Drones

Doug627

Doug627

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Anyone here have drones? I just bought one a couple months ago. I recently got my Remote Pilot's license. I'm still learning to fly but enjoy it very much. I have replaced the propellers twice. Once from flying indoors (don't do that) and once outside when I hit my neighbor's backdoor post. What have been your experiences?
 
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I’m sure most people know about realtor photographers using drones for flyover pics of the house/property. IMO the pictures sell the properties just as well or better than the human interaction. There are a ton of pretty good photographers on this Forum; all the video gamers, etc., can finally use those thumbs to earn money. Being retired and on my fixed income, if I needed the cash I would learn to drive one. My helicopter makes too much noise!
 
Doug, what drone did you get?

I'd never flown one, so I bought one with sensors that pretty much won't let you run into things...except sideways! I have replaced props once due to that.

Big props on getting your FAA 107! I've thought about it, but I don't think I'd ever need it.
 
I have them and build them.
There are some suitable for indoor flight, these are called tiny whoops.
Two of my favorites are a 250 race quad with a basic carbon fiber plate frame. you can beat it like a rented mule and it keeps asking for more.
the other is a slightly larger high performance tiny whoop.
This would be my top recommendation as it does not require any registration and can be "leashed" enough for back yard havoc.
 
First, I bought a DJI mini 4 Pro. Then I thought about damaging it while learning to fly and bought a Holy Stone HS600. The HS600 is like a tank. As to the 107 licenses, you have to register any drone over 249 grams. That is .55 lbs. The mini 4 Pro weighs 249 grams. The HS600 is over 500 grams. If I buy the longer lasting battery for the mini 4 Pro it will weigh more than 249 grams. In addition, all the newer drones have the Remote I.D. (R.I.D.) technology already built into them. This broadcasts your drone information so that the FAA can identify it. As of September 2023, all drones 250 grams or more must have this R.I.D. either built in or a module attached to for compliance. So, I figured go ahead and get the license.
 
Doug627 said:
First, I bought a DJI mini 4 Pro. Then I thought about damaging it while learning to fly and bought a Holy Stone HS600. The HS600 is like a tank. As to the 107 licenses, you have to register any drone over 249 grams. That is .55 lbs. The mini 4 Pro weighs 249 grams. The HS600 is over 500 grams. If I buy the longer lasting battery for the mini 4 Pro it will weigh more than 249 grams. In addition, all the newer drones have the Remote I.D. (R.I.D.) technology already built into them. This broadcasts your drone information so that the FAA can identify it. As of September 2023, all drones 250 grams or more must have this R.I.D. either built in or a module attached to for compliance. So, I figured go ahead and get the license.
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I bought the Mini 3 Pro. The Mini 4 Pro has the side sensors so you can't run into stuff flying sideways.

Yes you have to register anything over 250 grams, but you don't have to get a part 107. Only thing people use that for is commercial work, as far as I know.

Closest place that even does the 107 test to me in in Jax. I hate Jax!
 
I don't expect to do work with my drones but who knows? I told the Pilot Institute class before the exam. There is a lot to know even if you are just a recreational pilot. My son bought a drone several years ago before all the regulations. He flew his drone a mile or so away and hit Return To Home and watched it come back. I told him he could only fly the drone so long as it was within his visible line of sight. He is going to take the class, too. There have been a lot of regulations passed in the past couple of years.
 
Doug627 said:
He flew his drone a mile or so away and hit Return To Home and watched it come back. I told him he could only fly the drone so long as it was within his visible line of sight.
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Yeah the visible line of sight is a big thing, but you really cant have a good time with it that way.

The return home feature has saved me a few times. Mostly due to lost connection with the controller.

There's a lake in the back of my subdivision that I've been trying to see the area that connects it to the canal. It's around 2000 feet from me, but when I get down under 200 feet up I get a weak signal warning. I'll eventually get it. A friend lives in the lake front house with the orange roof and said I can launch it from his yard, I may have to do it that way.


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Doug627 said:
In addition, all the newer drones have the Remote I.D. (R.I.D.) technology already built into them. This broadcasts your drone information so that the FAA can identify it. As of September 2023, all drones 250 grams or more must have this R.I.D. either built in or a module attached to for compliance. So, I figured go ahead and get the license.
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Not entirely true ...
Drones operated within a FRIA are exempt.
The FAA is also re evaluating this requirement outside controlled airspace as their tracking systems are based in 1970's technology and this is cramming a lot of random, useless data into a system that really can't handle it.... this part still has some playing out to do.

Technology has made it very easy to fly under the .55 pound registration threshold.
Beta FPV has pretty much mastered this. My 95X might not hold pace with my 250 race quad, but it does not come up short in any other performance metric. They are so good, I see little reason to invest in anything that'd require registration.
This little 145 gram animal is all the tiger you'll need to have by the tail
Just a moment...
 
Doug627 said:
Yes, FRIA is an exception but the areas are sometimes hard to find.
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One of the few uses for facebook is finding RC clubs.
That's where you find a FRIA and people like me who are happy to show you far more than what DJI will about this stuff.
Rumor has it, theres some hardware that'll give you over 35 mile range. Not that any of us chain smokin choir boys would do such things ... funny we all seem to know something about it though.
 
I'm glad I read this thread as my fishing buddy uses his drone for spotting bait balls, boils, birds when we go fishing. We depart out of Newport harbor heading west, and then to the south which is directly within the SCT...Socal Tracon. I have no idea if this thing is pinging but better to be safe than sorry. I will add that he never exceeds around 200 AGL. Question...is the 107 certificate an adder to an existing ticket or stands on its own?
 
Nephew had one when we were in Patagonia last year. He had some amazing footage flying up and down waterfalls and over glaciers.
 
My Sheriff's Office has a couple, with FLIR IIRC. They use them for search and rescue, tracking offenders and collecting intel for raids. A lot of this county has areas that might take many hours to reach, but the drone can be looking in well under an hour with travel time. I have tempered my hatred for drones as a result.

However, there are drone operators that are engaged in unlawful and discourteous conduct, from spying in your house to interfering with wildfire control. The idea that one idiot with a drone can keep airborne water drops from occurring is more than a little annoying.
 
Doug M. said:
However, there are drone operators that are engaged in unlawful and discourteous conduct, from spying in your house to interfering with wildfire control. The idea that one idiot with a drone can keep airborne water drops from occurring is more than a little annoying.
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Both of these activities are illegal, though I do kinda understand the water drop issue.
If you're in the path of a wildfire, it's a very easy way to gather some intel in a chaotic situation.
Fortunately, the average drone has evolved into a far more compact, less imposing platform. What could have taken down a plane ten years ago, is closer to a large bug strike now.
People will still do it as the same reasons will exist. But the consequences are largely mitigated
 
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