Isn't it time to embrace the word "drone?"

[Clipper707]

Isn’t it time to embrace the word “drone?”

How many of us have seen an article in the news and then posted in the comments section about how these are not drones, they’re multi-rotors, quadcopters, etc.?

How many minds can one really change by doing that?

It will be easier to change the public’s perspective on drones than it will be to stop them from using the "D" word.

 

[Flying Cephlopod]

"Drone" fits the bill. I posted the following in June:

Merriam Webster defines drone as:

1 : the male of a bee (as the honeybee) that has no sting and gathers no honey
2 : one that lives on the labors of others : PARASITE
3 : an unmanned aircraft or ship guided by remote control

In the preceding list, definition #3 fits the bill for a wide range of UAV's, including RC quadcopters.

Furthermore, American Heritage Dictionary defines drone as--in particular, see #4:
1. A male bee, especially a honeybee, that is characteristically stingless, performs no work, and produces no honey. Its only function is to mate with the queen bee.
2. An idle person who lives off others; a loafer.
3. A person who does tedious or menial work; a drudge: "undervalued drones who labored in obscurity" (Caroline Bates).
4. A pilotless aircraft operated by remote control.

 

[Gizmo3000]

i agree.
theres always a few boneheads in our community tries to discourage the use of the "D" word and want to distance our UAV's from the evil drones that a are launching missiles at Taliban.

But the bottom line is that our Phantom's are arguably considered drones as well, and truly, in the past half year, with "drones over America", Amazon Drones, Beer Drone, Pizza Drone, Drone-crashing into building, drone seen from airplane, Drone over surfers.. when the pubic now thinks of drones, they think of quads/hex/multirotor.. Phantoms!@#

I prefer calling my quads Drones as well., easier to say,and people can relate to them better.

 

[CallMeAlan]

One of our competitors, though a very poor one in my opinion, since it's a big heap of cr4p, started the hobbyist drone word ball rolling with their awful Parrot AR Drone. I think Clipper is right, and we're fighting a losing battle if we want our machines not to be called drones.

 

[Musicman]

Good plan. Just accepting the word Drone makes it much easier.
Same here in the Netherlands, whenever there is an article somewhere with the word drone in it, people freak out and say nooooooo it's a quad/multicopter whatever. Sure it is... but it's also a drone, in the pure meaning of the word.

Parrot AR drone surely made the word more populair.

It it walks like a chicken, talks like a chicken, smells like a chicken..........

 

[DKDarkness]

When asked about my fixed wing airplane: "Is that a toy airplane?" I reply: "NO! it's DRONE!" They are all drones

 

[Happyflyer]

i agree.
theres always a few boneheads in our community tries to discourage the use of the "D" word and want to distance our UAV's from the evil drones that a are launching missiles at Taliban.

But the bottom line is that our Phantom's are arguably considered drones as well, and truly, in the past half year, with "drones over America", Amazon Drones, Beer Drone, Pizza Drone, Drone-crashing into building, drone seen from airplane, Drone over surfers.. when the pubic now thinks of drones, they think of quads/hex/multirotor.. Phantoms!@#

I prefer calling my quads Drones as well., easier to say,and people can relate to them better.

Bonehead here!
I will keep fighting. Most if not all People relate drone with something that drops bombs and kills people. The more we inform people these are quadcopters and not killing machines the better off we will be. OR, at least, we can agree with them they are classified as a drone but are NOT a killing machine.

 

[N017RW]

As pointed out earlier, every model airplane, helicopter, or blimp (yes, blimp) I ever owned or flew is/was a 'drone'.

But I never referred to them as such.

 

[thongbong]

I'm a semi-bonehead. I've always hated that quadcopters were called drones. Honestly, it was always a marketing tactic to call it a drone and people ate it up; from the media to the consumer to retailers. "Dude, look it's a drone!" sounds better than "Dude, look its a quadcopter!" It's the equivalent of calling a gun an assault rifle.

I've accepted the fact that people call the phantom a drone, but I've never embraced it. Like it's been stated, drones = death in many peoples eyes. Drones = Big Brother. If you can convince the mass public otherwise, like the OP stated, I'll side with you.

In the end, there needs to be a way to differentiate between a drone that drops bombs and one that delivers pizza. They are 2 different machines on opposite sides of the spectrum, with one costing thousands more to produce and operate with totally different functions. You can't put a go cart in the same class with an F1 racer so why are we going to try with drones?

It would be easier for the entire hobby to stop calling multirotors drones. How many retailers sells drones? It's a cool, wow, sales tactic. RC helis and planes have been around for decades, but no one called them drones then... the lords of marketing fed ya BS and ya ate it. They don't give a sh!t about the name.

 

[jodaddy23]

BONEHEAD , love the use of insults to change peoples opinions . just say no to the D word , never use it, no reason to start . name call all you want .
Why dumb it down for the masses ?

 

[Clipper707]

It would be easier for the entire hobby to stop calling multirotors drones.

Getting the entire hobby community to stop calling multirotors drones will never happen. And if we can't convince even the Phantom community, what chance do we have of convincing the entire English-speaking world?

When Amazon starts delivering packages, game over. People will stop associating drones with Hellfire missiles when drones are delivering pizzas, books, beer and auto parts.

There's a certain inevitability to the widespread use of "drone."

 

[jodaddy23]

do you really think amazon will be delivering that way , wow .

 

[Clipper707]

do you really think amazon will be delivering that way , wow .

At first, I didn't believe it but battery technology is only improving. 85% of Amazon's products are 5lbs or less, so actually drones make a lot of sense.

 

[Happyflyer]

Maybe if Amazon did use a D......multi rotor device, they would leave my package at my house and not on the other side of the road like UPS did recently. House numbers you can see sure did not match ones on that package.

 

[GoodnNuff]

do you really think amazon will be delivering that way , wow .

At first, I didn't believe it but battery technology is only improving. 85% of Amazon's products are 5lbs or less, so actually drones make a lot of sense.

Amazon is pushing the FAA to allow them to start deliveries using UAVs as soon as possible. Amazon has said that the delivery service will be limited to within 5 miles from a distribution center and only available in limited urban markets.
I would imagine that the UAVs will have object avoidance cabalities, etc.

 

[darwin-t]

I don't like the term "drone". I don't use it.

 

[jeeperak]

Well i surely dont consider my quad a TOY any more than you considers yours a drone. the definition fits they are the same just in different scales. Relax cause we will never get the masses to stop calling them drones..i have ppl follow mine back to my take off point all the time saying look theres the guy flying the drone..no big deal.

 

[UrAwFuL]

IMO, "Drone" is easier to say mainly because it's pretty much just one syllable and IMO Drone is much more "layman's term" to most people.

U.A.V. however, makes me run out of breath.

Then again, I usually just tell everyone who asks its just a helicopter with a bunch of propellers. :lol:

 

[Clipper707]

A Phantom 2 Vision + is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that is capable of autonomous flight and can send back HD videos/photos in realtime.

How is that NOT a drone?

 

[Happyflyer]

A Phantom 2 Vision + is an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle that is capable of autonomous flight and can send back HD videos/photos in realtime.

How is that NOT a drone?

It did not drop a bomb on someone.