Friday, January 8, 2016
Thursday, December 24, 2015
Flying on Christmas Eve...
Merry Christmas from Drones For The Masses!
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Tuesday, December 8, 2015
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Drone Strikes Versus Birdstrikes...
A company called Aero Kinetics has conducted a scientific study which purports to demonstrate that the impact from "toy" drones is more dangerous to manned aircraft than birds, because birds are, um, softer than toy drones. The study also attempts to explore "how dangerous unregulated toy drones can be to the aerospace industry and consumers." The company asserts that "most people" aren't aware of the the threat posed by "toy" drones, and that "toy" drones aren't unmanned aircraft. The chief distinctions between the two, according to the study, are that the toys aren't equipped with aerospace-grade avionics, nor are they held to any airworthiness standards.
The kicker here is that the two "toys" used as examples in the impact study are the DJI Phantom and Inspire multirotor aircraft. Both of these machines are highly sophisticated and automated, and, with retail prices in the $1200 and $2700 ranges, respectively, could hardly be considered "toys." The company seems to be concerned that the popularity of these "toys" will result in swarms of them flying in the national airspace system.
A look at Aero Kinetics' website provides a clue to what might be the company's real agenda. The company offers several "unmanned aircraft systems" for law-enforcement, commercial, and military use.
I suspect that this study is a ploy to either eliminate or severely restrict competition from the manufacturers of "toy" drones.
Do you want a toy drone that is more like a toy? $22 plus $4 shipping- www.dronesforthemasses.org
The kicker here is that the two "toys" used as examples in the impact study are the DJI Phantom and Inspire multirotor aircraft. Both of these machines are highly sophisticated and automated, and, with retail prices in the $1200 and $2700 ranges, respectively, could hardly be considered "toys." The company seems to be concerned that the popularity of these "toys" will result in swarms of them flying in the national airspace system.
A look at Aero Kinetics' website provides a clue to what might be the company's real agenda. The company offers several "unmanned aircraft systems" for law-enforcement, commercial, and military use.
I suspect that this study is a ploy to either eliminate or severely restrict competition from the manufacturers of "toy" drones.
Do you want a toy drone that is more like a toy? $22 plus $4 shipping- www.dronesforthemasses.org
Monday, November 30, 2015
Friday, November 27, 2015
The masses will have to register their drones...
...if those drones weigh more than roughly half of a pound, if the FAA goes along with the task force's recommendations. Among the recommendations was one that would require drone buyers to provide their names and addresses via a website or application, which would result in the immediate assignment of a registration number, and there would be no fee for this "service."
Among the members of the task force was Dave Mathewson, who is the Exceutive Director of the Academy Of Model Aeronautics (AMA.) Mathewson apparently disagrees with the recommendations, because he believes that requirement to register craft that are basically toys may "prove untenable." For reasons that are unclear to this writer, the AMA was prevented from including its dissenting opinion in the task force's final report.
Among the members of the task force was Dave Mathewson, who is the Exceutive Director of the Academy Of Model Aeronautics (AMA.) Mathewson apparently disagrees with the recommendations, because he believes that requirement to register craft that are basically toys may "prove untenable." For reasons that are unclear to this writer, the AMA was prevented from including its dissenting opinion in the task force's final report.
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