anybody have a drone??

[frank]

I noticed the other day that there seems to be a lot of growing interest in drones. I am looking for a website that addresses newbies. anyone here fly or own a drone and know where I might get the information I need on which drones are good and what you need to do to be legal to fly them. thanks

frank

 

[Dtail]

Who do you wish to spy on?

 

[braumeister]

You'll need a Recreational Flyer license. Best place to start is the FAA Drone Zone. Neither complicated nor difficult, but some serious reading is involved in order to understand the rules.

 

[pb4uski]

DW got me an inexpensive one a couple years ago for Christmas. We flew it a little on Christmas Day and it has been collecting dust in our closet sense. We also have an RC boat that is rarely used as well.

 

[Walt34]

This one is huge, and while I haven't joined (yet) I lurk there a lot:
https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php

I've been a member of the Academy of Model Aeronautics for several decades. If it's a model and flies, they have a section for it. Depending on the size of what you intend to fly and where, there are legal and insurance issues to be aware of.

https://www.modelaircraft.org/

My interests are more along the lines of model airplanes but there is a lot of overlap with drones (by "drone" I'm assuming you mean quad copters that take photos/video).

 

[Walt34]

One thing to note is that things get somewhat simpler if the weight is low enough. I have, I think, well over a dozen aircraft but only three of them needed to be registered. Don't be put off by it though, it is really very simple.

Register your aircraft if it weighs more than 0.55 lbs. (250 grams) and less than 55 lbs. (25 kg).

You'll need a Recreational Flyer license. Best place to start is the FAA Drone Zone. Neither complicated nor difficult, but some serious reading is involved in order to understand the rules.

 

[Ronstar]

I have a dji Mavik mini. Quite small at 249 grams so I do not need to register it. It’s perfect for a beginner. Uses my iPhone and an app to control it. 1 button to take off. 1 to land. Easy to control. But it does get a little tough to control in winds over 10 mph due to the small size.

 

[frayne]

Yes, but I call her the wife.

 

[Car-Guy]

My neighbor and I were taking about this a month or so ago and we both agreed, that if we see one hovering over our property then we will shoot it down. Under 100 yards and a 12 ga with 4's should do the trick. Over that and a 22-250 with a 24x scope will work. Anything flying above the 22-250's range is okay.

 

[Dtail]

Yes, but I call her the wife.

So she doesn't read this forum.

 

[sengsational]

My advice is to get a few Syma QCs.No registration needed. And lots of batteroes and a multi charger. $50 or so, if you shop around on eBay and get from China. Never fly em higher than you can reach. And since you will, that's why you need a few. Get good at flying by eye hand coordination. That's the most fun. The big ones with the high def cameras are tedious to fly ... It's more about understanding the software that's doing the flying (GPS). So you're looking at your phone more than the aircraft. The batteries are expensive, so you'll probably get one or two flights, then be done for the day. There's also FPV flying, which is apparently kind of fun, but I have no experience with that.

 

[Animorph]

I got a DJI Mavic Mini for Christmas. One test flight, one inspection of a leaky spot on our chimney, and one race around the backyard. Definitely nice for roof inspections, but not as fun to fly as an RC plane.

 

[mpeirce]

I've been consifdering getting a Mavic Air 2. Does anyone have experience with it?

 

[frank]

no experience with drones at all but thought it might be a hobby to consider. that/s why I made the thread to find out thoughts and experiences of people who already owned or has some knowledge of the work involved.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

The Skydio 2 is the latest in Drone Tech, but a long waiting list. US made, no spy tech worries.

https://www.skydio.com/

 

[Ready]

I’ve always wanted a drone but didn’t know enough about them to buy one. But it was time for a new hobby so I bought the DJI Mini 2 from Costco this week. I’ve taken it up for a few flights and I’m very impressed. It records in 4K and the videos come out really sharp.

I don’t find flying for the sake of flying that much fun but I love taking aerial videos using the drone. Now I have to learn how to take the videos and turn them into movies by adding text and sound to them. It’s the perfect hobby for the retired person.

Do we have any drone hobbyists here?

 

[travelover]

.........Do we have any drone hobbyists here?

No, but I've got a neighbor that sunbathes nude.

 

[RetireeRobert]

Was just reading about drones on a local Nextdoor.com thread in my area.

Someone was complaining about their privacy being invaded. Someone else said people do not "own the airspace over their yards" so no right to privacy. Someone else said illegal to shoot into the air at FAA regulated craft--such as drones. Another person said hobbyist drones (maybe "recreational" was the term) were limited by FAA to flying at 400 feet or lower. And I commented that if I thought some drone was "peeping" at my daughters, I would take care of it with a shotgun blast at the drone! A local Karen told me that would be illegal and FAA would get me. I told her FAA would have to catch me and prove it was me!!

 

[pb4uski]

Was just reading about drones on a local Nextdoor.com thread in my area.

Someone was complaining about their privacy being invaded. Someone else said people do not "own the airspace over their yards" so no right to privacy. Someone else said illegal to shoot into the air at FAA regulated craft--such as drones. Another person said hobbyist drones (maybe "recreational" was the term) were limited by FAA to flying at 400 feet or lower. And I commented that if I thought some drone was "peeping" at my daughters, I would take car of it with a shotgun blast at the drone! A local told me that would be illegal and FAA would get me. I told her FAA would have to catch me and prove it was me!!

Actually, you do own the air space over your property. I'm with you, I don't think the FAA would have jurisdiction to do anything, but any local ordinances prohibiting discharging a shotgun over a residential area might apply.... but if you're in a rural area and it is over your property then you'd probably be safe.

 

[braumeister]

Actually, you do own the air space over your property.

Owning might not mean having actual control. If you're within so many miles of any airport, then the FAA will tell you if you can fly a drone or not.

 

[pb4uski]

I concede the point... I was just responding the the Nextdoor poster's assertion that you don't "own the airspace" over your yards... which on its face is stupid.

 

[REWahoo]

My neighbor and I were taking about this a month or so ago and we both agreed, that if we see one hovering over our property then we will shoot it down. Under 100 yards and a 12 ga with 4's should do the trick. Over that and a 22-250 with a 24x scope will work. Anything flying above the 22-250's range is okay.

I have no issue with the shotgun as the shot poses little danger when they fall, but the 22-250 is a very bad idea. A few years ago a young child was killed by a falling round fired into the air during a 4th of July celebration.

 

[Ready]

I’m not supposed to fly over people or personal property. Obviously that’s not something I can 100% control when it’s up in the air but in general I am not supposed to fly in populated areas. But flying along the beach or out in an open park is no problem.

I used the drone this morning to inspect my roof. I haven’t seen the roof since the house was built 20 years ago. I did not see any damage.

I know realtors are using drones to get aerial shots of the properties they have listed for sale. And I’m planning on using the drone while on our sailboat to film the boat while in motion.

 

[braumeister]

I know realtors are using drones to get aerial shots of the properties they have listed for sale.

Yes, the last house that sold on my street had several shots on the listing that were obviously from a drone. A nice idea.

At the request of my HOA board, I recently used one to survey all our roofs to see which houses needed their gutters cleaned. A ten minute project that would otherwise have taken hours and needed ladders, not to mention the danger of walking on some of those roofs.

 

[youbet]

Was just reading about drones on a local Nextdoor.com thread in my area.

Someone was complaining about their privacy being invaded. Someone else said people do not "own the airspace over their yards" so no right to privacy. Someone else said illegal to shoot into the air at FAA regulated craft--such as drones. Another person said hobbyist drones (maybe "recreational" was the term) were limited by FAA to flying at 400 feet or lower. And I commented that if I thought some drone was "peeping" at my daughters, I would take care of it with a shotgun blast at the drone! A local quoted text edited told me that would be illegal and FAA would get me. I told her FAA would have to catch me and prove it was me!!

Do you live in an area where it is legal to discharge a firearm?