Let’s All Watch a Drone Fall Out of the Sky and Smack a Person in the Face.

xuzme720

Dedicated foam bender
Mentor
This is exactly the reason people need to be educated on what is safe and proper to do with our aircraft and what is not. I have been tempted to fly near people to get footage of my wife's zumba classes from the sidelines but in the end, reason wins out, and I don't do it for exactly this reason. We have failures sometimes. We crash sometimes. Does that make me want to stop flying? NO! Does it make me cautious about how and where I fly? You betcha! If people would just think for themselves and actually use their head for more than a hatrack, we wouldn't even be having this discussion.
 

RichardEllis

New member
omg, i don't remember what video on youtube i was watching but it was a fpv copter i believe and someone jackass said they should ban fpv/drones for similar reason. He said it could fall on a car and kill someone....wtf? really? theres a lot of sh*t that could kill people these days and i don't think fpv flying is anywhere on the list of top killers or even killed anyone at that. I was so pissed i tried to post comment on him but the page said it was under maintenance, so upset i was, oh and he was russian i believe and the video was U.S. and had nothing to do with his input. Not to hate on russians by any means, but that guy....ugh
 

xuzme720

Dedicated foam bender
Mentor
Too many people over-reacting on this issue. COMPLETELY overreacting! I know with a full house octo flying a DSLR with carbon props and something like a 6S battery, you have something that is capable of doing some damage to people and/or property. Not very many of those around though, and of those that are, all have cost someone a lot of money and I'm sure they don't want to see them crash at all, much less into people. Our little hobby versions that are under a few kilos, worst case is some cuts from a spinning prop but very little mass to do any real damage much less kill someone. It doesn't mean we don't need to be careful how/where we fly, that will always be a factor.
Another other worry people have, is having cameras mounted on them will somehow violate peoples privacy. If you fly one or have been near a multi while it's flying, you know they are not very stealthy! It would be like sneaking up on someone with a running weedeater! Not to mention the privacy laws ALREADY in place to protect against exactly that. One thing most people DO NOT take into consideration, and usually aren't even aware of, is just how many times a day we are all video recorded or have our picture taken without us knowing, each and every day. I don't mean to make it sound paranoid and it's not "big brother" I'm talking about, although some of those pictures/videos are from traffic cams and government video/security cameras. Most of the pictures and videos are from other citizens cel phones. Look through your cel pictures and see how many people you don't know that are in the background of your own photos and vids. Not to mention devices like ATM's that also have cameras and most cities now have video cameras scattered around. For instance downtown Houston has cameras all over.
Another worry people have is "What if a terrorist straps a bomb to one?". True, this is a possibility, but you can fit a lot more explosive into a van or car, which are much more accessible and need much less time/money/skill to operate and I have yet to hear anyone screaming about outlawing vehicles! Besides, we all know how long it takes and the skill involved to get a multi into the air, trimmed out and flying well. If a terrorist wants to take that kind of time, there are so many other ways to achieve the same goal without the cost or hassle. It's back to effort vs. reward. Personally, I think a multicopter is a terrible terrorist platform and people need to know that. They really need to be aware of all these points...
 

RichardEllis

New member
now...now...xuzme watch what you say when talking about terrorists, someone is always watching and monitoring everything we do...lol But ya, agree completely on the situation at hand and no it isn't and shouldn't be a problem for our hobby, but hey, general public believe what they watch on the news for the most part.
 

brettp2004

New member
The bottom line problem here is that a lot of people are idiots. It has nothing to do with the multicopter, or "drones" as the media likes to use so much, it has to do with the stupid people controlling them. Just like guns, cars and a pair of scissors. Give them to an idiot and someone might get hurt. Lets ban idiots!
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
First, it was stupid and irresponsible of the pilot to fly over a crowd. Second, the tone of the writing is completely ridiculous. Phrases like, "aimless drone," and "flying robot" are nothing but inflammatory descriptors. This is not journalism.

Not to get off topic, but it was a "running of the bulls event." Sounds less than safe to me. And, in terms of things flying into crowds, a wheel or other component of a race car traveling near 200 mph is far more dangerous. Many people have been injured by these things. Again, not exactly on topic, but food for thought.

I think the reactions of many of those commenting are indicative of the state of journalism/politics today. People WANT to be outraged and are quick to jump on the outcry bandwagon. I see posts on facebook everyday, mostly related to politics, that are propaganda and worse. Many are complete fabrications. Yet, there is no shortage of people declaring the evil of the politician/policy.

Does it scare the hell out of anyone else that we are so easily manipulated?
 

xuzme720

Dedicated foam bender
Mentor
I think it is the fact that over the last few years, decades really, that people have started trying to make everyone happy. Anyone that cried "foul" was given priority. Look back and remember how they took God out of the school systems. I grant that God isn't for everyone, but for the majority, He is a part of their life.

Then for hurricane Katrina, New Orleans had ALL the cameras and news agencies riveted, while the Mississippi coast was actually much harder hit, all because New Orleans had people screaming that the Government hated blacks. Meanwhile, you had residents shooting at rescue choppers, cops looting right alongside those residents, and they were not looting for food. They were hitting the electronics stores, jewelry stores, you name it. We were there for rescue efforts to get cel sites back on line for e911 to work, with big portable generators, and had to have fully turned out National Guard troops so we didn't have any trouble with the locals. We were glad to have them too, since quite a few times we heard shots while we were in the city and one of the generators we were towing had a bullet hole in the sheet metal when we got to it's site!

Anyway, my point was that we have taken "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" to a completely new level, enough so that people WANT to be a part of the squeaky wheel, even if it makes no sense! It's like the gun issue. More people are killed everyday in auto accidents, far more than are killed by guns. Yet there is an outcry for banning guns. Why? Because people can't get along without their SUV's but need to be a part of the squeakiness. The sad thing is the most squeaking comes from the people with the most free time on their hands so the rest of us in the real world, with things that eat up our time, like jobs and hobbies, will never be able to put up a real defense. If only all people would think for themselves, weigh both sides of an issue, and then make a decision based on facts! For so much of our society as a whole, the decision making process is driven far too much by emotion and pandering, instead of thought and intelligence. The needs of the many actually do outweigh the needs of the few. This doesn't mean you mistreat the few, you just don't change policy to cater only to those few. By doing that, you basically retard and hobble your entire society. Personally, I think people have just forgotten that special treatment should be earned, and not just given without regards to actions. Look to the school systems again for this one, where everyone is a winner, from the child that actually worked hard and did well, down to the kid who did nothing but be a seat warmer. This is a big part of the problem. Rewarding mediocrity only breeds citizens that can only feel entitled and will not bother to strive for actual greatness. They'll tell you that it's important that the children don't feel left out or picked on, but what they are actually creating is far worse.
OK sorry...[rant/off]
 

earthsciteach

Moderator
Moderator
Think for yourself. Take time to look into an issue before weighing in on it. It really all comes down to critical thinking skills. We, in public education, do a horrible job of teaching those.