Flying on Christmas Eve...

I took some time to fly my little Hubsan H-107C near my house, today.

Merry Christmas from Drones For The Masses!

Hubsan H-107C night flight...

The whole purpose of this hobby is to have fun, right?

Home movies with my drone...

...a Cheerson CX-10A, with a removable memory card.

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

Having fun with my quad-copter...

Hubsan H-107C.

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.

Drones of the Mojave...

My little Hubsan H-107C tentatively explores a mine tunnel in the Mojave Desert.

Drone registration entrepreneurs...

In the wake of the FAA's assurances that registering our drones will be simple, the agency is advising drone owners to wait until the new registration system is set up, before hiring anyone to handle the transaction for them.  Evidently, at least one company is advertising its services, which involve assisting clients with drone registration for $24.99.

Free and easy drone registration...

The FAA is saying that drone registration will be free, and it will be easy.  Evidently, we drone-owners will be able to register our craft on a website, if they weigh more than nine ounces (as opposed to the previously-rumored eight ounces), and a registration number will be assigned to the owner, not the drone itself.  Owners can use the same registration number for all the craft that he/she owns, and the number can be hand-written on the craft using a marker pen (of the non-dry-erase variety, of course) if desired.

www.dronesforthemasses.org

Drone registration, continued...

I suppose that the good news is that mini-drones, such as the Cheerson CX-10 (see www.dronesforthemasses.org - yes, a shameless plug), will probably be exempt from the registration requirement.  The task force is supposed to have the details worked out by November 20, 2015-a week and a half from now.

Drone registration...

Most drone hobbyists are aware of the pending requirement that drones be registered - and this will included hobby aircraft.

A "task force" as been convened in order to figure out exactly how this requirement will be implemented.

Supposedly, a few task force members have anonymously mentioned that the new rule will require drones that weigh more than half a pound (that's about the weight of half a box of See's candies)to be registered via a web page, for free.  Registrants will be required to provide his/her name and address; no "sensitive" information, such as Social Security numbers, will be required.  Oh, and the drones themselves will have to display registration numbers that can easily be seen and read.

Given that most drones being sold in stores (and remember,the FAA estimates that over one million hobby drones will be sold during this holiday season) weigh more than half a pound, it should be interesting to see how many drone buyers will comply with the new rule.

Having fun...

Folks; given the bad press that our hobby has received of late, I want to remind you all that this hobby is all about having fun!  And, I suggest that you introduce as many to our hobby as you can, by giving demonstrations to friends, co-workers, and family members.  Do you want to bond with a young person in your family?  Give him or her a little drone demo!  Who knows?  You might inspire this person to pursue a career in science!  And, this country needs more scientists!

My replacement Hubsan H-107C...

I just received it today;  I hope to fly it later today and shoot some video with it.  I may start selling these on my business site- www.dronesforthemasses.org.

Balloon Busting...

This is me, just having fun with my little Cheerson CX-10A.  There is some risk of a crash, but these little machines are tough!

www.dronesforthemasses.org

Open season on drones?

A drone was shot down in Kentucky, earlier this year.  The incident occurred in July, when a Kentucky man blasted a drone out of the sky, because it was allegedly hovering over his back yard, where his daughters were sunbathing.  The man, William Meredith, grabbed his shotgun and used it to bring the drone down.

Meredith was arrested and charged with wanton endangerment and criminal mischief.

Telemetry and video from the drone indicate that it was flying at two hundred feet above the ground, and that it was not flying over Meredith's property- although the video did demonstrate that the drone was flying close to Meredith's property.

During Merideth's heariing, which took place this past Monday, the judge cited two witnesses who saw the drone flying below the tree line, which, in the judge's estimation, constituted invasion of property.  Therefore, the charges against Meredith were dismissed.

For his part, Boggs plans to pressure the district attorney's office to bring the case before a grand jury.

Your thoughts, dear readers?

Coming soon...

I am eagerly awaiting receipt of my new Hubsan H107C; the old unit appears to be worn out.  The new drone should arrive by the end of this week.  I can't wait to head out to the Mojave Desert and shoot some aerial footage with it.

Dronesforthemasses.org will be selling the new Cheerson CX-10A, in the near future.  Unlike the similar CX-10, the '10A is equipped with a small camera.

Wal-Mart Drones...

Well, Wal-Mart is getting into the drone act too;  it is requesting permission from the FAA to test drones for use in delivering packages-to people's homes, as well as at its stores.  Among potential uses is the possibility of Wal-Mart drones providing "curb-side" product delivery to people waiting at the stores.  Wal-Mart is testing two types of drones:  the DJI Phantom 3 and S900.

This comes on the heels of Amazon, which has been experimenting with delivery drones for two years.  Amazon has also been calling for the creation of special airspace for delivery drones.

In the meantime...

Well, we're all waiting to find out of the Government really will require ALL drones to be registered, or if common-sense exemptions for micro-drones will be created.

In the meantime, life goes on, and I've been flying my mini-drones.  One such craft is the palm-sized Hubsan H107C, which features a low-resolution camera.  I've enjoyed flying this machine for over a year, flying it almost daily, and I've even taken it out to Mojave Desert on some of my off-road trips.

Alas, the little craft is finally wearing out- only giving me approximately two minutes of flight time, as opposed to the four minutes that I used to enjoy.  According to others in the "drone community", this could be a sign that one or motors are wearing out, and thus draining the battery, or it could be that the main P.C. board is on the verge of failure.  Regardless, I don't have the time to tinker with it, so I've ordered a replacement, for under $50.

Of course, I'm still selling my even-smaller Cheerson CX-10's on my website- www.dronesforthemasses.org.

Drone Registration...

A task force, which is to be made up of government and industry leaders, is being formed in order to work out the details of drone registration.  One of the group's goals is let the DOT know which drone types should be exempt from the registration requirement due to a "low safety risk."  Hopefully, this means that small drones, such as the Cheerson CX-10 (see www.dronesforthemasses.org) will be exempt.  We'll be watching.

UAS registration: Press conference raises more questions than answers...

I find it troubling that the Department Of Transportation is going to require ALL drones to be registered.  At this time, it seems that even the small micro drones (see www.dronesforthemasses.org), which are little more than flying toys, will not be exempt from the requirement.  

Naturally, I want drone pilots who fly irresponsibly to be stopped.  But requiring parents who buy tiny drones for their children at Christmas, to register these little machines with the Government, seems to be a bit heavy-handed.

In the first place, most micro drones can only be flown approximately fifty feet from their transmitters.  Therefore, unless the pilot is standing at the approach or departure end of an airport runway, micro drones hardly pose a threat to manned aircraft.  Further; if a micro drone does smash through someone's living-room window, the odds are that the drone's owner will be nearby.

The Transportation Secretary said that the details of the new rules are still being worked out.  It is my hope that in the end, the rule(s) will be reasonable, and that they will not be another example of punishing everyone for the sins of the few.

A word about drone registration...

Please note the following:

The FAA generally does not regulate the use of drones for hobby/recreational purposes.

During the press conference, the Secretary of Transportation could not clearly explain how errant drones would be matched to their owners, unless the drones themselves carry some sort of corresponding identification.  And, given the fact that the FAA does not prosecute hobbyists, a journalist asked the Secretary what purpose is served by requiring registration.  His somewhat vague answer was that the Department would be working with its law-enforcement "partners" in pursuing misbehaving drone pilots.

So, it appears that the purpose of registration is simply to create a data base that can be accessed by local agencies in tracking down drone-pilots.  

Finally, the Secretary could not explain exactly how people are supposed to comply with the new rule.  Will there be a web-portal?  Will drone owners have to download forms?  What kind of information will be required?

It seems that there are quite a few questions that need to be answered by Christmas, which is when the DOT hopes to have the new rule implemented.

Recreational drone registration is here...

Well, the Department Of Transportation has announced that it will require drones to be registered-including those used for recreational/hobby purposes, and that the requirement will be retroactive to those who already own drones.

According to the Secretary Of Transportation, the agency wants to implement the new rule by Christmas, but he acknowledges that there some issues that have to be worked out.  Among them are coming up with a method to actually trace an errant drone to its owner, and putting a system in place that will enable drone owners to register their craft with a minimum of inconvenience.

Palm-sized quadcopter on-board video footage...

This footage was filmed in my employer's break room, with my little Cheerson CX-10C.

I tried to land on top of the gathered condiment shakers, but I couldn't pull it off!

Learning to fly, continued...

I suggest that novice pilots place their CX-10's on a smooth surface.  Then, open the throttle only enough to get the rotor/propeller blades spinning, but not fast enough to cause lift-off.  It may take a few adjustments to get blades spinning at the right speed.

Let's assume that your CX-10 is set up for left hand throttle.  Movement of the right-hand stick should cause the quadcopter to move forward, back, left, and right, sort of like an air-hockey puck.  This will give new pilots a feel for how the little craft responds to control input, without risking too serious a crash.

I am here to help.

www.dronesforthemasses.org

dronesforthemasses@aol.com

Learning to fly...

Let's face it; learning to fly a micro-quadcopter takes practice.  In many cases, practice results in crashes.  Crashes sometimes result in damage to the quadcopter that is not practical to repair.

I've notice that many novice quadcopter pilots tend to over-control their craft, which leads to problems.  The little machine either rockets into the ceiling (or the sky), or it impacts a wall.

To be continued...

Night video from my Cheerson CX-10C...

I stepped outside this evening and flew the CX-10C.  Here is the video footage.  It's nothing exciting- I flew the little aircraft from my driveway here in suburbia.  The quality is what I expected from a low-resolution camera.

Cheerson CX-10C...

I just received my new Cheerson CX-10C today.  Its flight characteristics appear to be the same as those of the CX-10.  The chief difference between the two is that the '10C is equipped with a 0.3MP camera that shoots video and still photographs.  The horizontal trim button is used to activate the camera- pressing the left side of the button triggers the still camera, and pressing the right side of the button activates the video camera.  The bad news is that there is no horizontal trim - the button is used exclusively to trigger the camera.  I will continue my flight testing and report later.

Cheerson CX-10C.  

Mini-quad-copters...learning to fly...

I've become very good at flying my little mini quad copters.  I own a Hubsan H-107C, and a Cheerson CX-10.  How can one become adept at flying these little machines?  The answer is simple. It takes practice- daily, if possible.  I generally fly in deserted area of my company's parking lot, during my coffee breaks.

More to follow...

www.dronesforthemasses.org- for inexpensive mini-drones!

Flying fun in the Mojave Desert....Hubsan H107C...

More footage near an old talc mine in the El Paso Mountains.

The Mojave Desert, as seen from a micro-quad...

I flew my little Hubsan H107C near an old talc mine in California's El Paso Mountains.

Are we ALL drone dummies?

Most of us have read the news stories involving drone pilots interfering with fire-fighting efforts, and "invading privacy" with drones hovering over their neighbors' backyards.  I admit that I haven't met every single drone pilot in the world, but I must believe that most of us are only interested flying our little aircraft for fun, relaxation, and in order to "see:" things from a bird's perspective.

The problem is that, as with many other vocations and avocations, it's the small number of irresponsible parties who get most of the publicity, and who sully the image of the rest of us.

I know that I don't have to list the do's and don'ts of responsible drone flying to my readers.  I won't insult their intelligence by doing so.

Rather, I suggest that my fellow drone pilots take things a step or two further, by striving to be ambassadors of our hobby to the public.  When I do fly in public, my drone is a magnet for the curious. My advice is that when the curious approach you. answer all of their questions, even if you've heard them all before. Be friendly.  Even though we are not "professionals" in the strict sense of the word, we should behave in a professional manner when flying in front of people.  According to Miriam-Webster, a "professional" is "characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession...exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace."  Need I say more?



The author is a writer/photographer, as well as a licensed private pilot.

Are you looking for an inexpensive gift for someone who wants to enter the drone hobby?  Christmas is coming!  Check out www.dronesforthemasses.org.

Footage from a flight over the Barstow Hills...

Footage by Scott Scxhwartz.  All rights reserved.

Quadcopters of the Mojave Desert...

Heres's some footage that was filmed with my little Hubsan H107C.

I love my little quadcopter drone...

...it provides me with a relaxing activity during my breaks at work, and I've used it to shoot videos during some of my desert trips.

www.dronesforthemasses.org