Not illegal to buy them but illegal to use them - microcopters

jason 16 Feb 2015 01:50
Mine weighs in at 2.9lbs with camera,gimbal, transmitter and antenna. You're absolutely correct that the FAA won't be able to eliminate quadcopters from our skies but enforcement is not entirely impossible. The FAA will more then likely follow what the CASA has done down under and use videos these morons post on their social media pages with high altitudes and long distance flights against them.
RekindlePhoto 16 Feb 2015 03:50
They of course will try. As long as a person stays within visual range and low altitude they would have a harder time. The law should be equally measured out so picking on one or two or a hundred does not meet the equal protection or prosecution. There will be battles for publicity sake. DJI ( and other manufacturers) has already programed the copters to not fly in airport traffic areas, sensitive government buildings and high population areas. Of course if owners don't hook them to the internet for updates these restrictions are not loaded.
Mizamook 11 Mar 2015 08:19
Here's why they don't want these things over people, and I agree - this is "likely" due to a motor bearing partially seizing, stressed to the point of failure by heavy load under high winds (52mph gusts, recorded), but hard to know when and where....just glad it was here, as no-one got hurt, and I managed to retrieve the carcass (which will be repaired pretty soon). Like a "proper" aircraft there needs to be a means of measuring tolerances and wear ... to date there is not.
RekindlePhoto 11 Mar 2015 15:09
Ouch, high winds are not friends. That is why I only fly my ultralight in winds less than about 7 mph. I've been airborne when 40 mph winds hit and it was not fun.
cinecameratv 11 Mar 2015 22:02
That's why some people recommend hexacopters. You loose a motor in a quad and it's all over.
RekindlePhoto 12 Mar 2015 00:36
Not sure but will most hexa still fly with one stopped or spinning at a different speed?
Mizamook 12 Mar 2015 00:57
That's right. Hex can "get home" I considered that before choosing quad. Budget and practicality constraints. Still fine with quad "if tire pops on your SUV you roll and die" is true for a lot of things in life. But if my aerial platform budget takes an uptick or three I'll go hexa or octa. We'll see. For now I'll probably buy an Inspire1 and fix my Matrix (probably around $200-$300 in parts)...having a spare is NOT a bad thing.

PS, if you get spots on your point and shoot sensor try the vacuum trick. So far so good...
Mizamook 12 Mar 2015 07:39
Also, Don, know that the winds were not the problem....the winds just made the problem apparent. I've flown like this just fine preiously, but I think the stress brought out the issue. At least the crash was not over water or people. I had NO control as it went down. I think, as I research, and look back, the initial problem is dust, and "shielded" rather than "sealed" bearings. Gonna create a proper foldable launch pad that eliminates the takeoff and landing dust. Looking into sealed bearings too. Also: Use my calipers and dial gauge micrometer to log wear and play over time. Bearings are cheap, and really pretty easy. Crashes are heartbreaking. Poor robot.
RekindlePhoto 12 Mar 2015 14:55
Indeed uncontrolled crashes are heart breaking. ... been there.
vadervideo 13 Mar 2015 14:23
Here's a new twist regarding the FAA telling someone to stop posting on youtube: http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/bn9/2015/3/12/faa_tells_lutz_man_t.html

I wonder how long it will take before they start scanning stock media sites for this?
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