Over/under on 4th of July drone stories.

[just Warren]

So how many stories, in the two weeks following the fourth, will we hear about someone who used a drone to launch fireworks, or their drone got shot down by fireworks, or two or more drones used fireworks to dogfight or as AGMs?

If I was a bookie and set the number at 25 would you take the over or the under?

[French G.]

over. Now I want a drone. Never considered doing roman candle gun runs until now. Thank you for making the world a less safe place.

[freakazoid]

over. Now I want a drone. Never considered doing roman candle gun runs until now. Thank you for making the world a less safe place.

Yeah, that sounds pretty awesome.

[Monkeyleg]

I've been trying to figure out how to attach an air gun to mine. Or explosives.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

How high can you go? I would live to have one directly over fireworks outa range. Just barely


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[Monkeyleg]

The FAA guidelines ask that hobbyists not fly higher than 400 feet, but there's guys who've flown the model I have over 4,000 feet.

[BobR]

How high can you go? I would live to have one directly over fireworks outa range. Just barely


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This is a youtubes from inside the fireworks show with a drone. Pretty high on the cool meter for me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-wnDCJ3rgU


bob

[Jamisjockey]

The FAA guidelines ask that hobbyists not fly higher than 400 feet, but there's guys who've flown the model I have over 4,000 feet.

And this is what happens

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/03/05/investigation-launched-after-pilot-spots-drone-near-jfk-airport/

When one of these clueless dolts flies one into an aircraft....expect registration and no fly zones to become the reality of drone operations.

[cordex]

expect registration and no fly zones to become the reality of drone operations.

For one excuse or another, coming soon.

[Monkeyleg]

Yeah, a few idiots will mess it up for everyone else.

Right now there's guidelines, but there's nothing in the law that I'm aware of that covers UAV's other than no-fly zones around airports. All it will take is one collision or injury and then there will be mandatory training, fees, licenses, restrictions and overall loss of fun.

It's a blast right now just doing figure 8's at 50 feet or seeing how low I can zip along the ground without crashing. When my skills are better I want to do sunset videos of the bayou areas here. I don't have any desire to try to interfere with real aircraft.

[Jamisjockey]

There are so many seriously amazing commercial implications for drones.  Structural inspections, wildlife counting, photography and a bunch more.  I'd even go as far as to say that for LEO it could be amazing for officer and public safety.  Imagine being able to search for a suspect with one or using one to follow a stolen car instead of a high speed chase.

But some idiot is going to do something really dumb and ruin it for everyone.  Well hell, there's lots of dumb already....like Dick said it's going to be when someone damages something or hurts someone with one.



https://youtu.be/a0FpLiKKuZI

[just Warren]

Around here we've had two instances of drones interfering with water/retardant drops during wildfires. Some idiot(s) were flying camera drones right in the drop zone. I don't recall the relative heights involved but obviously you don't want to risk losing a tanker because even if you know where the drone is right now, you don't know to what area the idiot is going to fly it next.

In both instances drops had to be delayed.

[never_retreat]

We watched the fireworks on the beach in Asbury park NJ.
Someone did send up a drone near the fireworks.
No it was not the NSA. I could see the group of people responsible for sending it up.
Bet they got some good footage as long as the camera could compensate for the bright flashes.

[MechAg94]

When you say "over/under", was that a suggestion?

[KD5NRH]

Around here we've had two instances of drones interfering with water/retardant drops during wildfires.

Ban wildfires then.

[White Horseradish]

Over/under?

I was gonna go with an autoloader.

[just Warren]

http://www.wired.com/2015/07/strap-fireworks-to-drone/

[just Warren]

Around here we've had two instances of drones interfering with water/retardant drops during wildfires. Some idiot(s) were flying camera drones right in the drop zone. I don't recall the relative heights involved but obviously you don't want to risk losing a tanker because even if you know where the drone is right now, you don't know to what area the idiot is going to fly it next.

In both instances drops had to be delayed.

So that fire that jumped the freeway in LA and burned all those cars? Airdrops were compromised by five- FIVE- drones. Including two that chased a tanker.

Find these idiots and hurt them in some way.

[Bob F.]

Break their toys then break their control appendages (fingers)!!

"How F#*%ing stupid can you get?" used to be a common expression. Now I'm afraid it sounds too much like a question that someone just has to answer!!!

Stay safe.

[Tim L]

Break their toys then break their control appendages (fingers)!!

"How F#*%ing stupid can you get?" used to be a common expression. Now I'm afraid it sounds too much like a question that someone just has to answer!!!

Stay safe.

Unfortunately, I think it is more along the lines of a challenge or goal than question to answer.

[HankB]

Yeah, a few idiots will mess it up for everyone else.

Right now there's guidelines, but there's nothing in the law that I'm aware of that covers UAV's other than no-fly zones around airports. All it will take is one collision or injury and then there will be mandatory training, fees, licenses, restrictions and overall loss of fun . . .

Enforcement outside of urban areas will be difficult.

Now, I wonder how many druggies are using small UAVs to transport, say, a kilo of coke across the border at a time? Might be tricky handing off control from the launch site in Mexico to the landing site in USA, but, hey, if they can dig a mile of tunnel to get a drug kingpin out of a Mexican jail, they can probably hire programmers to set up UAV control.

[Jamisjockey]

Enforcement outside of urban areas will be difficult.

Now, I wonder how many druggies are using small UAVs to transport, say, a kilo of coke across the border at a time? Might be tricky handing off control from the launch site in Mexico to the landing site in USA, but, hey, if they can dig a mile of tunnel to get a drug kingpin out of a Mexican jail, they can probably hire programmers to set up UAV control.

All you gotta do is get it across I presume.  What's a thousand dollar drone when you can make a lot more doing it?  Disposable.

[Monkeyleg]

I'm not aware of any retail drones with more than 20 to 25 minutes of flight time. Many will get 1200 to 2000 feet out of the box, but there's plenty of users who've modified their uav's to get 2 to 4 miles.

DJI and 3DR have flight software that allows you to set a course for the uav. DJI's software limits the distance to 1500 feet, but I'm sure someone knowledgeable could eliminate that restriction.

There's all sorts of drone sensors available, which listen for characteristic noises. I've read that drones on radar look like birds, although I would think a bird flying straight for a couple of miles might be unusual.

I don't know how much coke the uav could carry. I've seen videos of the latest DJI Phantom 3 lifting 2 pounds, but that's just hovering a few feet off the ground. There's another uav, the Spreading Wings, that will lift 8 pounds. Both would have their flight times severely shorted with that kind of weight.

[Ben]

The cartels can afford a multiple ground station UAS and can just relay the stuff in. Available at discount prices from your local Mexican Army supplier.

[KD5NRH]

DJI and 3DR have flight software that allows you to set a course for the uav. DJI's software limits the distance to 1500 feet, but I'm sure someone knowledgeable could eliminate that restriction.

No need; lots of the original Hexacopter kits used fully open source firmware, including GPS-based flight control that was shown to be able to fly a multi-leg ~15 mile course and land safely in a designated spot.  As I recall, for that flight, all the payload was taken up with extra batteries, but one could easily find a compromise.  Throw in a good tailwind and lighter batteries, and there's no telling what you could manage.