Drone Experience

[jbrumberg]

Richard - A couple of years ago there were a couple of videos showing how to build the drone frame that I bought with recommendations for compatible components. There were all kinds of sites like TBN with helpful members helping each other. It actually is big enough to "easily" assemble . The upgrades (everything replaced) took some serious research. It probably still flies. I could still see the "Flying Cuisinart" close to ~1000' and that's the distance that my VTx signal starts breaking up due to its legal and limited signal strength. I had a dedicated 7 tv monitor Rx attached to my TX.

A couple of years a go a troubled enabled rich kid in CT mounted a semi-automatic to his home build and did a YouTube video of it firing off a couple of rounds. He was already known to PD. He got in a lot of State and Federal legal difficulties after that video. Another incident with this kid is while flying illegally in a State Park he got beat up by an agitated female who believed (erroneously) that he was "looking where he should not, called 911, and then she assaulted him while he was flying his drone. He actually videoed the assault from his drone. The officers once they saw his video arrested the woman.

It is a big no no to arm a drone. I think my current payload capacity is ~2#'s with all the added weight of stuff. There is a German web site that helps one determine component mix and performance of the selected components.

Not counting the RC helicopters lost/crashed/flew away I think that I've had 3 flyaway's, and wrecked 4 so badly they were beyond repair. The "Flying Cuisinart" has crashed and repaired so many times that I've lost count. It does a good job pruning trees.

I used a 12G Browning Pump shotgun to retrieve one of my errant drones. The tree grabbed it. I trisected the tree with 2 deer slugs and got my drone back unharmed.

 

[Professor Marvel]

here you go for 20 years.. FAA confirms shooting down a drone can lead to a potential 2 year jail sentence | Daily Mail Online

seems excessive to me. but what do I know?

 

[radios1]

seems excessive to me. but what do I know?

not really, the military and police use very heavy drones for surveillance, shooting one of those down could kill someone if it crashes into a house.. not to mention that bullets can be lethal for at least a mile.. there had to be very worthwhile reasons that both houses of congress, and the president signed this law into effect, it's a Federal law!..

 

[Professor Marvel]

not really, the military and police use very heavy drones for surveillance, shooting one of those down could kill someone if it crashes into a house.. not to mention that bullets can be lethal for at least a mile.. there had to be very worthwhile reasons that both houses of congress, and the president signed this law into effect, it's a Federal law!..

What idiot would shoot at a drone with a rifle? You shouldn't shoot a rifle at anything in the air. Shotgun? Different story
And I did not mean you were wrong. It just seems excessive to me to get 20 years for shooting a toy.

 

[LouNY]

Nice pictures, the one of your farm is that windmill still pumping water?
I didn't see any tanks close by.

 

[jbrumberg]

radio1- I agree. There should be greater penalties for those ignorant, entitled owner/operators who disrupt airport aircraft, aircraft, police, fire, and emergency aircraft operations.

I really like those pictures. The drones on the market today are literally light years ahead of my drone technology-wise. I have the most basic of DJI flight controllers. I bet they are no longer made.

 

[Jstpssng]

Interesting thread!!!
:thumbsup:

 

[TractorGuy]

here you go for 20 years.. FAA confirms shooting down a drone can lead to a potential 2 year jail sentence | Daily Mail Online

You can go back and forth until the lawyers win but you folks that want to argue you have the right to infringe on another's privacy while you play with your hobby are the problem. This is why I praise folks like Richard that are conscientious about the rights of others.

There are legal precedents that indicate a property owner does in fact own and control the air space over their property to an extent. In 1946, the Supreme Court issued foundational guidance as to what extent private property owners actually own and may control airspace over their property.

There are also state laws to protect property owners from any invasion of privacy.
Specifically in FL: Florida – State Drone Law

"Chapter 2015-26 (SB 766) - Surveillance & Privacy
Effective July 1, 2015

Prohibits a person, a state agency, or a political subdivision from using a drone to capture an image of privately owned real property or of the owner, tenant, occupant, invitee, or licensee of such property with the intent to conduct surveillance without his or her written consent if a reasonable expectation of privacy exists"

In FL law enforcement can't even fly a drone over my property without a warrant.

At any rate if I see a drone flying over my property within shotgun range that is not being operated by myself it may not make it back to it's owner.

 

[2LaneCruzer]

My neighbor just told me that the trees in my back yard next to the creek had eaten three of his drones.

 

[bunyip]

Back in front of a real computer at last......
I started a couple of years ago with a cheap drone that would go anywhere I did not aim for, I mastered the art of getting stuck in a tree, the only tree in a barren desert that I was aiming at then I saw some of Richards video with his Autel.
Found that Autel is not really available in Australia so looked at the DJI Phantom series, nice but bulky then looked at the Mavic which had very similar specs and folded up and takes up little space plus has 4K capabilities so I went with the Mavic kit with the two extra batteries, car kit etc etc and it has serv4ed me well.
A few extra bits along the way, as for keeping in view, very hard with a grey machine and I have lost sight of it a few times and always watch the battery levels whgich are displayed on the controller, I have activated the return home and nervously awaited the return, feel more confident now as it has always come back and landed in the same spot.
I shall link some of my video.
The new Mavics come with three camera options and one is a true optical zoom or if you are feeling really wealthy you can get the big inspire and mount whatever camera you like but at AU$10K+ for a base unit that is a lot of money, then you have to buy the camera.
Alien builds his from the ground up and I am surprised he hasn't posted yet.
So far I am more than happy with the Mavic although 4K chews up a lot of memory, about 1gb for 3 minutes I think so carry a few 64 or 128gb cards (micro SD), as we have a 65" 4K TV this is the only way I will shoot.
Home 1 on Vimeo Behind home
silo 3 on Vimeo Silo art
Arena on Vimeo Arena work in progress, early shot, over exposed, learnt a lot since then