Community Response to Suffering Reputation on TV

[Techno]

Hello all,
I've been watching TV in between homework and my simulator and on CBS (USA, New York), I've recently found at least 2 episodes very unsettling. The first of which was last week as an episode of Scorpion depicted a "12 inch drone" disguised as a bird dropped a cell phone to a convict in a prison in order to break out. All impossibilities aside, the drone was later used to break a window in the episode. "But wait! There's more!" As if advertising the destructive and deceptively criminal purposes of unsafe flight wasn't bad enough, I just saw the most recent episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. In this episode, the team was hunting down a drone (carbon fiber predator style about 12 foot wingspan) which was carrying EXPLOCIVES. (in one case used to kill someone) This, I see as a severe threat to the hobby, since we just got off the hook for the military's use of drones in the Middle East. Now we might have to deal with a panicked public all because of the irresponsible use of a drone in a show. I looked up the estimated views of each: up to 10 million. I believe as a community, we should all send a response to CBS to the negative depiction of our hobby and the effects their actions could cause. Call me panicked if you want, but I don't want to have any more bad news being thrown at our hobby. (I do like Scorpion FYI, a little dramatized though)
Links:
NCIS Episode Desc:http://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis_los_a...s-s6-e7/67179/-leipei-ncis-los-angeles-s6-e7/
Scorpion: Sorry no link, do a web search if you like.
As usual, feel free to:
Comment,
Critique,
Speculate, and
Help.

 

[rcspaceflight]

I caught the Scorpion episode with the bird drone and I laughed when they said "twelve inch wingspan and weighing 2 pounds".

There was a news story about terrorists putting explosives on a drone.

I have mixed feelings about this. Any one that knows the hobby knows that the pilot has to be close. There is no difference between someone dropping off a back pack with a bomb in it or using a drone with a bomb on it. The criminal is going to be close and there are going to be witnesses in either case. But people who don't know the hobby don't know that the pilot has to be close. They don't understand just how limited the range truly is. So I find it all harmless, but I know how people tend to over react.


The good news is that it brings up the conversation so (hopefully) those that are afraid of it will become educated about it.

 

[jtbutcher]

Hello all,
I've been watching TV in between homework and my simulator and on CBS (USA, New York), I've recently found at least 2 episodes very unsettling. The first of which was last week as an episode of Scorpion depicted a "12 inch drone" disguised as a bird dropped a cell phone to a convict in a prison in order to break out. All impossibilities aside, the drone was later used to break a window in the episode. "But wait! There's more!" As if advertising the destructive and deceptively criminal purposes of unsafe flight wasn't bad enough, I just saw the most recent episode of NCIS: Los Angeles. In this episode, the team was hunting down a drone (carbon fiber predator style about 12 foot wingspan) which was carrying EXPLOCIVES. (in one case used to kill someone) This, I see as a severe threat to the hobby, since we just got off the hook for the military's use of drones in the Middle East. Now we might have to deal with a panicked public all because of the irresponsible use of a drone in a show. I looked up the estimated views of each: up to 10 million. I believe as a community, we should all send a response to CBS to the negative depiction of our hobby and the effects their actions could cause. Call me panicked if you want, but I don't want to have any more bad news being thrown at our hobby. (I do like Scorpion FYI, a little dramatized though)
Links:
NCIS Episode Desc:http://www.cbs.com/shows/ncis_los_a...s-s6-e7/67179/-leipei-ncis-los-angeles-s6-e7/
Scorpion: Sorry no link, do a web search if you like.
As usual, feel free to:
Comment,
Critique,
Speculate, and
Help.

dropping a cellphone into a prison isn't as absurd as you might think: Quadcopter used to drop Drugs into Dublin Jail

But unfortunately this isn't the first time and won't be the last time nonsense like that on NCIS happens, it's happened with AI, Robots, Hackers, 3D printers, etc, etc ,etc and anything else you can think of that is considered a "fringe" topic

The best thing that you can do is what organisations like flitetest and Make and other grass root projects are already doing, demystify the topic and engage and educate people who can be, be as approachable as possible when you are out flying and most of all be as courteous of people and mindful of your environment when you do fly.


edit: also, when you come across someone flying dangerously or doing something stupid and its safe to do so, try to engage them and point them to places like flitetest or rcgroups, you are unlikely to do much to change how they behave by admonishing them in person, but they might actually educate themselves once they are introduced to a place they can find the material and people to teach them.