Bruce from RC Model Reviews has some very interesting points on this topic and he mentions something about him developing something for FPV models to detect full scale aircraft.
If you fly any type of RC model airplane then you ought to be concerned that various politicians around the world are seeking to have "drones" banned. These people aren't talking about the Predator or Reaper drones we see unleashing hellfire missiles at "insurgents", they want to remove your right to fly any RC model with a camera -- or even any model capable of carrying a camera.
We (the RC and especially the FPV community) need to stand up and be heard now, before it's too late.
I'd love to hear from viewers as to how they think the RC community should respond to this threat to the hobby. Is it time to form a global FPV body which can bring the strength of numbers to weigh when challenging this threat?
And please... don't call any FPV model a "drone" -- it's an RC model (whether it has a camera or not).
Comments
Matthew, I've proposed "Aerial Robotics" as a good term. It's not a faceless acronym. Or worse, a backronym... It's just a simple descriptor. People instantly understand what it means, and it's reasonably friendly.
UAV, UAS, sUAS, are all professional, technical terms, but it's not something that common people are going to latch onto.
I'll repeat my point from a thread about this a few days ago.
Matthew, if you, me, Brent, and how many others of us that have IMMERSED ourselves in UAV technology in culture, didn't realize that that was a research UAV from NASA rather than a Predator drone, what hope does the common citizen have of figuring it out?
Not gonna happen!
And the argument that "No no, that's not a Predator, see, it's got an extra pod on the bottom...." Nobody cares!
If you wanted to use a NASA UAV that would not be confused with an illegal weapon system, why not use the Helios?
Well, it's completely unidentifiable by the average person. Just a big slab of flying wing.
So what's more important? Being identifiable (marketing), or trying to re-brand the poor maligned Ikhana?
I made the same comment earlier in this discussion. I fly rc models with APM, camera and video, it's not a drone, drones spy and kill
Perhaps the worst thing about this group is what has turned out to be an unfortunate choice of names.
Given Reapers and Predators and a resultantly negative and even terrifying public perception, associating ourselves with the word "Drone" may have been our single worst mistake.
Ahhh, Common Sense by Thomas Paine, yup a good read.
Let's not talk politics here Harry, but common sense. If the gov doesn't protect us from government flying driods than who will? +1 for Toby
I think you're right Cody, it's not about privacy it's about control and cronyism. I plan to vote Libertarian every opportunity.
I'm confused.
When I take off, my model airplane is a "fully functional scale aircraft".
But then when I remotely flick the camera on, it becomes an "FPV Model".
But if I go out of range and it automatically comes back to me, then its a "Drone".
In my opinion, its all a moot point and the terminology is irrelevant.
The only thing the lawmakers need to do is....
1) make it illegal to spy on people with a camera (I'm pretty sure this is illegal in most places now), whether its on an aircraft or strapped to your forehead.
2) make it illegal to fly an un-manned aircraft of any kind in controlled airspace without either:
a) approval via NOTAM.
b) some kind of device that alerts controlled aircraft of its presence and location
Its really that simple.
They are all UA and with the control link S. If you can sustain flight and control it in three axis, its a UAS.
With or without an AP. LOS or BLOS has nothing to do with what the airframe is classified as.
Get ready for the NPRM in the USA those gliding comps might be about to have issues.
Rob, the stupid general TV addicted public (USA) will still "here" <Hunter/Killer Aerial Robot> . If the media would just stop shoveing it in every ones face, maybe the paranoia will die down, but that's not likely to happen soon.
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