@Nickster got his first commercial flight in today over on this thread here and I wanted to say congratulations on getting licensed and nice work!
I also wanted to ask the consensus on guidance for staying away from crowds. I see that Nickster noted on his website that he was away from the people to be in compliance with the new FAA regulations.
My internal 'crowd o meter' would have had me looking to get waaaay closer, like that green field closer to the tents, or even to 'cone off' a section of a quiet parking lot near the action, while still making sure I wasn't flying over people (of course, to get the panorama like he did, one would have to be back a ways to get the whole street covered.)
From where he's standing if he had a serious malfunction, I'm guessing it would have just cratered into the ground, while if someone set up shop in a parking lot, a drone could spin off a short distance into a crowd or fall onto an adjacent vehicle.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, today I was at a festival and heard the familiar buzzing of a phantom behind me. I turned around and was pretty much face to face with a P3, buzzing around the crowds. At times his bird was eye level with me and while it wasn't packed like a can of sardines, it was definitely not 'staying away from crowds' and I felt my gut clench at a few close calls. After seeing this video on 'hand catching' techniques that starts with a gruesome palm injury, I wouldn't wish that experience on any random passerby (or my insurance coverage.)
I'd love to hear how folks interpret the proviso about crowds and drones.
I also wanted to ask the consensus on guidance for staying away from crowds. I see that Nickster noted on his website that he was away from the people to be in compliance with the new FAA regulations.
My internal 'crowd o meter' would have had me looking to get waaaay closer, like that green field closer to the tents, or even to 'cone off' a section of a quiet parking lot near the action, while still making sure I wasn't flying over people (of course, to get the panorama like he did, one would have to be back a ways to get the whole street covered.)
From where he's standing if he had a serious malfunction, I'm guessing it would have just cratered into the ground, while if someone set up shop in a parking lot, a drone could spin off a short distance into a crowd or fall onto an adjacent vehicle.
At the opposite end of the spectrum, today I was at a festival and heard the familiar buzzing of a phantom behind me. I turned around and was pretty much face to face with a P3, buzzing around the crowds. At times his bird was eye level with me and while it wasn't packed like a can of sardines, it was definitely not 'staying away from crowds' and I felt my gut clench at a few close calls. After seeing this video on 'hand catching' techniques that starts with a gruesome palm injury, I wouldn't wish that experience on any random passerby (or my insurance coverage.)
I'd love to hear how folks interpret the proviso about crowds and drones.