[HCRA] FAA Drone Registration

[w1eqo at shaysnet.com]

I also don't want to belabor the point, but ask this:

1. How high do .55 lb drones fly? Remember that weight includes unimportant
stuff like battery, props (4 min), frame, etc. Did I forget motors &
limited range transceiver?

2. Did I mention limited range transceiver, as how far can you get with a
milliwatt at 2.45 GHz?

3. Now if you were to regulate model helicopters which have been flying for
a long time (> 35 years), I might agree. These do have fuel and weight to
go somewhere. And require a small amount of skill to fly.

4. I see this as a placation for the masses. The same masses who won't read
the info the FAA sends, and if they do, probably won't understand it.

5. And I do understand there are the brainless who will attempt to fly near
an airport. Can those ever be stopped?

So...we know laws don't work unless there is enforcement. Who is going to
do this? The gun toting bunch like we have now?

So if there is a problem, ban the things. But the cry goes "that's against
the Constitution." Was the ban against the manufacture, sale, and
importation of scanners that cover our 800 MHz cell phone band against the
Constitution? Apparently not. The FCC, in corporation with Newt, and
Congress, did it. What's the FAA? A bunch of whimps?

 
Jim, W1EQO

PS Please don't reply to this. This site is, and should be about radio. The
only good use I see for a quadcopter is to make real antenna pattern
measurements.



Original email:
-----------------
From: Alan Dove alan.dove at gmail.com
Date: Tue, 15 Dec 2015 10:52:13 -0500
To: hcra at mailman.qth.net, w1eqo at shaysnet.com
Subject: Re: [HCRA] FAA Drone Registration


Hey, folks:

I don’t want to turn this into a flamewar about federal regulation, but as
a pilot I want to point out that amateur-flown drones present a far greater
threat to real aircraft than many hobbyists realize. These things are
easily capable of taking out engines and windshields if struck at speed,
and the new control systems make it way too easy for folks to stray into
controlled airspace with them. The FAA had relied on a “common sense”
approach to regulating model aircraft for decades, but a number of recent
close calls showed that sense is no longer common enough. As usual, a few
idiots made things worse for everyone else, so now all RC pilots need to
register. I’m not happy that this was necessary, but it was.

Yes, birds also pose a serious threat to aircraft and always have. The
difference is that drones are operated by humans who should know better -
and who can and should be held liable for whatever damage they cause.
Registration is the mechanism for that.

          —Alan (AB1XW)

--
Alan Dove, Ph.D.
Web: turbidplaque.com
Phone: 917.273.0544
Skype: alandove
Twitter: @alandove



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