Beware of Spinning Props!

[Peter Hartmann]

The fear of using consumer drones to carry out terrorist attacks is overblown........

What in heck is wrong with you ? You are trying to apply LOGIC to the general public's fears and hatred of us drone operators ? Bull feathers !

Was there ANY logic at all in Chicago's Mayor Daley insisting both on a restricted "no-fly" zone over his city, AND getting the city's down-town airport Destroyed ?

I respectfully suggest you are making a big mistake if you think logical rational explanations by us drone operators will carry much weight with the general public and politicians looking for their votes....., when "joe public" goes to the press with his face or his kid's face all cut up from a drone operated without blade-guards .

 

[Mr. Salty]

What in heck is wrong with you ?

Absolutely nothing.

Was there ANY logic at all in Chicago's Mayor Daley insisting both on a restricted "no-fly" zone over his city, AND getting the city's down-town airport Destroyed ?

I used to live in Chicago and have a pilot friend who used to fly into Meigs Field. Absolutely no one believed safety was why Daley bulldozed the runway. In fact, if you ask anyone in the city why Daley closed the airport, fear of terrorism wouldn't even make the top 10 responses.

 

[Duchunter]

The fear of using consumer drones to carry out terrorist attacks is overblown (no pun intended). They can't lift very much weight. Terrorists have much simpler, more effective ways of delivering much bigger explosives.

Suppose the target is just one person. Somebody flies over a politician speaking outside and drops a grenade or whatever. I think that's serious!y something that could happen. There is really no defence against it. That's the problem, there is no defence against it. Somebody will do something stupid eventually. People are already mounting guns on to drones. One gun and one drone can do a lot of damage to the hobby. One incident like that and people will demand they be banned. We are the minority. Its a fight we cant win. Dji is venturing into other areas like cameras, vloging equipment, and whatever else. They know its coming too

 

[Monte55]

. . . . . . . .
Exactly ! Well Said. ! So - we are pretty much on the same page with our concerns !

All the more reason for compulsory prop. guards, & some kind of licensing/training....since that WILL reduce the chance of injury to "joe-public" (who hates us anyway !....) and hopefully give us some breathing room...!

Many of us have been flying rc airplanes with fueled engines for many years. We hand start and have survived. Sure we get a few nicks and cuts. So what? Do you really think a small electric motor on a PHANTOM is something to fear? You don't hand start an electric motor. You stand back and use the rc controller. So what's up with suggesting that all multirotors need prop guards. I think prop guards are fine for some things...but to make them mandatory is dumb. If you have a mission for safety. .bug the people that fly powerful helis that have actually killed people.

 

[Mr. Salty]

There is really no defence against it.

Actually there is. All it takes is disrupting two narrow radio frequency bands. Law enforcement already has this tool, and drone jammers are even available for the public to buy (not actually legal to use, of course). You can bet such technology is already deployed for high-profile targets.

 

[Duchunter]

OK but that's just going to bring it the ground. Its still gonna explode.

 

[Mr. Salty]

OK but that's just going to bring it the ground. Its still gonna explode.

Well, at least if there are government-mandated propeller guards it won't decapitate a crowd of children and puppies.

 

[Duchunter]

Thank goodness for that. They will still have their head when they explode.

 

[Erised]

Prop guards have their place, if you don't put them on because you think it's not cool and I am not a baby and no person will tell me what to do, your on the wrong track. Common sense should prevail not coolness. If I am flying around a family event with every one consenting I put on my prop guards, this is my family and I don't want to look cool, I want to be safer. It's just a machine and I'm only humman and screw ups may happen. When teaching others to fly I put them on because newbees' tend to tip over on landing and take off, I know I watched them do it. I leave them off all the other times to go explore out in the boonies because the craft is more efficient were no one can even see that I'm cool without my prop guards!

 

[Peter Hartmann]

........

I used to live in Chicago and have a pilot friend who used to fly into Meigs Field.........Absolutely no one believed safety was why Daley bulldozed the runway. .

........................................................................................................
I disagree - yes - some of the editorials in some of the Chicago area newspapers did expose Daley for what he was. But he was able to "sell" his fear and hatred of general aviation to a lot of powerful people. Don't under-estimate the hatred of the general public for us drone operators. And what they will do to us as soon as the press gets hold of what some careless guy (or malfunction of the drone) does with those sharp blades and no guard.

 

[42FrankZ]

........................................................................................................
I disagree - yes - some of the editorials in some of the Chicago area newspapers did expose Daley for what he was. But he was able to "sell" his fear and hatred of general aviation to a lot of powerful people. Don't under-estimate the hatred of the general public for us drone operators. And what they will do to us as soon as the press gets hold of what some careless guy (or malfunction of the drone) does with those sharp blades and no guard.

It won't be the "sharp blades"....

 

[Peter Hartmann]

Many of us have been flying rc airplanes with fueled engines for many years. ........... Do you really think a small electric motor on a PHANTOM is something to fear? .

.........................................................................................

Yes, Monte - I am one of you - I can remember BEFORE we had RC - had long thin strings to operate & keep control of our model airplanes. I am old enough to remember our excitement when the first RC units became available & affordable.

But look at the difference - RC ops. with fixed wing models require some sort of open space to serve as a runway - I personally have never seen RC's try and operate in areas where there are people unconnected to that hobby. That's the big difference - we have untrained thoughtless folks using these things in populated areas.

We who liked RC fixed-wing aircraft knew that at best, the general public felt we were an annoyance, so for that and many other reasons stayed away from "joe average".

I dont think it far - fetched to use Australia and what happened to firearms hobbyists like myself there - no regulation - people without training, no checking up, no restriction against people with mental health problems, and now they have a total firearms ban.

As others have suggested, I fear we are one photogenic disaster away..of some non-participant getting all cut up and the boom is going to fall on all of us.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Some comments;

There's nothing wrong with some kind of preliminary training when someone purchases a "performance drone" (Phantoms, Mavic, Typhoon, etc.) I Own 3 P3S's that I have used to train people (and been paid for it) who wanted to get into the hobby. I've come up with a basic ground and flight syllabus that will ensure the student will walk away with a basic understanding of drone operation and the consequences for operating their drone incorrectly or illegally.

I use prop guards for initial training flights and then remove them when my student gets proficient. I also operate in an area that if there is a crash, it will not cause damage to people or property.

Prop Guards are frangible - they do offer some limited protection but as someone stated, are "hooks" or tree magnets. I've seen people cut by Phantom props and every time it was due to their own carelessness (hand catching) I've used them when operating indoors and in close quarters but will not use them when I feel that they will either effect my mission profile or will actually be a hazard.

Some folks on here have been at this for a long time and I think discretion and common sense should prevail here. If the day ever comes where there is "drone manufacturing certification" like under FAR 23 for aircraft, maybe manufacturers will be compelled to build all drones with prop guards, but by that time the whole industry will be regulated.

My 2 cents...

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Prop guards have their place, if you don't put them on because you think it's not cool and I am not a baby and no person will tell me what to do, your on the wrong track. Common sense should prevail not coolness. If I am flying around a family event with every one consenting I put on my prop guards, this is my family and I don't want to look cool, I want to be safer. It's just a machine and I'm only humman and screw ups may happen. When teaching others to fly I put them on because newbees' tend to tip over on landing and take off, I know I watched them do it. I leave them off all the other times to go explore out in the boonies because the craft is more efficient were no one can even see that I'm cool without my prop guards!

Perfect!

 

[dirkclod]

OK guys. I beleave you have beat this to death and I am going to put it to rest .

CLOSED​