Drones over public area?

Bigpops said:
I CANNOT BELIEVE WHAT I JUST READ!

The LAST place you should be flying is over anyone's head. Especially not somewhere busy like Blackpool.

Why would you even think of doing something like that?
What if your battery dies?
What if you radio link fails?
What if your GPS goes mental and it flies off into someone or their property?

All of those things can and do happen.

Be responsible. Join a club, get insurance.
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Also, what if a prop snaps? Quite common. I'd love to see him get a quad down on 3 props on the £2.5k radio he doesn't own ...
 
tribz said:
When I was taking flying lessons, the tower (airport) put us in a hold around Blackpool tower a few times and probably not too far from those heights.
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It would have to be at least 500' above those heights or you would be in breach of rule 5 :)
 
Bigpops said:
I'm sure it is. I'd love to do it myself, but it's irresponsible, potentially dangerous, and I'm pretty sure it's also illegal.
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No it isn't. Why do you think it's illegal?

Assuming you remembered to charge it, connect it, and that it actually works when it's needed
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Charging and connecting it - really? That's what pre-flight checks are for.

Practically zero isn't zero. The 18MZ might be the flagship Futaba radio, but it still uses FASST(est) same as the 14SG and 8FG, and there isn't a 2.4GHz system out there that hasn't failed at some point without warning.
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That's when the auto R2B kicks in :rolleyes:

I know how these things work.
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Doesn't sound like it.

I also know that the majority of people that fly them can't fly them in manual mode (no self level, no GPS, no compass, no barometer).
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Compared to 3D heli flying, quads are a piece of **** to fly.

Again, you're relying on technology to bring it back.
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Well, derrrrr. Quads ARE technology.

Flight controllers fail. Without artificial stabilisation, multi-rotors are un-flyable.
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Mine can land if one rotor dies and I could get it out to sea if two died. Plus, that's that's why you have redundant systems for anything you're going to be flying over built up areas.

If you are in a club, then you know the insurance is only valid with the land owners permission.
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That's an absolute pile of tosh.

Did Blackpool council give you permission?
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They don't need to.


Sorry pal, but you're talking a load of utter codswallop.


Skeeter said:
Defend it all you like amigafan, that video is squarely in the 'flying like a ****' and 'the kind of stuff that's going to get FPV/Multirotors banned' camp.
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Yeah - whatever :p

I'd best make sure I continue to enjoy it before it's banned then :D
 
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amigafan2003 said:
Yeah - whatever :p

I'd best make sure I continue to enjoy it before it's banned then :D
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I've just bought myself a quad for this reason.

Promoting dangerous flying and encouraging people to fly in an inappropriate and irresponsible way is only going to speed up a ban. And then it will be your own fault.
 
amigafan2003 said:
I fly my quad everywhere - circled Blackpool Tower @ 500ft at the weekend :-)

The only restrictions on flight are if you're near an airport. There isn't even an altitude ceiling for hobbyist use.
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Got a video, we can send it to the CAA to see if it's legal. :p
 
Cuchulain said:
Also, what if a prop snaps? Quite common. I'd love to see him get a quad down on 3 props on the £2.5k radio he doesn't own ...
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The stuff on the quad isn't £2.5k (you don't put the handset on the quad do you?). It's not common for my props to snap - but then I'd hope not for £300 a pop!

Plus, it can land on three props and is semi controllable on 2 - controlable enough to dump over the sea for example.
 
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Cosimo said:
Got a video, we can send it to the CAA to see if it's legal. :p
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Did you read the thread? It's been on you tube for over a year, I'm sure the CAA have had a nosey by now :-)

Anyhow, I think there's been some confusion - that's not my video - I just linked it as an example. But as far as I can tell - that flight isn't necessarily illegal - for all we know that guy could hold a pilots license - which would entitle him to fly in a lot of places and with lots of different equipment that regular Joe Public can't.
 
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Its not about whats legal, its about being an idiot and doing things people consider dodgy or flat out unacceptable which means it then gets made illegal.

If everyone with a quad starts thinking its fine to buzz pedestrians and traffic, fly completely blind, or just be a ****, then you can guarantee they will amend the law to stop it. Its the responsibility of those into the hobby to act responsibly to ensure they don't screw it up for everyone else. Like the FAA making moves to ban FPV in the US following a string of fools with Phantoms being nobbish.
 
Skeeter said:
Its not about whats legal, its about being an idiot and doing things people consider dodgy or flat out unacceptable which means it then gets made illegal.

If everyone with a quad starts thinking its fine to buzz pedestrians and traffic, fly completely blind, or just be a ****, then you can guarantee they will amend the law to stop it. Its the responsibility of those into the hobby to act responsibly to ensure they don't screw it up for everyone else. Like the FAA making moves to ban FPV in the US following a string of fools with Phantoms being nobbish.
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Preach on brother, couldn't have said it myself.

Just because being a **** isn't illegal doesn't mean you should be one.

Common sense seems to be becoming less common and more of an art lately.
 
neodude said:
Check these links...

http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1995&pageid=11185
http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1995&pageid=16012

For anything less than 20kg most of the rules don't apply. But you DO need permission if flying close to congested areas and/or people.
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And you can't go over 400 feet high unless you have a spotter in which case (when doing fpv) you can go up to 1000 feet as has already been mentioned near the top of the same page of this thread. (3)

http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/ORS4 No. 1011 Small Unmanned Aircraft.pdf
 
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I'm sure it will become a reality in the not too distant future, to protect us from all of those (tens of) British Muslim Terrorists who have just got back from slaughtering people in the ME and that are suddenly hiding in every housing estate of course.
 
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FunkyCowie said:
Out of curiosity where does it say that in their rules?

I know you need to get certification for flying for any type of returned compensation, ie being paid for it, but I thought the same rules applied. :)
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The person in charge of a small unmanned surveillance aircraft must not fly the aircraft in any of the circumstances described in paragraph (2) except in accordance with a permission issued by the CAA.
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The aircraft must be kept within the visual line of sight (normally taken to be within 500 m horizontally and 400 ft vertically) of its remote pilot (i.e. the ‘person in charge’ of it). Operations beyond these distances must be approved by the CAA (the basic premise being for the operator to prove that he/she can do this safely).
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Small unmanned aircraft (irrespective of their mass) that are being used for surveillance purposes are subject to tighter restrictions with regard to the minimum distances that you can fly near people or properties that are not under your control. If you wish to fly within these minima, permission is required from the CAA before operations are commenced.
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But I'm out of the thread, fed up arguing - gonna do some flying instead :-)
 
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