Not a Joke

[RCrazy]

This might seem like a joke, but it’s not. Sorry if I upset anyone by posting this here but we need to be desperate about this and plus this thread has a lot of action so I’m abusing it but hopefully for the right reasons.

Just got thru watching RCModel Reviews rant that must be watched by all hobbiests in this country. It has to do with our hobby not being at all represented at a meeting basically discussing how to take away our modeling airspace exemption we’ve had for decades in order to make room for the burgeoning commercial UAV industry. If we are not careful we will get “bought” out of our airspace in order to make a few more rich folks richer. As usual in this country money means power and the powerful don’t care about anything but more power in order to get more money. This was as big a venue I could think of to spread the word. We cannot hope this goes away, a few nucklehead politicians that don’t know squat about our hobby will run us over in short order if we don’t do something. And NO, AMA was not at this table so we cannot wait for them to save the day.

This is the link to the YouTube video for RCModel Reviews which is nice cause he breaks down basically what was said by the buerocracts. Here’s a link to the full video of the meeting.

Flitetest family, we have to stand up and do it now before it’s to late. HELP!!!

 

[LitterBug]

Ok, I've been saying this exact same thing all along. It's not a safety thing, It's a power grab commercialization thing. I get that you are concerned, as are we, but did you really need to post it in EVERY single forum?

Please, contact your local representatives and voice your concerns.

LitterBug

 

[PsyBorg]

Seconded.

I said this was all nothing but another money grab who has the power thing the second they announced drone registration.

As LB said spam your representaives is the most you/ we can do. Other then that it is more like trying to kill Godzilla with a box of rubberbands.

 

[JimCR120]

I listened to the rant and the recording he provided. All of the complaints aside I do have a concern that I think needs to be considered. What should be done to protect against attacks when (not if) drones become weaponized by people who would do us harm?

 

[cranialrectosis]

I listened to the rant and the recording he provided. All of the complaints aside I do have a concern that I think needs to be considered. What should be done to protect against attacks when (not if) drones become weaponized by people who would do us harm?

Arm yourself and carry a tennis racket!?!?!?!

 

[JimCR120]

I don't know if there is much that can be done for an average citizen to defend himself but I'm thinking more about higher value targets. I don't have the answers but nevertheless I think it's only a matter of time until we see a report of an attack where a drone is used. My question is what would be reasonable preventative measures that we would consider acceptable for the sake of safety.

 

[Flying Monkey fab]

Same as everything else, avoid large groups that would be attractive to this type.

 

[sprzout]

I listened to the rant and the recording he provided. All of the complaints aside I do have a concern that I think needs to be considered. What should be done to protect against attacks when (not if) drones become weaponized by people who would do us harm?

Already happening, but not here in the U.S. There are already private companies training military and private security against this. And it's not just quadcopters - ANY RC vehicle, from a plane to a glider to a wing to a truck to a truggy to an RC tank can be weaponized. If you're going to be that paranoid, kill the entire hobby, kill off your maker spaces, kill off TV shows like Battlebots, kill off self-driving cars...

I'm going to tell you what my therapist said to me recently:

"Stop playing 'What if' and live life. If you constantly worry about the next mass shooting, you'll never go out of the house. If you constantly think of being attacked by someone, you'll develop ulcers and have a heart attack."

Seriously. I feel it was some good advice she gave me, to try and help straighten me out of my clinical depression, and I think it'd definitely apply here. Live life, enjoy your flights.

 

[JimCR120]

I don't think asking "what if" about certain scenarios needs to drive us to extremes. People take precautions to avoid unneccessary risks and that is all I am after, managing risk in a more proactive manner instead of waiting for something to happen.

Your therapist makes a good point; if one becomes incapacitated by fear then another solution needs to be sought but I would add that not even considering the dangers and throwing caution to the wind is another extreme to be avoided. I would rather try and fail then not try at all. Maybe we don't need everyone on this but prudence dictates at least someone consider the potential danger. Isn't that what we want our government doing at the very minimum as its purpose for existing, "provide for the common defense"?

I don't think we could make ourselves target proof but I'm sure there are steps we could take to make ourselves less attractive as targets thereby making us safer.

 

[LitterBug]

The problem I see is it is all about squashing 336 to open it up for corporate interests rather than looking at this all from a safety standpoint.

 

[LitterBug]

I'm guessing most people only saw the sound bite clips and did not actually watch the whole video of the round table. Clearly if they had, they would have seen the part of the discussion that starts around 1:47:30

Maybe we should all be looking at the big picture rather than just sound bites and just continue flying responsibly.

 

[PsyBorg]

Evil people will do evil things. That will never stop. Yes at some point there will be a hobby grade drone strike. The media hype and governmental fear mongering has already set that in motion. Just like the mass shootings.

To be honest hobby grade attacks will not go much beyond "harassment" level as that is far to ineffecient method.

Any real attacks will be infrastructure attacks and there is far too much unauthorized surveylance going on for most attacts on that scale to succeed.

This is all (once again) nothing but a money grab by our (at this point) very questionable government and the special intrest groups that own them.

@Jim think back to NBC training. Its more likely for someone really wanting to do harm walking thru / around a stadium or city with an aerosol can then a minor attack with a c-4 laden rc toy.

Bottom line is more government control over people not smart enough to think or stand up for themselves. Its all just more money and control for the ones who really run the world and it governments.

How much of your income goes into legally mandated extortion called insurance.

Finally... there are far to many stupid people as well as criminals in this world now. Drone delivery will last all of 6 months at most before property loss and injury law suits tank the whole thing.

 

[sprzout]

I don't think asking "what if" about certain scenarios needs to drive us to extremes. People take precautions to avoid unneccessary risks and that is all I am after, managing risk in a more proactive manner instead of waiting for something to happen.

Your therapist makes a good point; if one becomes incapacitated by fear then another solution needs to be sought but I would add that not even considering the dangers and throwing caution to the wind is another extreme to be avoided. I would rather try and fail then not try at all. Maybe we don't need everyone on this but prudence dictates at least someone consider the potential danger. Isn't that what we want our government doing at the very minimum as its purpose for existing, "provide for the common defense"?

I don't think we could make ourselves target proof but I'm sure there are steps we could take to make ourselves less attractive as targets thereby making us safer.

The problem with government legislation is that they tend to either do nothing at all, or are overly protective. They'll take the drones and say, "Ok, fine, easiest solution - ban all RC flight. There, see, we did something! It stops us and makes us safe!" Then there will be hue and cry from us in the hobby, illegal flights for enjoyment, and arguments within government until it eventually changes - months or years later.

This is why I'm trying to tell people not to charge to the extreme; government seems to be doing just that as of late with various political issues. And this is exactly to litterbug's point - the sound bites are all everyone seems to be focusing on, rather than the whole of the "meal", so to speak.

 

[JimCR120]

This is why I'm trying to tell people not to charge to the extreme; government seems to be doing just that as of late with various political issues.

I agree. The thing is mankind seems prone to going to extremes/overcorrecting. Now that we see a potential problem and what we don't want to see happen I think we need to focus on what it is that we do recommend taking into account the reality of evil. Honestly, if I were in office I don't think hobbies would be high on my list of priorities among all the things broken with our system. Discussing these things here could help us have a better conversation on those occasions when we actually get an opportunity to talk to someone in office who could use some inside advice/wisdom.

 

[PsyBorg]

The whole key to that will be showing them why they should care in the first place. Specially about something that does not directly effect them in their cubicle based lives.

 

[cranialrectosis]

Honestly, if I were in office I don't think hobbies would be high on my list of priorities among all the things broken with our system.

This is the problem. Liberty is the ability to live your life without needing to get permission or a license.

RC flight is a little symptom of a much larger problem.

 

[JimCR120]

It's always easy to say someone else should care, but we are the ones with the invested interest. We have to make a case and we have to be able to articulate it well enough for others to take the ball we want to pass them and run with it.

Is there a suggestion of what should be done?

 

[sprzout]

I agree. The thing is mankind seems prone to going to extremes/overcorrecting. Now that we see a potential problem and what we don't want to see happen I think we need to focus on what it is that we do recommend taking into account the reality of evil. Honestly, if I were in office I don't think hobbies would be high on my list of priorities among all the things broken with our system. Discussing these things here could help us have a better conversation on those occasions when we actually get an opportunity to talk to someone in office who could use some inside advice/wisdom.

Honestly? Hobbies are one of the first things I'd look into as a politician. Call me calloused, call me manipulative, call it Machiavellian, but people who are focused on hobbies and relaxation tend not to stress so much about the bigger things, and tend not to get as violent. When people have too much free time on their hands and they don't know what to do with it, that's when you start seeing things like crime go up, protests happen, people scuffle (or worse) with other people over skin color/sex/whether to eat a hard boiled egg from the top or the bottom (there's a literary reference for anyone who might get it LOL).

That's also why I won't ever run for office - I have too many hobbies and too many interests to get sucked into all the legalities of taking things away, like oil based paint, or incandescent bulbs (which have a different light color and temperature than fluorescent and LED bulbs), or...I dunno, block the ability of transmitters and receivers from utilizing the 2.4ghz spectrum because it interferes with Starbucks Wifi. Yeah, that last one hasn't happened, but can you imagine if it did? All of us in the hobby would be screwed, because there's a LOT more people who drink coffee and utilize the free Wifi at Starbucks...Think of all of those aspiring novelists...LOL again, hobbies!!!

 

[Captain Video]

Hi Fellow RC folks:
I attended a AAA Columbus Clippers baseball game Sunday and it was Aeronautical theme day. One of the local RC sites, Dineen Field represented. Among others was a table from the FAA. I had a nice chat about Drone vs fixed wing and the FAA role in the RC hobby. They did not offer many opinions and got many politically correct answers but they indicated the FAA was not here to police the model aircraft industry. As long as you follow the rules they are ok with the hobby. I was wearing my Flite Test cap so they knew my agenda. I even suggested someone from the FAA should get on a Flite Test blog to help dispel any misconceptions.