Oliver
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Posts posted by Oliver
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Winds were gusting at about 25-30kts today at a few airports in the area... decided to get some practice done.
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Yeah, I don't want to be the "Test Pilot" (Pun Intended) for this. I think there will be a rocky road before they pave the way. The person who was fined $10,000 for flying that so called drone on the college campus was the first test case and unfortunately for him, the FAA ruling was reversed yet again to force him to pay the fine. If you are going to do it, I would take the same route as the agent did and get an exception directly approved for you by the FAA so you will have a clear understanding for your circumstances. I too was about to purchase a few of these drones (Phantom 2 and Inspire) as they are ones that are approved. But for the realistic $5k a piece it will cost to get them properly geared plus what ever layer fees you will need to have someone represent you to get the exception and the insurance costs for flying them.... Although I am wondering if my insurance from AOPA will cover drones, hhhmmmmmm.... I am not sure it is the right time to be diving in the waters. For real estate, I think it is just going to be a FAD for the most part, but to be able to capitalize on this would be great assuming there is a profit to be made after all expenses are paid for. I am thinking that in another 3-5 years we will have a better understanding and the regulations will be created that will make it more reasonable for the lay person to fly these. There is a misconception that this has anything to do with commercial use. The FAA has defined the Drones to be Aircraft meaning that the regs pertain to them period, recreational or commercial.
Again, I am saying regulations, but to my knowledge there are no regulations about the drones or even what the definition of a drone is. So any model plane right now could be considered a Drone until the FAA comes out with the actual definition and regulations on such. If you were to purchase a small RC helicopter from the kiosk of a mall or toy store and fly it around your house and then crash it into a person or car that is driving and cause an accident, rest assured that there is a good chance you will be in front of the FAA and the NTSB trying to explain yourself and they will be asking for your pilots license. Is it absurd, maybe, but it is real. I am not sure if I really want to take this chance and unfortunately most will think it's a toy and try to claim ignorance which may well be true, but again, I don't want to be the test case. I think the first thing that needs to happen is that the stores selling these aircraft need to provide some sort of disclaimer with the purchase of such aircraft to cover their buts and to educate the public who would treat it as a toy. maybe grandpa will think twice before he buys his 12 year old grandson a neat quad copter for his birthday. Meanwhile, the parents will think it's cool until he damages something or kills someone and they have to pay the ultimate price. It is a great deal deeper then we can all imagine.
For now I will fly the real thing and think twice before I go flying at the local R/C club.
I wholeheartedly agree. My only bother with the pilot license requirement is that a drone and an airplane are two entirely different flying machines. Granted, I believe their motive behind the requirement is so that the PIC of the drone actually has aeronautical knowledge of airspaces and such.
I feel like it would be even harder to claim ignorance if you're already a licensed pilot. For some reason, although more experienced and knowledgeable, I think that a pilot would get nailed harder than a non-pilot in case of an accident.
I'd love to fly it above Sarasota Bay and the city... but if I do end up taking the plunge I'm solely going to fly it around the properties for sale and keep it on a very tight leash.
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FF A350 over Dubai
Magnificent shot. Where did you get the scenery?
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Best info in the world about commercial drone use can be found by signing up for this forum.
Many commercial users and knowledgeable users here. Been a member for the past 10 years.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/index.php
This thread is the most useful one since it directly covers your issue. But with 501 pages to view, use the search function.
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1703587
After reading some of that thread, you might have to filter out the BS to get any real info, more pissed piss off users posting.
BTW, I have a first gen DJI Phantom 1 and have only used it 3 times. Just never get enough time off work get use to it. Have
a Go pro 2 for it.
Thank you very much for the insight, Jim. I perused through some of the pages of the forum but will definitely sign up and try to read the majority of them.
The last paper from the FAA that I read was an exception the was not fully granted to the applicant who wanted to use the drone for his real estate business. It is very vague but shows some promises. I believe it said there was only 5 exceptions granted as of the writing of the document which was a few months ago.
Under the ruling for the exception, the altitude is listed as 300 feet and must be flown by a licensed pilot holding at least a PPL with a current medical. There were other requirements such as having a qualified observer to make sure the from stays within line of site, the pilot must have something like 25 hours of training flying that particular drone and the drone also needs to meet certain requirements that the phantom 2 has. I'm not sure about the other units. The biggest thing that has kept me from purchasing one is the fact that if I crash this toy in my own backyard even if it hits a tree or the sidewalk, I have to report the accident to the NTSB that I crashed my toy. I don't want an incident on my pilot license record.
The requirements will change multiple times in the future once all the bugs are worked out, but the FAA had to start somewhere.
Sent via Taptalk. System specs: OS-Windows 8, MB-Gigabyte Z87X OC Force, Processor-4770K, GC-PNY 780 Ti, RAM-16Gb.
That's definitely my biggest fear as well. I'm planning to start an aviation company and I want to avoid any potential mishaps that could affect my current (and future) relationship with the FAA.
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There must be some exception, considering the number of small-time, yet commercial, film-makers using drones nowadays.
I'd also have to look into the FAA definition of "commercial" to see if it's the same as their airplane definition of commercial.
I'd be using this solely to do videos that showcase properties... but I wouldn't be receiving compensation for the flight itself. I suppose this would be considered the same as being a private pilot and taking a photographer flying for him to take pictures of houses. If he doesn't directly pay you for the flight, it doesn't directly count as commercial flying.
Luckily, I'll have my commercial pilot license within the next few months... hopefully it'll give me even more leniency if I ever have to encounter the FAA for anything drone related.
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I did a paper on drones, and did a lot of research on them.
From what I understand, only commercial use of drones is prohibited, so you will be able to fly your drone if it's not-for-profit. And if I remember correctly, drones that fly under a certain altitude (I can't remember what) are considered recreational.
Since you have a PPL, I don't think you would be reprimanded for using a drone, as long as you use it like you would fly someone in a Cessna (without charging).
Also, this is a new field of aviation that new regulations are being made for, so who know what the FAA will ultimately decide.
Thanks a lot for your reply, Seth. I'll look into the altitudes.
Olivier C.
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Hi everyone,
I wanted to get input from fellow members in the US on the FAA regulations for drones. I've been tossing around the idea of purchasing one for my real estate company but I'm a bit worried of the potential hazards it could impose on my pilot licenses and my future with the FAA.
After having done some research, I've found that the rules for drones are quite vague in substance. It also appears that the FAA will soon start requiring pilot licenses in order to operate drones.
To make it short... Have any of you ever flown personal drones around your towns? If so, have any of you been reprimanded by the FAA for any reason relating to the operation of your drone.
Much appreciated,
Olivier C.-
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Why should my name be Sarah Conor. And i don't believe you won't be finish before 2029, it is insane. you guys have just a lot of time for making this aircraft. Michael Chang use 3-4 year on his aircrafts. You guys have used 5 year, and your are not even near finish with the Boeing 747
Right... and what have they finished? The Saab... The DC-3... Not to mention the countless projects they're currently working on.
Perhaps since development seems to be your forte, you could whip up a fully modeled 747 in the next few weeks? Thought so.
Stop making assumptions.
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I'm not dropping calculus for X-Plane, I would never put anything (other than my family and health) ahead of university. Just as clarification to those who are going "Damn young people and their crazy priorities"
I am enrolled in sciences because both my parents are doctors and it's essentially what they wanted me to do and I only just recently built up the will to tell them that I didn't want to pursue sciences. I am heading for a degree in geography with a possible minor in biology (which is offered through arts at Thompson Rivers). My final goal in life is to become a high school or elementary school teacher by first being an overseas English Second Language teacher. I know, what kind of wack-job teenager aspires to be an elementary school teacher? Basically, at my university, Geography does not require calculus and staying in the course will make me do alright in all of my courses instead of exceptionally, as I would have to devote close to half my study time focused on calculus, which I don't really care about. While I love science, it's not something I want to have as a career - I want to spend my life teaching young people in as creative and fun a way as possible. And calculus is not in the realm of what you have to teach 10-year-old children.
Perhaps I'm just insane. Okay: I will remove "perhaps" from that sentence.
You're not insane. You're following your passions and that's what everyone should do.
I attended the 6th top / most difficult high school in the US. I then attended university for a month and dropped out to start my company and re-ignite my passion for aviation. I go to my office every morning with the biggest smile on my face because an 8hr work day for me is pure happiness and joy. I commend you for pursuing your passion in life because it's what makes the difference between people that are happy when they wake up and people that are unhappy.
Be the best damn teacher you can be and show those kids that creativity should be cherished instead of diminished like in most schools.
*Ps: Great work on the scenery. Looking forward to downloading it.
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Air France A320
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Aerial patrol over Paris with the AS350 and the Dassault Rafale.
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“We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”
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A tribute to those fallen in the horrendous attacks on Paris and a tribute to the AS350 of the Gendarmerie Nationale currently hunting the two low life terrorists.
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It depends...
There are certain airplane addons available for X-Plane that solely work with the use of a joystick. Namely, most of the Peter Hager ones. You certain don't need a joystick for the base simulator, but as they are only 20-40$ entry price, I'd definitely recommend one for the added realism.
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It seems there has been something of an uprising lately about IFR / low-visibility approaches in SkyMaxx Pro!
While I can't bring back the "gray wall of death," I can introduce an alternate approach for simulating ground fog. Here's a sneak peek:
This is from the forthcoming SkyMaxx Pro 2.1.1 release, which we're hoping to release post-holidays. To get this effect, you'll need to set the "overcast quality" setting in SkyMaxx Pro to medium or high, then place a stratus cloud at ground level.
SkyMaxx Pro 2.1.1 will treat stratus clouds special - it will permit them to be at ground level, and use a technique called "soft particles" to blend them smoothly into the terrain.
Version 2.1.1 will also resolve some issues about lights, propellers, rain, etc. showing through the clouds at times. Stay tuned.
Keep up the great work. You guys have come an extremely long way since V1 and it's truly amazing to see your continued support and dedication to this product.
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That would certainly be a problem. Which makes me wonder why Garmin did not go with auto dimming, like on the GNS430/530, etc. It always worked quite well in my opinion, and if you needed it brighter momentarily, just shine a light on the photocell and it brightened up...
VFR at night, could be a problem in some areas then for sure, but in sparsely populated areas, it may actually help. Of course, my other concern would be an electrical failure, good luck flying with the backup artificial horizon, hidden down by your knees.
With regards to another piece of "glass", I've flown a Seneca III with an Aspen panel, and it was quite nice, because it is compact, so it doesn't take up the whole panel, and has a ton of information based on how you layer it in, but I've never used it at night, which makes me wonder how they act at night? Any idea?
I actually hate the G1000 at night in VFR when I'm over sparsely populated areas. It makes it nearly impossible to get a good spatial orientation when you even glance outside. The G1000 at night is fine when you're flying over well lit areas.
I've never flown any acf with an Aspen panel so I unfortunately couldn't be of much help in that area.
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Nice flying bro!
Thanks man!
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Funny how the first thing I noticed, was that the heat/defrost vents were closed or restricted.
Never see that up here, always open, and ready to go. Then again, we probably only have some use for them six months out of the year.
Looks like a great flight. I have a question for you though, how much of a distraction do you find the G1000 to be when flying VFR, and especially at night? Seems to me that it probably does draw attention away from the visual aspect of flying, and you may end up with your head inside too much?
Honestly the G1000 can be very distracting at night. The problem is that the brightness knob is extremely sensitive in a certain area and it's really tough to get the right brightness. I think it's more of a habit of using it at night.
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Took the Cessna 172 for a flight to dinner from KSRQ to KSPG last night. Got some wonderful views of the sunset and the Sunshine Skyway bridge in Tampa. Be sure to watch in HD!
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Took a friend of mine flying today in the Cessna 172 with G1000. We flew to St. Pete for dinner and got some good shots in the process!
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Why is it always in Florida that the strangest things happen...
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What started as an initial flight to lunch with some friends turned to absolute hell when an insane supercell buildup appeared truly out of nowhere. We were wrapping up lunch and I was glued to my iPad checking every possible weather maps. Despite having done my weather research according to training, the unfortunate insane Florida weather created a buildup of storms that lasted 12+ hours and battered the Tampa Bay area. The airport alone received 5 inches of rain in 12 hours. Since I had passengers, I refused to take to the skies and fly home as my passengers' safety is my main priority. Always remember that aviation can be a life ending passion if you don't treat it accordingly. Always fly safe and never try to rush.
Still flyable weather. This was mid-lunch when I first checked the weather.
Post lunch storm buildup.
And this was the flight home this morning
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... The sales data says otherwise. What you think is not what you know, nor is it reality.
And me not having sales figures is why my assumption goes only so far.
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As someone who sees marketing and sales data, I'd have to disagree with this statement with severe certainty. That's the only comment I have for your post. The rest is up to the community as a whole to agree with.
This is from the perspective of someone without the sales data... but I'd say it's probably pretty even as far as those who want simplicity and those who want in depth systems. Personally, I love in depth systems because it saves me the cost of renting an airplane and learning them from there. I'd much rather learn the systems while sipping my Red Bull in my office.
What did you fly today?
in Screenshots
Posted
It's actually a 172! I used to fly an extremely beat up 152 but I've started training with friend CFIs who don't charge for the training so I've increased my airplane budget