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kdsub -> RE: Droning Clarity... (7/5/2015 11:15:34 AM)
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DJI provides a list of no-fly zones plus a detailed set of rules and regulations for the safe flying of their drones. HERE is one of many operational and safety videos provided by DJI. Before I purchased mine I determined where and for what purpose I would be flying my drone then called the appropriate authorities to inquire of their regulations.
What I found was a wide difference in regulations. For instance State parks in Missouri only require you to fly at or below 400 feet of elevation... prohibit flying at low altitude where noise could bother visitors and over heavily populated areas... they do not specify line of sight navigation. My city regulations are below 400 feet and very vaguely, not where it could be considered a nuisance... they do not specify line of sight. For now the National Park Service prohibits the use of all drones until a later date when a set of rules and regulations will be instituted... They do not give a time line.
Now for practicalities ...
These are not toys... My drone, a DJI Phantom 3 Professional, is capable of reaching elevations above 20,000 feet with a speed of 30 MPH along with a 23 minute flight time per battery. It uses Lightbridge technology that allows remote real-time navigation using various devices from Ipads and Iphones to android cell phones and various tablets. They can be controlled line of sight to 2,000 meters and in good conditions up to 6,000 meters. When someone says line of sight that does not mean you can visually see your drone. You cannot see an object 2 feet across at 2000 meters... I can tell you it is almost impossible to see a 2 foot drone at 400 feet of elevation as well... if you take your eyes from the device to check your flight screen then it is almost impossible to re-acquire the drone visually. The software however provides a map with you and your aircraft's location plotted continually. It also provides an indicator to show how the aircraft is oriented so you can use the controls properly. It is very easy however to safely fly your drone by the high definition lightbridge pilot program... It is just like you are setting in a cockpit on board... cool stuff and feeling.
The above said the pilot control program is an excellent piece of software with many fail-safe controls built into it. If you try to fly above 400 feet the program will automatically stop you at 400 feet with a warning and require you give it special permission to go higher... this is logged and can be used against you if an accident occurs. When the aircraft boots up is saves a home point and the aircraft will automatically return and land at this point if...The aircraft looses contact with the controller for 2 seconds... a home button is pressed on the controller... or the power reaches a level where it has only enough to get back to the home point. You can pre-set an altitude for these maneuvers. For instance if you are in an area where the highest obstruction is 200 feet you set the return altitude above this and when the automatic conditions are meet the aircraft will ascend to your pre-set altitude and return and land at the home point with no input from the pilot.
Producers and operators alike are aware of the public perception of drones and are doing there best to educate and train their operators for safe responsible operation... BUT... there will always be those that use this new technology irresponsibly and I can only hope they don't ruin it for for others.
Butch
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