Wow, any comments?
- Thread starter robport
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Brings back a memory. One where I decided to never watch his blank again.
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Ken is usually entertaining, but I can't believe how reckless he was being with the laser. Kids watch that.
It doesn't even matter if there was no laser and it was all done as special effects. Kids watch his show. Kids don't get that there may be things he has done to ensure safety that you don't see on camera. What I see in the video is reckless.
It doesn't even matter if there was no laser and it was all done as special effects. Kids watch his show. Kids don't get that there may be things he has done to ensure safety that you don't see on camera. What I see in the video is reckless.
I quit watching his ridiculous videos a couple years ago when he was flying beside an active airport. He's not a positive influence on our industry to say the least.
I look forward to the day the FAA calls him to the carpet.
I look forward to the day the FAA calls him to the carpet.
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Hmmmmm. You did ask for opinions, so I feel comfortable doing so. I’ve watched nearly all of Ken Herron’s videos and I’ve learned a lot from his videos. Some what to do, and some (at his insistence) NOT TO DO! From the above comments there seems to be a lot of disdain for his videos here on the forum. Ken makes entertaining videos that are centered primarily around the use of drones. IMHO, he follows all FAA rules and regs, and vehemently advises his viewers to do the same. He uses LAANC app to gain permission when fly near or around restricted FAA regulated areas. Yes, he’s silly at times. Yes, he gears his videos to novice as well as practiced operators and tries to make a technical subject entertaining as well. To say that he is responsible for teaching children to be irresponsible is a stretch. That could be said if ANY video on YouTube. If you don’t like his silliness, presentations or videos by all means don’t watch. But I think Mr. Herron is being painted with a pretty broad brush here because he could be responsible for someone taking one of his videos out of context. I think Ken has done a lot more good for the community and bringing droning to the public eye than many others on the YouTube platform. I also feel we all need to be a little more tolerant of others! Just offering an opposing view.
He does have a group of followers, and this is America, which allows us to chose what we watch. Best wishes for him and his group. I’m just not one of them.
I should have been more specific. I was looking for opinions about using a 107.29 waiver to fly over an airport as a stunt. It could have been a private airport and he had them turn the lights on, but he should have said something about that so he didn't encourage his followers to do dumb stuff. He could have gotten permission from airport management, but he should have said that before hand. Waving the laser around, while not being illegal if he didn't light anyone up, sure was risky. It didn't look like a towered airport, so the LAANC request he put in was almost certainly for another airport (since no non-towered airports need to be covered by LAANC). It also could have been a planned stunt to spark comments, in which case, he certainly got me. In another video, he filmed someone flying over an (active, saw an airplane take off from the drone they were using) airport hanger area and had airport security running out, which in my mind was "interfering with airport operations". I have enjoyed some of his videos and don't have anything against him, if it doesn't bring negative press to us.
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Right now is a time of much confusion for us drone pilots. There are lots of rules, and some are very hard to follow. Also watts of people don't agree right now. There are some people on this forum that give false information, and there are some people on YouTube that give false information, and there are some people that give what they think is the right information but is unintentionally twisted as this talk goes through the grapevine. the FAA should make things more simple and easy to understand, maybe have a rulebook that can be given out that is short enough for the common person to read that puts the rules in absolute black and white.
From what I know can followed all the rules in his video. And technically you're not supposed to call the airports anymore you are supposed to use the laanc system. And yes that airport may have the laanc system available even though it is non-towered. The airport near my house is non-towered and has laanc available to it. When it comes to rules I try to air on following them not pushing them as best I can, but we all break The rules whether we know it or not in some way.
The only thing I don't like about Ken's video was when he signed the laser directly up, that's a big No-No for us responsible laser owners, if there are any. You should never point a laser into the sky because it can be a problem for pilots.
and hey, Ken is doing way more with his videos than anyone on this forum is doing to educate and try to get people to follow the rules as best as they can, though he is silly, but that's the charm that makes people want to come back and watch. People don't want to come back and hear people yell laws down their throat and be done.
From what I know can followed all the rules in his video. And technically you're not supposed to call the airports anymore you are supposed to use the laanc system. And yes that airport may have the laanc system available even though it is non-towered. The airport near my house is non-towered and has laanc available to it. When it comes to rules I try to air on following them not pushing them as best I can, but we all break The rules whether we know it or not in some way.
The only thing I don't like about Ken's video was when he signed the laser directly up, that's a big No-No for us responsible laser owners, if there are any. You should never point a laser into the sky because it can be a problem for pilots.
and hey, Ken is doing way more with his videos than anyone on this forum is doing to educate and try to get people to follow the rules as best as they can, though he is silly, but that's the charm that makes people want to come back and watch. People don't want to come back and hear people yell laws down their throat and be done.
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I agree, you bring up some good points. Everyone has their opinions and I try to see everyone’s point of view. People’s nerves are raw as the governmental agency's aren’t making things any better by continually moving the rules goal posts and making the regs a constantly moving target (IMHO). Rules and regs need not be so divisive and confusing. I do enjoy Ken’s offerings as I suppose I have a similar sense of humor. I agree that he has done more to educate the public on piloting UAV AIRCRAFT and is adamant about following the rules even if he does test them at times. I for one hope he continues to educate people.
I stopped watching Kens videos after he antagonised a Guard on private property. Whether he was right or not was not the issue. It was his 'I will educate this guard' attitude and understandably - the guard got even more adamant he was going to move Ken off site.
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I think he's trying to be more of a famous Youtuber than an asset to the drone community.
He needs to grow up a little and be more responsible. I un-subbed from his channel over a year ago due to the same old schtick.
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A famous YouTuber is an asset to the droning community, he is always telling people to follow the FAA rules.
oh and by the way at one point someone brought up flying near an active airport, if I remember correctly in that video can was not flying in, but it was a different guy, and Ken was like, I'm not with him, type of attitude. I don't think that guy should have been flying so close to an active airport, legal or not. Can does step very close to the rules, but so far I have not seen him break any rules.
And by the way everybody on here has a different interpretation of the rules, because of the vagueness of them.
oh and by the way at one point someone brought up flying near an active airport, if I remember correctly in that video can was not flying in, but it was a different guy, and Ken was like, I'm not with him, type of attitude. I don't think that guy should have been flying so close to an active airport, legal or not. Can does step very close to the rules, but so far I have not seen him break any rules.
And by the way everybody on here has a different interpretation of the rules, because of the vagueness of them.
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I believe that in the video you are referring to Ken flew a perfectly legal flight according to the sectional chart and local laws. In my opinion that did not make it safe or the right thing to do though. A flyaway could have endangered pilots and causes havoc. If this flight were for a job and coordinated with ATC and not just for entertainment of his viewers, I may have a different view. I believe that Ken flies “legally” but in some cases not wisely, which could ultimately lead to bad influence among his more uninformed viewers. In this I am inclined to agree with BigAl.
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