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Is Model Aviation inadvertantly fanning the anti-drone flames?

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Is Model Aviation inadvertantly fanning the anti-drone flames?

Old 08-31-2015, 08:07 AM
  #51  
H5487
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Originally Posted by porcia83
The fact is you don't know what the "vast majority" of these things are used for, legally or otherwise...nobody does.
I tend to agree. However, it's those that are caught being misused are the ones that the sensationalism-driven media makes sure everyone hears about!

Harvey

Last edited by H5487; 08-31-2015 at 08:09 AM.
Old 08-31-2015, 08:18 AM
  #52  
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Fair enough, but there are "good" stories out there too about how these can and will be used in a positive manner. The public's mind will be made up one way or another, to some degree regardless of what we do. We (folks in the hobby, AMA affiliated or not) can't hurt any effort by flying in an appropriate and safe and responsible manner though.
Old 08-31-2015, 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by porcia83
We (folks in the hobby, AMA affiliated or not) can't hurt any effort by flying in an appropriate and safe and responsible manner though.
And you can bet the media won't give us one iota of credit for it!
Harvey
Old 08-31-2015, 09:08 AM
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Originally Posted by porcia83
Did you have to walk to school too, in snow, backwards, 5 miles?

Plus it was uphill and into the wind both directions AND I had to walk home for lunch. The snow was especially bad in summer in Phoenix ;-)

Last edited by Silent-AV8R; 09-01-2015 at 07:35 AM.
Old 08-31-2015, 09:21 AM
  #55  
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In response to the original post: Norman Rockwell was the magazine illustrator.

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Old 08-31-2015, 09:27 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by Silent-AV8R
Plus it was uphill and into the wind both directions NAD I had to walk home for lunch. The snow was especially bad in summer in Phoenix ;-)
Oh the humanity !!! haha...
Old 08-31-2015, 09:47 AM
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Originally Posted by LazeeAce
In response to the original post: Norman Rockwell was the magazine illustrator.
Yes, you are correct. That was a brain fart on my part!

Harvey

Sorry, I didn't mean to rhyme!
Old 08-31-2015, 10:57 AM
  #58  
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I trained 3 newbies last month who had bought the higher priced quadcopters. Once I trained them to fly on my LT-40 (no stabilization gizmos), they said their quadcopters were much too boring in comparison. One said he will continue using his, but only for aerial photography purposes. One other newbie I trained did indeed have a trainer with the stabilization feature. He almost gave up the hobby when he crashed into things and after several repairs, he got disorientated and it flew away, as of yet, never to be found. BTW, in my experience training folks who tried to teach themselves, loved to bang the sticks around since they didn't have anyone to explain how to properly move the control levers.
Old 08-31-2015, 11:26 AM
  #59  
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Originally Posted by Silent-AV8R
There is no question that the AMA has had a major focus shift the last couple of years as they try to embrace the multirotor community in an attempt to stay relevant and viable. I think some of it is the AMA taking a "if you can't beat them" type of attitude. They understand that a huge number of these things are being sold and are trying to help to corral them in and foster safe operating habits of their owners. I believe this effort is failing miserably because just like the ill-fated Park Pilot program the new drone owner has very little reason to join the AMA. They are not dependent on clubs for a flying site, do not need the AMA competitions structure, and could not care less about the insurance benefit.
I agree. The entire mentality is a carbon copy of the Park Pilot fiasco. In this case, the drone guys are even FURTHER away from a traditional modeler mindset. They are not modelers, they are social media junkies. If the thing did not have a camera and a place to post the video and get comments and "likes" they would not even be doing it.

Originally Posted by Silent-AV8R


To be clear, I own multicopters and enjoy using them to take photos/videos. They are an interesting new technology and can be a great hobby. But they are NOT the hobby of flying model aircraft that I have enjoyed for 49 years now. In the AMA's attempt to embrace this new hobby and to bring it under their umbrella (most of the drone people do not even recognize it is raining) I think they have lost sight of the large number of traditional modelers who have formed and sustained the AMA for over 6 decades.

.
I agree, I have them too. The technology is very interesting. But I agree with you. A semi autonomous camera platform, feeding an insatiable need to post videos to the social media juggernaut is not modeling. It is an entirely different hobby, and I am sure it can afford its own advocacy organization, be it member based or (more likely) trade based
Old 08-31-2015, 11:36 AM
  #60  
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Multi-Rotor aircraft are helping to keep your local hobby shop alive.

Once the good 'ol boys click at your local fields figure out how to interact with new people, you will be doing the hobby a great service.
Old 08-31-2015, 11:44 AM
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Originally Posted by mr_matt
A semi autonomous camera platform, feeding an insatiable need to post videos to the social media juggernaut is not modeling. It is an entirely different hobby, and I am sure it can afford its own advocacy organization, be it member based or (more likely) trade based
Perhaps so but the reality is that they are going to be considered part of the Model Airplane by the general public, the media, and the FAA. Good or bad, they're one of our own!

Harvey
Old 08-31-2015, 11:50 AM
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Originally Posted by TimJ
Multi-Rotor aircraft are helping to keep your local hobby shop alive.
Probably not the local hobby shop as much as the internet!

Originally Posted by TimJ
Once the good 'ol boys click at your local fields figure out how to interact with new people, you will be doing the hobby a great service.
I seriously doubt that the multi-rotor guys will be flocking to their local club's fields. They don't NEED a runway, they don't NEED flight instruction, and they don't NEED anyone telling them what they can and cannot do. And more importantly, the targets of their cameras are NOT beer bellies!

Last edited by H5487; 08-31-2015 at 11:54 AM.
Old 08-31-2015, 11:56 AM
  #63  
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Originally Posted by mr_matt
"...The entire mentality is a carbon copy of the Park Pilot fiasco. In this case, the drone guys are even FURTHER away from a traditional modeler mindset. They are not modelers, they are social media junkies. If the thing did not have a camera and a place to post the video and get comments and "likes" they would not even be doing it.
...
I don't get the hit on the Park Pilot program, or why you feel it was a fiasco. Not sure if you meant that those folks are far away from the traditional modeler mindset, or or not modelers to some degree. Plenty of smaller airplanes can he scratch built and flown in parks.

But that issue aside, how did looking for more members who might not want to get into a full fledged AMA membership become a bad thing? They get some layer of coverage, and also pay dues to the AMA. Perhaps they don't want to deal with bigger airplanes, and the politics of a club.

Unless an obscene amount of money was spent on that program, and it failed in some demonstrable way, what is the downside to this program? I honestly don't see it.
Old 08-31-2015, 11:59 AM
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Originally Posted by H5487
Probably not the local hobby shop as much as the internet!


I seriously doubt that the multi-rotor guys will be flocking to their local club's fields. They don't NEED a runway, they don't NEED flight instruction, and they don't NEED anyone telling them what they can and cannot do. And more importantly, the targets of their cameras are NOT beer bellies!
Don't know if this guy had a beer belly...but talk about an odd video. I'm not good with heights, all I could think about was this guy falling asleep and rolling over! It's a long way down.
http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KX8cuGiQb4Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Old 08-31-2015, 01:21 PM
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The drone pilot MIGHT have been the boss checking on why his maintenance man insisted that the town's wind turbine "needed a tuneup" for a couple of hours every day right after lunch.

Harv

Last edited by H5487; 08-31-2015 at 01:25 PM.
Old 08-31-2015, 02:57 PM
  #66  
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Anything can be misused; as long as man walks this earth, there will always be someone who thinks they can get way with it... we just had a drone pilot arrested out here in California, because he flew his multi-rotor too close to a police helicopter.... back when I was just starting out in this hobby, and the first large scale planes started appearing, there were several attempts to use them to bring pot across the Mexican boarder, I remember reading in the news paper about one instance where the boarded patrol shot down a large scale model after observing it flying back and forth across the boarder... a well placed shotgun shell brought it down, and the picture in the news paper showed the fuselage burst open with a bunch of pot bricks inside.




John M,

Last edited by John_M_; 08-31-2015 at 02:59 PM.
Old 08-31-2015, 03:31 PM
  #67  
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Originally Posted by porcia83
Don't know if this guy had a beer belly...but talk about an odd video. I'm not good with heights, all I could think about was this guy falling asleep and rolling over! It's a long way down.
http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KX8cuGiQb4Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
This video is disturbing on a multitude of levels. Just my $0.02
Old 08-31-2015, 04:31 PM
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I can't agree more...it's one thing then another. Just bizarre.
Old 08-31-2015, 04:49 PM
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Originally Posted by TimJ
Multi-Rotor aircraft are helping to keep your local hobby shop alive.
Didn't help Gyro But RC Depot has turned their heli business into a quad/multicopter juggernaut!!

Once the good 'ol boys click at your local fields figure out how to interact with new people, you will be doing the hobby a great service.
So few of these guys want to even go to a field to fly. They think it is boring. I have flown with a couple of dozen different MR operators here in South County. Not a one of them is an AMA members or is interested in becoming one. They all have zero interest in joining a club either. So it is not clear to me how they are going to save our hobby. As far as being drone friendly, OCMA certainly is, and that is a good thing. Although I find it interesting that the field does not enforce the AMA requirement for a spotter when flying FPV, but I have not seen it as an issue either.
Old 08-31-2015, 04:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Silent-AV8R
"..... So it is not clear to me how they are going to save our hobby...."
Where is that coming from? Who is pushing that narrative? Even the diehard MR users aren't saying that from what I've read here and elsewhere. The hobby was o/k before they came along, would have been o/k without them ever coming to be, and will continue to be o/k even with only a percentage of pure MR pilots joining the AMA. The internet, ARF and foamies, and electrics have probably done more to bring folks into the hobby over the past 10 years than anything else, even MRs.

Just got the AMA mag for Sept...late as usual. No MR on the cover.
Old 08-31-2015, 08:57 PM
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Here's a post from just tonight on the sUAS Regulations and Interpretations FB page:

get off your AMA box, no one in the FPV community wants to fly at an AMA field, nor should they be required to. Class G airspace is for everyone, below A/C height in other airspace is for everyone as well.
Old 08-31-2015, 08:59 PM
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Originally Posted by porcia83
Where is that coming from? Who is pushing that narrative?
I was responding in general to those that insist that we must embrace MR and FPV, even BLOS FPV if we want the hobby to survive. Adapt or die type of mentality.
Old 08-31-2015, 09:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Silent-AV8R
Here's a post from just tonight on the sUAS Regulations and Interpretations FB page:



get off your AMA box, no one in the FPV community wants to fly at an AMA field, nor should they be required to. Class G airspace is for everyone, below A/C height in other airspace is for everyone as well.
Yes and lets spend a million bucks of treasure on a fight we will never win, to help protect and defend these guys that will never join....unreal.
Old 09-01-2015, 12:11 AM
  #74  
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Personally i think the whole Drone and Multicopter wave is exciting .
The real issue is that these can be flown by almost anyone almost out of the box. so there is no preliminary discipline or learning required unlike with hard to fly helis and making/ assembling / fitting out planes etc
So there is naturally a rapid uptake, increase in sales/revenue and larger following and scope.
The ugly cousin of this positive aspect is the mug user has an easier role.

All we can hope to do is promote responsible and thoughtful usage of the Tech. maybe manufacturers should also print a common sense usage request "On the Box". But that's about it.

As anybody can buy and fly there is no perceived need to join a club, obtain instruction etc so in a way the the wonderful Rc hobby is a potential unwitting victim of itself.

All we can do is promote camaraderie aspects of joining a club, competition or shows by word of mouth, through forums, magazines, clubs and retailers.
Old 09-01-2015, 03:37 AM
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Originally Posted by Silent-AV8R
I was responding in general to those that insist that we must embrace MR and FPV, even BLOS FPV if we want the hobby to survive. Adapt or die type of mentality.
I believe that since most of these guys will never join the AMA or local clubs survival of the hobby does not depend on them,

Originally Posted by mr_matt
Yes and lets spend a million bucks of treasure on a fight we will never win, to help protect and defend these guys that will never join....unreal.
That is my big problem with the dues increase, I'm all for any increase that gives it's end user a better product and this ain't it. The Million is the tip of the iceberg it's just the beginning.

Mike

Last edited by rcmiket; 09-01-2015 at 03:41 AM.

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