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No probs, and thanks! We're not done with the review yet though. I think I'll explore the back half of my California property tomorrow to view a small heard of deer that have taken up residence there.

So... I broke down and went out to fly the Chroma today. No wind, early afternoon, a totally unobstructed flying area at a friends private runway. Hadn't seen the guy in 9 years so the logical thing to do was tool over there and ask to borrow his runway... Birds of a feather and all that, no...

Interesting thoughts and blend a little with a conversation I had with a couple of California Highway Patrol officers I had last night while helping a neighbor with a broke down vehicle on the highway. One of them was interested in obtaining a "drone" that he could fit a Go Pro to, but didn't...

Tarot

No sir, I have not.

OTH, how does it all work out if people like Aerovironment manage to stack the rule deck with the feds to assure standards used for thier types of equipment are applicable to all aerial equipment?;)

Chuck, Really great to see you back!!!:) Chuck raises a good point about "stupid". It can be found in every walk of life and will always be readily available for view. However, I disagree with him on one point. My experiences have a well maintained full scale anything more reliable than a...

Without knowing the details for the single motor and the propeller design it's hard to say but using a high aspect ratio wing a 1200w engine can handle a 50 pound plane for hours on end with no problem. No rolling take off or landing but once launched it can fly with authority until the fuel...

And apparently they are thinking abut a more practically designed lifting body. I was wondering when someone would stop using motors for the primary thrust source once the aircraft was off the ground. You only really need to vertical lift motors for landing and lift off, or hover operations...

There's adequate evidence to support that such a dingbat has already made the purchase, but has thus far failed to execute (or be reported as executed) in a manner that eliminated any doubt. I fear that perhaps the child's eye event is only the first of what will become many. In the beginning...

Your company was not alone in that practice. Cheap beats experience in the Harvard school of business, and is why expensive mistakes are repeated so often. When I was a field service rep I frequently railed the engineers for their shortfalls and failures. When injuries took me out of the...

Actually, they do. Using recent press releases of Scan Eagle activities, an <55lb aircraft with exceptional BLOS capability. At least 4 areas have been well represented thus far; SAR, pipeline and oil field inspection, rail way inspections, wild fire oversight, and marine mammal research. All...

Whether you are aware or not, the FAA has been working extremely close with a couple of sUAS firms to develop the equipment and operating standards for sUAS ops. Several systems are being operated literally on a daily basis with the FAA in constant attendance and receiving detailed reports and...

Dark Star, I believe the process is currently in play to level that playing field. Unfortunately I also believe those standards will be much higher than most of us will ever be able to participate in outside of the 333 process. We should be grateful to those outfits that got that process...

That's why we have "techs". Without them nothing would ever make it to market. The day we get more than 85% of a finished and functional design out of engineering will be the end of the world. We techs need the engineers do the difficult part of design and general fit of the new stuff that...

Blue Collar, I understand where you are coming from and the basis for your argument but the foundation is skewed. I'm not saying you are outright wrong but I truly disagree with your assessments. The only reduction in risk is to to the operator of the sUAS. Everyone else is still at risk, at...

I'm going to disagree with a previous post that saw this as just as accident. Based on the information in the article I view it as irresponsible operation that caused a terrible accident. If the operator had been more cognizant of his area conditions the aircraft would not have clipped the...

Scott, Glad you brought the Morrow event up. I remember it well. Something to consider with that one is it has always taken an event where people have died, and in some cases that have had high media visibility, for the DOT/FAA/NTSB to develop new safety regulations. Typically those are...

Another great point and one mostly over looked. I've been flying RC for the better part of 50 years and fires from crashed models was an extremely rare event. Until... Once models changed from a glow or even gasoline fuel source to a lithium battery fuel source fires from crashed planes and...

Some good points brought up in this thread thus far. Yet to be mentioned is that manned aviation is still the safest form of passenger transport available, by a considerable percentage. There was a position that manned aviation for low level ops was as dangerous as our MR's, but that's...