlt only works in strait lines so dont fly between things

    Or dont fly over crowds rc models are dangerous

    Or the difference between prision and freedom is one accident
    Dont fly near animals or people

    Life and death can be one crash away
    Dont risk others safety

    Etc
  • Brent Crude October 3, 2013 at 2:07pm

    Ah, Morli, sorry; to clarify, I should've said "misbehaved guys". There are the *really* bad guys too but I wasn't referencing them directly. :)

  • Admin
    Morli October 3, 2013 at 1:49pm

    "there will be bad guys, and there's no stopping it."

    IMHO , it is not the real bad guys who will cause damage to the reputation/fun of this hobby but  the good guys ( read foolish big boys getting these for Christmas) who will do the foolish thing like these and cause damages  to hobby/technology/reputation etc :(  .  After a dozen of such a small incidents published  in less than a year, we will see the real damage ( big guys in the UAV industry will be more than happy to see to it too )

  • Brent Crude October 3, 2013 at 1:28pm

    A lot of good ideas here. But a few points I haven't seen made...

    • Licenture of RTF devices will probably shrink the potential sales market size on the order of 90%. Every manufacturer is unlikely to acquiesce to this until forced to. No one will do so unilaterally prior to such a time, as it will mean a loss of marketshare and revenue with competitors all too happy to take up the slack. So, the trendline towards trouble will continue.
    • Flight school requirements are a corollary to licenture and will have very modest effect without it. Manufacturers that try to cover this as well on the backend will find themselves cannibalizing the potential market size for RTF devices from the heights of where it is today. It seems unlikely to me that the would-be users who would fly through rush-hour midtown Manhattan will be interested in correcting their ways by signing up for flight school.
    • Licensing is exceedingly problematic. Remote piloting means that devices are not physically tied to their operators, which presents special challenges for accountability purposes; you'll need something akin to the VIN system for cars, a long paper trail, etc., in order to definitively connect end-users to devices. (This can be spoofed pretty easily in any case.)

    These are all Big Problems. Everyone should prepare for a major public safety incident that greatly curtails our freedoms. Can the public be "protected" by banning access to R/C components? As others have pointed out, not really: the components are cheap, easy to build, come from everywhere and the information is out there.

    But, that doesn't mean the gov't can't make it expensive and unpleasant to participate in the hobby. And in the end these sorts of enforcement actions are less about their efficacy and more about their "we're in control of the situation" public message. When has inefficacy ever stopped bad laws? 

    Any way you cut it, the freedom for users -- and the *potential* market size for hardware producers -- is set to shrink from today's high-flying expectations. The Central Limit Theorem is in play here, there will be bad guys, and there's no stopping it.

  • HeliStorm October 3, 2013 at 1:25pm

    In fact, please feel free to see my thoughts on this topic (and a micro quad with 720p HD) at my blog post from earlier this week here.

  • HeliStorm October 3, 2013 at 1:19pm
    Sorry for terrible grammar and punctuation. Replying on a cellphone is not easy.
  • HeliStorm October 3, 2013 at 1:18pm
    "Little Palm copters (one of which you can even get with a 720P HD video camera) actually are safe, and they are even really cheap, this is what the emphasis should be for selling to consumers."

    Gary, I couldn't agree more! In fact I feel there is no reason why micro and mini quads cannot continue to expand functionality while maintaining low weights, and safety. As micro electronics improves, we will likely see the move this way. Maybe there could be classes of size. Above a.certain size/weight, regulations kick in. Under, it is fair game. I startedto.become familiar with flying them first, and I have recommended this to everyone interested in flying bigger systems . I don't see why there cannot be the consumer equivalent of a point and shoot aerial camera. Small, light, easily carried, and fun for the average person.
  • Rob Burrows October 3, 2013 at 12:52pm

    @ Jared, Yes I think the idea of a license makes sense.  Perhaps the requirement (or strongly worded recommendation) could be clearly indicated on RTF packaging and instructions and could at least try to promulgate some common sense.

    @ Sam, I don't think we should get caught in the current state of regulation and policy which is incomplete but look to what WE want it to look like.

    I think joining a club is a great way to learn, but those are not so accessible to all because of geography or budget...so thier needs to be something else to reach the complete "n00bs".

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