Is Model Aviation inadvertantly fanning the anti-drone flames?
#51
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Harvey
Last edited by H5487; 08-31-2015 at 08:09 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.
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#58
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.
#59
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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.
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.
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#60
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.
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.
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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!
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.
#63
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"...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.
...
...
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.
#64
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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!
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!
http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KX8cuGiQb4Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
#65
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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
Harv
Last edited by H5487; 08-31-2015 at 01:25 PM.
#66
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,
John M,
Last edited by John_M_; 08-31-2015 at 02:59 PM.
#67
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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>
http://<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KX8cuGiQb4Y" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
#69
Didn't help Gyro But RC Depot has turned their heli business into a quad/multicopter juggernaut!!
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.
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.
#70
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Just got the AMA mag for Sept...late as usual. No MR on the cover.
#71
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.
#72
#73
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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.
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.
#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.
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.
#75
Mike
Last edited by rcmiket; 09-01-2015 at 03:41 AM.