Flew my drone through a firework display
- Thread starter rotorvista
- Start date
Old Man
Active Member
Not as dumb as having a Giant Scale 3d RC contest with a night time fireworks display with people flying RC helis and 30lb+ airplanes though the detonation zone while the fireworks are being deployed. The planes have the ability to glide into the crowd after having power knocked out or corkscrew towards anywhere if the empennage is damaged.
SamaraMedia
Active Member
Attachments
Old Man
Active Member
Considering that appears to have been Tweeted by one of the more prolific retailers of DJI products, Atlanta Hobby, it shows we have serious problems being generated at the large hobby retailer level as well as the end users. Might be a good time to lean all over companies like Atlanta Hobby to develop a higher level of product liability awareness.
Old Man
Active Member
Time to lean hard on Atlanta Hobby, one of the more prolific DJI retailers in the U.S. E-mails stating your dissatisfaction with their promotion of unsafe aerial activities and refusal to purchase from them in the future, along with leveraging friends and others in the hobby to do the same, just might have them looking at better business practices that recognize product liability/public safety issues and promoting user safe operations in the future.
ReadyQuadcopter
New Member
This footage is spectacular but it makes me concerned with what future rules might arise with regards to flying... Also, what is up with the music?
Amen!
So everyone is spazzing out about sUAV's being sold on the cheap like the DJI Phantom's and the few other's on the market.
What about r/c helicopter and r/c planes? I see those being sold all the time but i don't remember anyone ever saying anything about them...
Heck last month a nice $2000 r/c helicopter was sold to some 15 year old kit when i was picking up some plugs/wires at the local hobby store...
Old Man
Active Member
I don't think there's anything wrong with selling them, but to fail to address the responsibilities and risks to buyers and spectators at point of sale is another issue altogether. How many sellers provide any kind of operational info to buyers? Lacking knowledge and education people will fail to recognize they acquired responsibilities with their newly acquired "toy".
Old Man
Active Member
Atlanta Hobby denies responsibility for the Tweet and stated they are on the rule making committee and that no FAR's were broken.....
Atlanta Hobby To Me
Today at 1:07 PM
Thanks Patrick,
As a 10,000+ hour pilot and a member of the rule making committee with the FAA and AMA. That was not our tweet but it also broke no FARs.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 6, 2014, at 13:58, "Atlanta Hobby" <sales@atlantahobby.com> wrote:
Atlanta Hobby To Me
Today at 1:07 PM
Thanks Patrick,
As a 10,000+ hour pilot and a member of the rule making committee with the FAA and AMA. That was not our tweet but it also broke no FARs.
Sent from my iPhone
On Jul 6, 2014, at 13:58, "Atlanta Hobby" <sales@atlantahobby.com> wrote:
But it's been like that for a LONG time and i never recall people (and the media) freaking out about r/c cars, r/c planes or r/c helicopters... but suddenly we have cheaper multirotors and it's the end of America as we know it...
I can't help but do this:
Old Man
Active Member
Ronan,
Your point is of course valid in the broad sense but until the advent of relatively inexpensive, self stabilized MR's this wasn't much of a problem. RC cars can be pretty hard on curbs and fences but RC helis and airplanes had, and still have, a tendency to take a dirt nap long before achieving altitude over an unsuspecting crowd. The smaller electric planes and helis are typically too light and too slow to be much of a threat to much other than spectator eyesight, which is of course very, very bad, but usually don't have the potential for causing death. Until MR's we didn't experiencing idiots launching them over crowds in the middle of cities. Idiots utilizing FPV to do whatever they wanted wherever they wanted was predicted a long, long time ago to become a serious issue that would have great and negative impact on the aerial RC enthusiast. I've been deeply involved in aerial RC activities for well over 45 years and until this past year or so never, ever, heard of or experienced anything like what we are seeing now.
Your point is of course valid in the broad sense but until the advent of relatively inexpensive, self stabilized MR's this wasn't much of a problem. RC cars can be pretty hard on curbs and fences but RC helis and airplanes had, and still have, a tendency to take a dirt nap long before achieving altitude over an unsuspecting crowd. The smaller electric planes and helis are typically too light and too slow to be much of a threat to much other than spectator eyesight, which is of course very, very bad, but usually don't have the potential for causing death. Until MR's we didn't experiencing idiots launching them over crowds in the middle of cities. Idiots utilizing FPV to do whatever they wanted wherever they wanted was predicted a long, long time ago to become a serious issue that would have great and negative impact on the aerial RC enthusiast. I've been deeply involved in aerial RC activities for well over 45 years and until this past year or so never, ever, heard of or experienced anything like what we are seeing now.
So the big bad drones (i saw a news report how a 75 lb phantom 2 was used, no kidding, 75 lb!!! lol) are not to blame, but just idiots. We have those idiots using other r/c vehicles and even driving cars, so i fail to see the problem. They do/act badly, punish them, just the same as everything else in this country (and how other countries are doing it).
Old Man
Active Member
A little indirect, but I see where you're going and I have to say I generally agree. Let the municipalities form their own regulations for these activities and prosecute accordingly. Concur 100%. However, our government prefers federalizing everything it can, and if not specifically permitted, prohibit the activity or legislate fees for permitted use. Worst case is only permit those that have barrels of money to contribute in whatever format to play in a particular playground. Without major political contributions people should not be able to play. Where airspace is concerned the FAA has owned all of it since the responsibility was handed over to them by the original CAA.
So, do we advocate for individual registration numbers applied at time of sale to each new model sold? How about registering motors, FC's and ESC's at time of sale? Something like that is probably coming in one form or another because outside of an outright ban of the products that's the only way various authority groups will be able to track and apprehend people that think public safety is something only applicable to others, with themselves exempt.
Bear in mind I like the way you think but logic is always defied by a government.
So, do we advocate for individual registration numbers applied at time of sale to each new model sold? How about registering motors, FC's and ESC's at time of sale? Something like that is probably coming in one form or another because outside of an outright ban of the products that's the only way various authority groups will be able to track and apprehend people that think public safety is something only applicable to others, with themselves exempt.
Bear in mind I like the way you think but logic is always defied by a government.
Well i'm just waiting for them to step on the toes of my clients, then we will see how long the FAA last with their counter productive work flow.
Buzz_Roavr
Member
Bit hard to do that when your above fireworks, in the dark and you have no idea on orientation! Even with fpv I think you'd struggle in a flyaway situation.
I agree with your other points though. I'm just about to write an article for a UK outdoor magazine. Phantoms (and the like) are being used extensively up in the mountains now for filming climbing etc.
dazzab
Member
I don't see people being ridiculed for doing new things. However I do see people being ridiculed for not having a clue what they are doing and putting others in danger. The fireworks video had a lot of other footage flying over a huge crowd of people. There have been comments that it was in a restricted area, that the organisers hired the person etc. I saw a video of the operator being interviewed and he had no idea that anything he did was unsafe. I would think that just plain old common sense would kick in and you wouldn't need anyone to tell you that flying a Phantom over crowds of people via FPV beyond line of sight at night probably isn't sensible. Personally, I'd like to see this person charged and fined. Now that would be some good footage.
stitch1615
Member
In most of Florida, fireworks are illegal unless set off by a qualified pyrotechnician but they set up huge tents to sell them everywhere. They make you sign a waiver that states that you are qualified. No verification, but once you sign it they are supposedly off the hook.
Following the first law suit, or before, I see this coming for manufactures and sellers of multi's which puts the responsibility wholly on the multi operator plus they can tack on a new charge of falsifying records.
It's gonna get ugly so enjoy it while it last then take up painting or knitting or go back to self pleasuring. (That'll be my choice.)
Av8Chuck
Member
Aircraft are not banned from flying near fireworks, not in the US anyway and obviously you've never had a flyaway, switching to manual has no effect. And I have two flyaway's worth of research.
gtranquilla
RadioActive
6.5 Million viewers to date and climbing rapidly!
If all the regulatory requirements were met, I would assume this was all people/property safe relative to the the restricted ballistic zone directly below the fireworks where no people or vehicles were allowed.
Once again this puts MRs as well as DJI on the map for all to notice.
If all the regulatory requirements were met, I would assume this was all people/property safe relative to the the restricted ballistic zone directly below the fireworks where no people or vehicles were allowed.
Once again this puts MRs as well as DJI on the map for all to notice.