Drone view of the neighborhood from last weekend.

[dragoneggs]

It's here... Phantom 3! pics coming soon. Had to at least open the box. Won't get to the unboxing and charging until this evening.

 

[MossRoad]

I don't have anything to add to the 4th amendment discussion, but I give MossRoad 10 bonus points for getting Gladys Kravitz into this thread.!!

As was pointed out to me several months ago by another TBN member, if you think about it...

GLADYS KRAVITS WAS RIGHT!!! :laughing:

 

[MossRoad]

....So tomorrow I'll get the drone, drive past some police cars with plate scanners, go through a few toll booths that record my location and time and take my picture, pass over 100 video cameras on the highways and private security systems. I'll have my smart phone that reports my location to each cell tower we pass. If I take one of our GM cars the OnStar system will also be (briefly) recording my speed and location and other operating parameters in the car....

That's living on the edge, man... :laughing:

 

[IslandTractor]

Look at all the licensed drivers. How many obey traffic laws or even have common sense for that matter?

Are you saying they'd be better behaved if there were no licenses required?

We are humans. We don't always toe the line but it still makes sense to establish a reasonable "line in the sand" and educate folks to observe it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Difficult call! Not knowing who was on the other end of a drone is worse then the actual intrusion, in my opinion. Licensing may only be a good thing for identification purposes, like a tail number, but is there even room on these things for numbers large enough? Let the owners of these drones frist give away some of their privacy by having to register and have this information on an easy to access public database. Just a thought.

 

[fordmantpw]

Some of you guys are blowing things way out of proportion! You could spy on someone by parking your car in the street and using a pair of binoculars. Should we require a license to buy binocs? Seriously, paranoia has got a firm grasp on some folks. It's a wonder you guys even leave your tin-foil covered house!

It's here... Phantom 3! pics coming soon. Had to at least open the box. Won't get to the unboxing and charging until this evening.

Congrats on the new toy!

 

[MossRoad]

It's here... Phantom 3! pics coming soon. Had to at least open the box. Won't get to the unboxing and charging until this evening.

View attachment 439500

You'll shoot your eye out!

Oops, wrong movie.

 

[Garandman]

Yeah, I forgot. TeaParty doesn't approve of driver's licenses, mariner's licenses, pilot licenses, restaurant licenses, building permits etc etc. Just dirt roads and cow paths. Davy Crockett for President. Screw gummit.

Oh, OK, you've derision has convinced me more government bureaucracy is the solution. Two or three bicyclists die in Boston every year: lets license bicycle riders, certainly that will solve the problem!

The FAA can make some common-sense guidelines to keep UAV's from flight paths (a legitimate danger, although birds do not accept their authority) and local officials can certainly enforce privacy laws just as they have done for the cameras in smart phones. That anyone would suggest licensing for what in most instances are toys is a stretcher.

It is also the case that government restrictions on this technology will cause us to fall behind countries that do not.

 

[MossRoad]

Some of you guys are blowing things way out of proportion! You could spy on someone by parking your car in the street and using a pair of binoculars....

You need night vision at the park by the river... not enough street lighting.

 

[IslandTractor]

Some of you guys are blowing things way out of proportion! You could spy on someone by parking your car in the street and using a pair of binoculars. Should we require a license to buy binocs? Seriously, paranoia has got a firm grasp on some folks. It's a wonder you guys even leave your tin-foil covered house! Congrats on the new toy!

I'm not concerned about the spying. It's more the relatively high velocity airborne vehicle in the hands of a 13yo boy that is more concerning.

If you look at those drone fail videos I posted earlier you'll see some examples. Not hard to imagine a worse outcome than just loss of a drone when the thing buzzes into oncoming traffic on a busy highway. Not hard to imagine damage to pedestrian traffic when a drone crashes into a tall building and plummets out of control.

I'd be cool with designated areas for non licensed flying as well as flying over your own property unlicensed but it won't be long before high school kids start competing to see who can fly their drone over the Empire State Building etc etc. There has to be some formal education and safety standard set and enforced.

Not sure it is possible to selectively jam just drones at 2.4hz as that is where most wifi operates these days.