Why America’s drone problem may not be as bad as everyone thinks

[Colin]

Washington Post article ... Why America’s drone problem may not be as bad as everyone thinks

 

[Rotorman]

As a Helicopter Pilot drones give me nightmares as much as thunderstorms and wires do. But I can't control storms and wires dont move. I think the operators that spend more than $500 on a drone are responsible enough to not fly where they could harm me, but the guys that buy the cheapy Chinese garbage are the ones that frighten me. I love flying real aircraft and remote aircraft alike. Just as in all things in life it's the character of a man that makes him a man and if you are foolish and hurt someone else due to negligence you should pay the price. Imo.

 

[Rattler]

I'm one of those who have hung off High powered wires in a hot air balloon and lived to tell about it. (through no fault of my own) "character of a man that makes him a man" Amen.

 

[Vailen]

Rotorman...excellent statement. I have recently joined the drone hobby with my Typhoon H. In the past, I did fly real, single-engine airplanes while working towards my Private Pilot license. Although I do not fly real planes any longer, I clearly remember how much responsibility the pilot has when flying any aircraft - including hot-air balloons. When you gain that perspective and experience, I can assure you that I will never fly my drone that would endanger anyone flying an aircraft. But you are right..my Typhoon H cost me much more than $500. Fortunately, almost everyone I have encountered on this forum look at their drone as an aircraft, not as a toy.

Regarding your statement about the really cheap drones...We have a number of children with toy drones in our neighborhood (e.g., Syma x4c). Many of them have flown their drones seemingly very high. I was curious as to how high, so I brought my Typhoon H to 120 ft AGL and asked the kids to fly above me. None of them could. Between 80 and 120 feet they lost communication with their drone. The drone suddenly dropped rapidly in altitude until their transmitter could communicate with the drone again, then they regained control.

Based on this experience, I sincerely hope that the significant majority of the cheap drones will never cause you trouble when flying your helicopter.