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  • And here we go... 

    http://www.suasnews.com/2014/10/31847/english-leagues-ask-for-guida... 

    They're going to ask about electronic, physical countermeasures and industry-placed safeguards in the software patches.

    Electronic countermeasures have been demonstrated: Drone hacking drones - http://hak5.org/episodes/hak5-1518

    Physical -safe- countermeasures? I don't know, a net throwing shotgun?

    Industry has already made some steps: DJI has sent patches with restrictions near airports that get tighter the closer to any given airport in it's gps airport list.

  • I've been thinking about this a lot of late.  I believe the problem is basically what Matthew said; if people had to put more time into assembling their equipment, then they'd be a little more concious of the damage that it could do if something went wrong!  

    personally I cringe at the thought of flying my hex over water, or anywhere else that I could cause damage or lose it.  This is simply because I've put thousands of dollars into developing it to where it is now and it'd be blown in a heartbeat if it went down and I couldn't get it back... if I spent a few hundred dollars on something I wasn't emotionally attached to I wouldn't care so much if it went missing... perhaps "they" should stop selling RTF kits to help curb this kind of behaviour?

  • Fear and ignorance will always win out.
  • We don't know anything about the operator.  For all we know he/she might be a very skilled pilot and builder.  All we do know is that whoever it is they are complete idiots.  Knowing how to build a plane or chopper doesn't guarantee responsible behaviour.  Just like buying RTF doesn't mean you are an idiot or unable to build/fly with skill.  Having said that, Matthew you are right, RTF platforms do lead to more people flying who possible do not have the same understanding of those of us that build and enjoy RC flying as a "serious" hobby.

    I have already seen several reports starting to question the security implications of this and none of them are good for either hobby enthusiasts or professional operators.  The major problem is not with pilot skill levels but with anonymity.

    Currently, we can fly (whether you are a responsible operator or not) without any way of being identified.  This is what leads to the kind of stupidity we see here.  I have no problem with a registration or licencing scheme but it need to have a component where we can be identified and held responsible for our actions without killing the hobby through excessive regulation.

    It could be registration of serial numbers etc. so that airframes and parts can be tracked to the purchaser or a low power radio beckon with an unique identification number on a common and standard frequency. (This should be separate to telemetry).  That way law enforcement or aviation officials can easily check the identity of a drone/operator without the need to physically find the operator.  Like anything it can be fooled and abused but at least it gives us a way to keep flying.

    Registration would still allow novices to enter the hobby and would be simpler to manage as it would not necessarily involve testing and assessment.  Just like getting a firearm licence, you do a test, get a licence and register all of your aircraft.  You are still free to fly, build or buy RTF gear.  If you are caught doing something stupid then you can be found and identified and held responsible.

    I would imaging. That these incidents will get more common and probably worse.  There is no way to avoid it, some people out there are stupid and/or malicious. The only way I can see our hobby/business going forward is for us to be more accountable.  I am just thinking out loud but something needs to be done to stop these fools.  We need to do it otherwise governments will do it for us and it wont be in our best interests.

  • Our hobby really takes skill to execute and responsibility to maintain.

    If the hobby was still something that required skill to assemble from parts, we would see far fewer amateurs crashing about where they shouldn't be. 

    Back in the day cars first arrived, there were -brief- crazy laws like the one were someone had to go ahead of the car and wave flags warning everyone it was coming down the road and there was no real system of traffic lights.

    I'm all for the industry, but they really ought to have more foresight and put the safety in their BNF craft. They know very well their putting these things in the hands of kids and idiots.

    If I had to put down money, I would say, we're going to see a licensing and testing system for flying our craft, just as with cars, motorcycles, real-planes and guns. 

    The situation above didn't have to happen with a drone, but it did make it easier. So now we're going to see copy-cats and ever more 'creative' uses.

  • The Problem is that drones could be used in Malicious way....  this time it was just a flag another time it could be something else. However governments must not use incidents like this to hinder genuine enthusiast who use drones in legal and proper manner. 

  • Such simillar things will happen again and again. People will be scared in the near future by seeing a drone, because no one know who is piloting it. An idiot or a serious pilot? Well, you don't ban cars when an idiot is driving one. A flag on the stad is only a funny thing that can happen.

  • A great example of reckless behaviour with a quadcopter for those with something against this hobby to use to shut it down.  This is the sort of thing that mainstream media love to report and that turns the general public against us.  I really hope they do find the idiot pilot and charge them.

  • I laughed when the player grabbed the flag and started hauling the Phantom in.  Any impact should be a fine for recklessness against that pilot.  I didn't do it, so punishing me won't fix it. Surely, ten years in prison will stop him from going wild again with his Phantom.;-)   

    Seriously though, it could have caused a riot.

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