I bought a Hubsan X4 107L recently.Small enough for indoor flight in a large room and copes outdoor too, and all for $37.spares easy to get too but once you fit a rotor guard / bumper to it the thin survives falls from 100 feet onto grassCamera HD version is about twice that price

I think all of that is fine now. The FAA just get upset if you use it for commercial purposes. Parents and kids have have fun with drones as long as they don't do it for commercial purposes.

I would sudgest that if it meets the above criteria it should be allowable for comercial use as well, though Im much more concerned with the hobbiest than real estate agents (for example)

Well that sucks and is effin stupid.

But I live in an unincorporated area of TX.

Pretty much nothing is illegal or enforceable.

Yeah I know, unfortunately FAA trumps.

Yea, the FEDERAL Aviation Administration does not care what part of the USA you live in, they have authority by law. They have the FBI and the IRS to enforce their authority.

Someday they will have some rules and guidelines to follow and obey for commercial purposed in the USA. Not yet. They are moving at the typical speed and efficiency of any federal bureaucracy.

The FAA does have good hobby rules, very similar to what you posted. Please don't get me wrong, I have been in the UAS business (military and civilian) for over a decade. It is the future.

I was involved with, chaired, FAA panels on File and Fly, Sense and Avoid, Flight in the National Airspace, etc....I have the T-shirt and scars to prove it.

It all breaks down when commercial applications come into play. I actually worked very diligently and was able to get the FAA to treat different classes of UAS as separate entities with separate rules. Why treat a 10lb UAS like a Globalhawk?

That little pearl of effin obvious wisdom took three years of my life to get across to the FAA.

I am not hopeful for change until after the next election...not based on political parties, just pre-election ennui.

It is and they do.

But, honestly, go buy one, they are a hoot.

THANKS SeaHawk..........you've seen all sides of this debate.

AMA always had insurance available, and back in the day, a regulated flying field mandated that you had to have insurance.

but no, we have serious technology stuffed in a $75 - 1200 quad or hexcopter, all depends on payload.


dirt cheap and high performance, buy lots of spare parts on the front end, but heck, it's easy to get parts, almost like fixing a Sears Kenmore Washer.

My new thing is R/C boats. These do an honest 20 mph, in 4" chop. You can flippp 'em and they self-right. you huck 'em out into the ponds just for the heck of it.

they haul butt, 540 engine with water cooled jacketed engine. $60.

ft009 - Buy Cheap ft009 From Banggood

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Wo_-r2m4neg#t=17

im thinking about doing a boat next

I cant decide on spending a long time on a mahogany dumas chriscraft or a 50 mph brushless/lipo deepvee.

Gyro technology and lithium battery tech has really changed RC in the last decade. That early quad I posted was 450$ has 3 min flight times, no yaw authority and was made mostly of cardboard.

Its 3 axis stabilization seemed like nasa tech at the time though

I read yesterday that 3 Ohio universities are collaborating on a UAV operation and data analysis curriculum. A power company in San Diego got permission to test a line inspection drone. Amazon has requested permission to test what seems like a frivolous use - package delivery by drone. It's looking like the FAA is getting bombarded by requests for permission to use drones commercially. Maybe things will move forward more quickly than anticipated.

Universities have been able to fly for years as long as it is not for profit. That is how I got started commercially. Long story. Universities abused the privilege so it is getting harder.

A good friend of mine is the king of UAS in Ohio.

Industry can request to do R&D UAS flights for no profit.

Universities, companies, etc. fly under what is called a Certificate of Authorization, which is specific to a type of UAS, a defined area, altitude and periodicity. A COAis granted by the FAA and is not easy to get.

I have three COAs in California for the State, one for PG&E (power line stuff) and also can fly at numerous designated sites.

Nothing commercial.

I can go into a litany of why it is a good idea to regulate commercial operators, it is just that the FAA is moribund and doing it wrong.

What's different is now is they are not just doing research, they are teaching operation and data analysis. Apparently they think there will be some jobs out there in the future.

I agree, the gas company in San Diego has to have a licensed pilot operating the drone. The article didn't say what class, but it wouldn't surprise me if they required a commercial license. This is a perfect example of bureaucrats getting in the way of progress.

The jobs with UAS will all be about the data, and data interpretation: The collection side is only one aspect of the various industries UAS will support. I work with the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, two professors specifically, who are leading the way in data analysis and reduction for UAS. Great people.

When I speak at UAS conferences, Agriculture Conferences, GIS Conferences, etc., I always show a slide I developed that shows six or seven (depending on the industry) points on the UAS commercial systems engineering analysis. Only one has anything to do with flying the UAS, the rest concern data analysis, optimization, storage, retrieval and dissemination, etc.

The key thing about UAS markets is that many already exist and are being flown by manned aircraft. UAS, especially in precision agriculture applications, offer a like capability at a much reduced price.

The other markets are developing in gas and oil, surveying, etc. The sky is the limit (pun intended) but an organizational construct is required to coordinate operator training, rules of the road, etc. The FAA is simply punting at this point. They have designated six UAS test sites but have yet to give them concrete direction.

Other countries, notably Canada, have figured it out.

I am in the process of writing a brief I give to a group from Geospatial Transportation Mapping Association tomorrow in Manassas.

I love my Phantom FC40
 

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I'm not very good at flying it, but its a lot of fun. I try to keep it smooth but I have a long way to go. After crashing it, I'm so glad I did not buy the Vision 2 or Vision 2 Plus. I can make a wi fi connection to my tablet and stream the camera image. Its a really good value.