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.