# Drones the Debate...



## ETM

Do not like.


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## ShredLife

better learn to ride backcountry... if these start showing up at resorts, lawsuits and bans will follow.

all it will take is one person to get hit by one.


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## f00bar

I'd imagine most areas will ban them. I think for a while they may be useful in extremely controlled environments. But start adding lifts and other ones flying around and it'll be collisions all over.

Now Backcountry I think it has potential. But at that kinda money I'd like to see what the loss rate is. Keep in mind all the demo videos you see while they look great there is probably a ton of prep work to get it and you arne't seeing any of the failures.


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## ShredLife

i know dudes using rc drones to film bc shit. it works great and is a really good tool for evening the playing field a little bit with the Redbull Productions of the world. 

too much liability for the resorts tho


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## cookiedog

*They have a lot of potential I think*

They have a lot of potential on a consumer market if you can actually automate them, meaning that you will have some kind of transmitter carried in you pocket on which it can lock, to follow and film you automatically. But I also agree with everything said above it's no good for resorts collision and injuries will be almost unavoidable.... unless some sort of TCAS system will be implemented :dunno:


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## f00bar

ShredLife said:


> i know dudes using rc drones to film bc shit. it works great and is a really good tool for evening the playing field a little bit with the Redbull Productions of the world.
> 
> too much liability for the resorts tho


I do think that for some of the larger resorts on certain slopes there is money to be made for the resort if they were to rent one out for a run. As long as they have some way of controlling the airspace and keeping it sane. But agreed, allowing people to bring their own would just be insane.


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## ShredLife

f00bar said:


> I do think that for some of the larger resorts on certain slopes there is money to be made for the resort if they were to rent one out for a run. As long as they have some way of controlling the airspace and keeping it sane. But agreed, allowing people to bring their own would just be insane.


that's actually a great idea. can't believe i didn't think of it - but yea, designate one run or have a gatekeeper working the top of the park so only one person is in the run at a time... sell the guest the footage... yea, that could be a great little service for some resorts to offer.

if they could do it in an orderly fashion i think that that could possibly work.


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## hardasacatshead

I'm thinking of it. If I end up doing the Haute route next year I'll probably buy one and take it along if somebody else doesn't already have one. A couple of the guys I'm potentially going along with are quite talented videographers. We're discussing the potential to make a documentary style film of the whole thing, not for any commercial gain but purely for a good memory of the trip. One of the guys is actually talking to a guide at the moment about the implications of taking extra gear (batteries, chargers, the drone and my DSLR+Lenses etc). 

I think they have great value, just not on a resort. Imagine if angry skier Dad copped a drone to the side of the face... youtube couldn't handle that kind of rant.


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## f00bar

hardasacatshead said:


> I'm thinking of it. If I end up doing the Haute route next year I'll probably buy one and take it along if somebody else doesn't already have one. A couple of the guys I'm potentially going along with are quite talented videographers. We're discussing the potential to make a documentary style film of the whole thing, not for any commercial gain but purely for a good memory of the trip. One of the guys is actually talking to a guide at the moment about the implications of taking extra gear (batteries, chargers, the drone and my DSLR+Lenses etc).
> 
> I think they have great value, just not on a resort. Imagine if angry skier Dad copped a drone to the side of the face... youtube couldn't handle that kind of rant.


I'd be curious to see what the lbs/hr flight time for spare batteries would be. Assuming bluebird conditions I guess you could possibly reduce it with a solar charging setup. But that's just more stuff to plan and pack.


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## ShredLife

replace the DSLR with mirrorless and save 10-20lbs with no loss in IQ.


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## hardasacatshead

Solar would definitely be the go foobar. I haven't looked too far into it but there's got to be some super light weight solar setups out there that would cater to this perfectly. 


Shred - mirrorless has its limitations. You're absolutely right, it would be a massive weight saving but you can't beat the IQ of a full frame DSLR, you also can't replicate certain aspects of shooting with a full frame body such as shallow depth of field at equal apertures, low light/high ISO noise handling or the image quality of a really nice lens. I'd only take along a pair of lenses (likely a 35mm prime and a 70-200), still both pretty hefty bits of glass but we'd like to do something of a high quality including a bunch of video, stills and time lapses in which case my 5D3 is about as good as a DSLR can get for covering both of those aspects. 

If the weight is too much then I'll be taking a Sony RX100 ii, hands down the best point and shoot money can buy. I've got the original version and it's such a beast. :thumbsup:


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## BurtonAvenger

Well the world has had their first fatality from one of these. Family Killed By Recreational Aerial Photography Drone «

I know that Vail Resorts has looked at the viability of renting the use of these out and what not. I haven't heard more since the people I know that were working with them went bankrupt. 

I will say that more than likely we will pick one of these up for Parks and Wreck/BC filming because it is a tool for getting certain types of shots. The problem I foresee not with us, but with hobbyists/recreational people is that there will be collisions on the hill, they won't take into account wind gusts, and other factors that limit this. Eventually I believe resorts will figure out a way to make it permit only or an additional fee.


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## Kevin137

Most of the automated drones are estimating about 15 minutes per battery, they are not particularly large so carrying 2 extras gives you 45 minutes total, guessing this is weather or temperature affected though, so the colder it is the less time you get...

As for resorts, i can see them being completely banned on general slopes very quickly, and not being sure about what the regs are in the USA i would imagine that it would be very easy to do. The EU is very different, it is pretty much unregulated, meaning they would have a hard time banning them. But i can see resorts trying though.

The most usable places are definitely BC and also the park, so if it was restricted to park only, i think that would suffice for most people. As that way you are aware of them being there, the potential for injury and the costs that would be incurred if you had an accident, much like the park is anyway...

I definitely like the possibility of seeing the resorts actually having a few of these and renting runs out. But again, i think this would need to be restricted to parks, which are normally huge wide open spaces with no lifts directly above them... Makes for fewer obstacles...

So with the possibility of having a run down the park filmed, let me ask another question...

WHAT WOULD YOU PAY TO HAVE A RUN FILMED from this aspect...???

Would $30 be reasonable...??? Remembering that no resort would trust you to just go out with it, so you would have to have a staff member go up, set up, download and make available to you by download or disc...


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## ShredLife

hardasacatshead said:


> Solar would definitely be the go foobar. I haven't looked too far into it but there's got to be some super light weight solar setups out there that would cater to this perfectly.
> 
> 
> Shred - mirrorless has its limitations. You're absolutely right, it would be a massive weight saving but you can't beat the IQ of a full frame DSLR, you also can't replicate certain aspects of shooting with a full frame body such as shallow depth of field at equal apertures, low light/high ISO noise handling or the image quality of a really nice lens. I'd only take along a pair of lenses (likely a 35mm prime and a 70-200), still both pretty hefty bits of glass but we'd like to do something of a high quality including a bunch of video, stills and time lapses in which case my 5D3 is about as good as a DSLR can get for covering both of those aspects.
> 
> If the weight is too much then I'll be taking a Sony RX100 ii, hands down the best point and shoot money can buy. I've got the original version and it's such a beast. :thumbsup:


i have an rx100 also. great little groundbreaking camera for sony. also run a nex7 and a 7d with about 10k in L glass.

tbh i've never owned a FF dslr, but i fail to see FF as a necessity in the mts. plenty of light on snow and the 1.6x mag factor of the crop sensor can actually be an advantage. the only thing you might lose depending on the cam is quick AF for action stuff.


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## BurtonAvenger

Kevin137 said:


> Most of the automated drones are estimating about 15 minutes per battery, they are not particularly large so carrying 2 extras gives you 45 minutes total, guessing this is weather or temperature affected though, so the colder it is the less time you get...
> 
> As for resorts, i can see them being completely banned on general slopes very quickly, and not being sure about what the regs are in the USA i would imagine that it would be very easy to do. The EU is very different, it is pretty much unregulated, meaning they would have a hard time banning them. But i can see resorts trying though.
> 
> The most usable places are definitely BC and also the park, so if it was restricted to park only, i think that would suffice for most people. As that way you are aware of them being there, the potential for injury and the costs that would be incurred if you had an accident, much like the park is anyway...
> 
> I definitely like the possibility of seeing the resorts actually having a few of these and renting runs out. But again, i think this would need to be restricted to parks, which are normally huge wide open spaces with no lifts directly above them... Makes for fewer obstacles...
> 
> So with the possibility of having a run down the park filmed, let me ask another question...
> 
> WHAT WOULD YOU PAY TO HAVE A RUN FILMED from this aspect...???
> 
> Would $30 be reasonable...??? Remembering that no resort would trust you to just go out with it, so you would have to have a staff member go up, set up, download and make available to you by download or disc...


Well my guess is for resorts here you're looking at 100 USD. 

As far as lifts over park that might be the case over there. But here we have lifts that go through parks. Keystone has 2 lifts that go right through it. Breck the lift is right next to the park. Copper has a park access lift that goes through parts of it. Vail has a lift through the top of the park. 

The U.S. will make it a permit/pay to play thing depending on the resort if it becomes a problem. 

What I'm honestly worried about isn't the people that actually know how to film park, but the people that don't who will go in there with their new toy and cause issues. I've seen it with the idiots with their GoPros that come in and then wonder why we're all yelling at them to get the fuck out of the way.


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## Kevin137

BurtonAvenger said:


> Well my guess is for resorts here you're looking at 100 USD.
> 
> As far as lifts over park that might be the case over there. But here we have lifts that go through parks. Keystone has 2 lifts that go right through it. Breck the lift is right next to the park. Copper has a park access lift that goes through parts of it. Vail has a lift through the top of the park.
> 
> The U.S. will make it a permit/pay to play thing depending on the resort if it becomes a problem.
> 
> What I'm honestly worried about isn't the people that actually know how to film park, but the people that don't who will go in there with their new toy and cause issues. I've seen it with the idiots with their GoPros that come in and then wonder why we're all yelling at them to get the fuck out of the way.


That is very fair comment, and it relies on an awful lot of common sense on the part of the user, which i know there is a very short supply of when it comes to recreational activities...

I have had a Drone for the last 2 years, i bought it primarily for exploring just how they work in filming, now i know i am not very good when it comes to filming, but i enjoy it, i enjoy editing as well which i also know i'm not very good at...

What i learnt from my early use of the drone, is that it was very unstable, while using GPS and "other" means to stay at a certain height, that is not relevant when it comes to the white stuff. Admittedly if you got in the right place and "hovered" you got some awesome shots, but the whole moving of a drone was extremely difficult, especially on the early models of which some, like mine used an eye on the bottom to see the distance from the ground, which when it's ALL white, is impossible...!!! So i used twice on the snow, and made a decision to not use on the snow anymore for the smile fact that it just was not practical...

The tech has moved on a long way since then, and looking at the 2 different models currently available on kickstarter, the AirDog is far superior in terms of tech, it can basically "learn a run" by simply running down on your own with the tracking device you would dimly track down in the middle of the run and that is where it would fly when launched next time down.

The Hexo+ relies on it tracking a phone, which is in some ways restrictive, but allows for the distance to be kept much more to a minimum. But doesn't learn from anything, so you set it and it is down to you.

Now when you look at alternatives, like the DJI Phantom 2+, that has NO automation, and requires a pilot, but is far superior in many other ways, like the ability to actually plot a course, so you can plot very easily a speed a height a view and it will fly... But it is not the full automation that adrenaline activities require. They are however much better for the park with a competent pilot for things like competition filming for sure.

I hope they don't get outright banned, but i do hope there are some sensible rules put into place before next season across the world so people know where they stand before problems arise... Or it will make for outright banning a very simple case...

I guess we will have to wait and see...


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## Donutz

ShredLife said:


> i know dudes using rc drones to film bc shit. it works great and is a really good tool for evening the playing field a little bit with the Redbull Productions of the world.
> 
> too much liability for the resorts tho


If you get buried, will the thing hover over where your body is located?


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## f00bar

I think you hit upon the Achilles heels of these things. Wind. They are small, light, and completely incapable of counteracting any sort of gust. You won't see that in any of the marketing videos that have people salivating.


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## kalev

Not my thing, but then again I have no interest in using a goPro either


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## Kevin137

f00bar said:


> I think you hit upon the Achilles heels of these things. Wind. They are small, light, and completely incapable of counteracting any sort of gust. You won't see that in any of the marketing videos that have people salivating.


I don't see this as an a Achilles heel in the modern drones, they really are stable, and they counteract wind remarkably well.

I have friends that have the Phantom 2 and they reckon in gusts it will move no more than a metre or 2 and remains perfectly stable as far as using it goes. The older models where very different...

The only problems i see with these is the inability to actually use them correctly from a users point of view, getting the settings wrong, not understanding how to use them etc...

The same argument can be had for many recreational toys, jet skis being a prime example. Once things settle down, i think you will find that you are not over run with drones, but will have some that excel at the ability to use them effectively...

I hope i'm right...


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## linvillegorge

Kevin137 said:


> I don't see this as an a Achilles heel in the modern drones, they really are stable, and they counteract wind remarkably well.
> 
> I have friends that have the Phantom 2 and they reckon in gusts it will move no more than a metre or 2 and remains perfectly stable as far as using it goes.


I'd like to see one of these things trying to operate on the continental divide here in CO on a normal day. Forget a windy day. Hell, it's hard enough just to walk upright sometimes.


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## Donutz

linvillegorge said:


> Hell, it's hard enough just to walk upright sometimes.


that may be more of a pharmocological problem than a meteorological one.


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## linvillegorge

Donutz said:


> that may be more of a pharmocological problem than a meteorological one.


Touche. :laugh:

But seriously, there are days on top of the divide that it's seriously in the back of your head that you might get blown the fuck off the mountain. It's literally happened on Long's Peak right around the Keyhole. Every time I've ever climbed that mountain, the wind ranges from "holy fucking shit, it's windy" to "ummm... is this actually doable?"


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## ridinbend

If the resort was able to record a video of me on a deep pow day and it looked good I would consider buying the footage. I hate all the current gopro angles, you can't appreciate the line all zoomed in. However that video those kooks posted a few months ago in Europe that couldn't ride....not cool. And my guess is it'll be the kooks with the drones.


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## chomps1211

Donutz said:


> that may be more of a pharmocological problem than a meteorological one.


....And it's *DONUTZ!!!* FTW!!!! 

ROFLMAO!!! Bwahahahahhaaa!!! :thumbsup: :yahoo: :laugh: :bowdown: 






....thanks! I needed that today! :thumbsup:


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## racer357

I think the resorts should set a bunch of drones loose on the slopes and then rent GUNS to shoot them down with!!! Skeet shooting at SPEED! :yahoo::yahoo:


Liability be damned!


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## linvillegorge

I'd rather shoot teleskiers. Can we shoot them for sport instead?


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## ryannorthcott

Drone laws in canada are quite lax (read: non existent). We have one for our production company and have made quite good use of it, haven't used it on the hill but I don't think it would be a problem. Everyone always thinks what if it falls out of the sky and kills someone, and while that could happen, it is actually quite difficult to do. We have gotten clearance to fly it over crowds at private events, indoors and haven't had any bad experiences. You can check out a video we filmed with it here (filmed last year, when we first got it) 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-n-P3NQ8tek&list=PLqRX1mrENBchT58LDNEahl8hiCEidaIkJ


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## BurtonAvenger

As Linville mentioned I'd love to see one of these things try and be stable in sustained winds. 

For all the videos of Brecks jump line that is out there none of them portray what a windy day looks like. I've seen Cro defy physics on a windy day when hitting an 80 foot jump. Wind will be one of the biggest issues. 

The next will be how every fucktard with a GoPole will want one to record some super crap angle that they think is "Fucking Epic Bro". I'm going to talk to my friend that's an app developer and see how hard it would be for him to essentially make me a kill switch to nuke other peoples so I can have aerial superiority.


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## ItchEtrigR

BurtonAvenger said:


> I'm going to talk to my friend that's an app developer and see how hard it would be for him to essentially make me a kill switch to nuke other peoples so I can have aerial superiority.


samyk has already exploited the parrot drone with a dos/deauthenticate to assume control of a targeted parrot drone, it's a bit hardware dependent but shouldn't cost too much to build, send your friend over to samyks github and get your skyjack on....


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## ridinbend

Xavier is in on the drones. Best product I've seen so far. 

Autonomous drone soars to new heights - GrindTV.com


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## Kevin137

I've been trying to understand how the law in the USA works regarding drones...

What i have worked out is, is that nobody actually knows what they can and what they cannot do, it is supposed to come under the FAA but they have lost the only case they have taken to court, and that was for commercial use of a drone, if you don't use it for commercial use, then as long as it stays under 50m, then there is no regulation...

I am guessing here, that Private Property falls under a different category, as the land owner could refuse permission on there property, and that as there property is under there control to a height of 50m then you cannot use it.

How does that compare to when a ski slope is on Public Land, could the ski resort ban you from the resort for using it, much like they do with snowboards at the resorts where snowboards are banned...???

I am guessing that there are gonna be at least 1000 new drones out there from the 2 best drones on kickstarted now, the problem is the usability of these drones by the time they are actually delivered...

I understand fully the need to keep this in check... And the use of rentals by the resort cost wise certainly does not meet the mainstream use that you could achieve safely...

Would permission from a resort be a better way to do this, so if they allowed, i don't know, 5 or 10 at a resort by permission only, on a 1st come 1st serve, would this control the skies in an acceptable way...???


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## ridinbend

Kevin137 said:


> I've been trying to understand how the law in the USA works regarding drones...
> 
> Would permission from a resort be a better way to do this, so if they allowed, i don't know, 5 or 10 at a resort by permission only, on a 1st come 1st serve, would this control the skies in an acceptable way...???


I can almost guarantee that the big resorts owned by corporations say powdercorp for example, will have an answer by next season. There has been too much exposure for them not to be prepared for the next step. Either way it will be a mess. I don't however foresee my mountain (Mt Bachelor) renting out drones or making the effort to get footage, and selling it. The amount of man power/employee time and it's hourly cost is going to take some time to adequately determine a business model. We probably won't know though until season passes go up for sale. Once again I will wager a guess that CO will be a testing ground for the next step. If they can pull your pass for ducking ropes, riding recklessly, riding under the influence, I would assume they will pull passes for drones if they are banned, they're not hard to miss.


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## Kevin137

We have had drones at the resort i have a season pass for the last 3 years, and while there are no hard and fast rules, they simply ask that you ask permission 1st...

The most that have ever been up in any 1 day is 3, and only ever had 2 up at the same time once...

I know times are changing, but i am guessing that a sensible solution needs to be sought, but i don't think the outright banning of them is the answer...


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## BurtonAvenger

CO has already toyed with the idea and tested it with a third party company. It's going to happen at Vail resorts for sure, just not sure if it will be this season or next. But if you look at their partnership with GoPro it kind of makes sense. 

When you get into the Public Lands debate there's some things to consider like the fact it's leased land for certain activities at certain times of the season. I'm sure somewhere in that land lease and what dictates safety or whatever on the back of your ticket/season pass there will now be an added amendment towards drones. It's going to kind of be like how you can't take your snowmobile up the resort I would assume. 

If I can get one before the Winter I do plan on seeing if Vail will do say anything to me for using it to film some park shots.


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## Kevin137

BurtonAvenger said:


> If I can get one before the Winter I do plan on seeing if Vail will do say anything to me for using it to film some park shots.


This is where the autonomous drones will come in, i think anyway, of all the ready to fly drones, there are really only 2 that fit this bill.

If you want to film others, then the DJI Phantom 2+ will give you the most versatility at a cost affordable to most, but this requires flying it yourself, and let's be honest, this is where the subject of accidents will come in...

The Hexo+ is not going to be available until May 2015, i have one of these ordered on the early bird pricing from Kickstarter, and i think it will fit my needs for most stuff...

The AirDog however, while twice the price of the Hexo+ does have a lot more feature available, like the ability to pre-program, learn routes, fly and hover, switch users mid trail, and so much more, and again, certainly looks the most robust in terms of how it works.

If i where you BA, i would lean towards the Airdog, it is certainly more bang for your buck, and you can pack easily for taking into BC really easily...

Let us know how any conversations go over there with regards to the drones, it will certainly be interesting to hear how the resorts are reacting to the newer automated flying cameras...


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## CassMT

i'm starting a wrist-rocket company

also gonna patent a bazooka like thing that shoots a a big , weighted net

thinking of the urban market, but at resorts it could be like another liftride game, drone destroying


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## chomps1211

SGboarder said:


> FWIW, they have recently become quite popular at sailing events where it is regularly blowing 20-30 mph with lots of random gusts and stability in wind does not seem to a big issue.
> 
> Some examples: Pigeon Vision


WOW! I watched some of the videos from that link. At first I thought (...as I might have expected,) that the video quality had suffered due to the vibrations of the drone's blades spinning, but I did not have the HD view set by default on my viewer. Once I switched to the HD mode, the video quality was actually quite amazing. I'm impressed!

My next concern regarding those drones and their capabilities would be that since those sailing videos were shot by a "professional," for hire, film/video outfit,.. Are they using the same consumer grade type drones that have been discussed here in this thread? Or are they using high end, custom rigs? (...as I would tend to suspect!)

This could make a world of difference as far as how stable they might or might not be while filming in the high wind conditions mentioned in their promotional videos! I'm just asking to be sure we are comparing apples to apples! :dunno:


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## Kevin137

Definitely not Apples and Apples

They need to be so much bigger for the rigs they have to carry, and are normally 6-8 motors with retractable landing gear etc...

Can be home made or made by professional companies, like DJI, who have an amazing home use in the Phantom+2 but also sell high end gear...

Spreading Wings S1000 - specially designed for high level professional aerial photography and cinematography | DJI

That is more like the kind of thing that would be used.

Although what you could stable and the quality of film that can be acquired while looking stable are 2 very different things... It can be all over the place and still look stable from the movie if a really good gimbal has been used...!


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## BurtonAvenger

If you know how to edit in post production you can take really shitty footage and make it look good. Trust me. I've shot things on an iPhone that I've used in content I've posted and people think I used my DSLR.


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## chomps1211

BurtonAvenger said:


> If you know how to edit in post production you can take really shitty footage and make it look good. Trust me. I've shot things on an iPhone that I've used in content I've posted and people think I used my DSLR.


When you say, "knowing how to edit." Do you, or did mean you have to do any special post filming enhancing of the iPhone footage to bring up the quality? I assume, doing what you do, that you have some fairly advanced digital editing software? Does it allow you to enhance and adjust for lower quality capture?

As a photographer, I've personally found the iPhone's camera and video to be sub-par. Which is odd because obviously lots of people, including working pro's have raved about the images from it. (...I have to assume that there was _LOTS_ of post capture enhancement done to some of the images I've seen posted.) Aside from some cropping, color temp & saturation adjustments, I don't do a lot of post capture alterations with my DSLR's. so I haven't attempted to do much with the crappy images I get with my iPhone. (...I mostly just use it for quick candids and documenting things.) No "Artsy Fartsy" images like I shoot with my Nikon's. 

Then again, I haven't used them for video either. :dunno:


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## BurtonAvenger

There's enhancements you can use. I've done stuff with a 5 year old version of iMovie that most people can't comprehend. Just saying it's not always about the equipment it's about knowing how to do things. I'm by no means a professional film editor, but even my guys I work with have said they're thinking of just getting Death Lenses for their 5's and filming park edits with it.


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## ShredLife

Drones are prohibited in national parks - CNN.com

current events. if they end up extending it to National Forest i imagine that would cover alot of the west coast resorts.

although, per the article: 

"All previously issued permits for drones will be suspended until reviewed by a senior NPS official, who also must approve any new special use permits. Superintendents who have previously authorized the use of model aircraft for hobbyist or recreational use may allow such use to continue, the statement said."


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## Kevin137

Just as an update for those interested in what the current state of affairs is...

Hexo+ has still not provided ANY footage, of ANY prototype at all, but is promising to do so, either next monday or tuesday, funding finishes on Tues 11pm chest so there could be a mass exodus just before that with the current attitude... That added to there method of marketing, by just releasing video after video of more pros saying how awesome it is (even though they have never seen it) is getting old and boring.

Airdog, continues to communicate with it's backers, they ran a trial on Pykes Peak at 4000+ meters, very basic, but it flew well, looked pretty stable and coped with the wind with some movement but the stabilisation seems to be working pretty well, and then they ran a speed test, where they tracked a bike sing the prototype at speeds unto 59kmh, not that far short of the software controlled top speed of 70kmh, although they will look to change the speed at a later date if there is a need and they can produce the required stability as well...


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## chomps1211

I just caught the tail end of some report on the tv that may end the drone debate altogether. It concerns something that I hadn't even considered and that I dont recall being discussed as an issue in this thread until now,…

That issue,….? Privacy!!!

It will have nothing to do with will you or won't you be allowed to be using these things in resorts!!

I believe _Hollywood_ is going to cause the drone issue to get far more complicated! With the possibility of flying cameras becoming available to the general public, (…and the paparazzi in particular!) There will be those stupid fucks who use this technology to abuse and invade public and private citizen's rights to privacy. 

Get ready for a _SHITLOAD_ of restrictions, regulations, and maybe even outright Bans on these things once complaints about that sort of shit starts showing up in court!!


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## Kevin137

Thankfully i don't live over there, but i do consider this type of drone to be something that needs to be considered, it flies to follow a specific person, so unless that person stops next to someone, then it is not filming them, and the privacy side of things is already a concern anyway, with smart phones, and google glass etc being far more invasive and common place, if i wanted to film someone with a drone, it would not be this type of drone that is for sure, i would get a DJI and maybe some FPV goggles...

Hopefully some common sense will prevail for you guys over there, in the meantime, mine should be delivered in November so will post vids from then on... 

Wil also pass on any regulatory information as it appears for the UK and Norway to see how we deal with things, as that could be an interesting comparison...


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## Lamps

I saw some kids at grouse mountain using one this spring. 

Wasn't a problem but no doubt there's a ton of potential for issues. Eg I decide to ride and guide the drone at same time. Any place banned them yet?


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## Lamps

Donutz said:


> If you get buried, will the thing hover over where your body is located?


This could be a great safety tool. Post avalanche whip it out if your pack, turn it on, and send it to find an RFID tag for the buried person, or their cellphone signal perhaps. Like an electronic St. Bernard.


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## firstx1017

Funny reading this thread after the fact. I just surprised my hubby with a cheapo phantom drone FC-40 with camera included last week. We, too, are waiting to see what new restrictions they will be coming out with on this. He has had RC airplanes and helicopters for years. But he really loves this drone. He says it is sooooo easy compared to anything else he's flown. He says most airplanes/helicopters want to crash - but this thing will hover and he can take his hands off the sticks - something you can't do with an rc airplane of helicopter. The camera it came with actually takes good video. We have 5 go pros so were thinking of using one of them as it uses the same attachment - but the app they have for the FC-40 is pretty much real time in viewing where there is a delay in the go pro app. He just loves it. We did a trial run in front of our house taping the RV and Boat and Cars we have flying over everything. Even Martha Stewart uses one to check on all her properties - go figure! Nothing we would use snowboarding, but he wants to take it to the lake and see if he can fly over the boat while wakeboarding - should be interesting!


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## Kevin137

Well nothing has changed, the rules are still the same, companies are pushing forward with development and manufacturing, and mine is being delivered in November...

Soooooo, i was thinking, that although the Airdog that i bought claims to have safety features in place for loss of signal, by either flying back to where it took off from, or to a predetermined landing spot, i am still a little worried that a $1500 drone may end up getting lost... Haha

So i have decided to go and get one of these...

RF-V16 GPS Tracker & sos communicator, View gps tracker RF-V16, TNOX Product Details from Shenzhen TNOX Digital Technology Co., Ltd. on Alibaba.com

They are not designed for what i want to use it for, but i think the size, battery life, and capability is a pretty cool way of tracking a drone should you have unforeseen circumstances... I wonder if anyone else on here with a drone has had the same thought...


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## chomps1211

Saw something just recently that drones have already been banned from national parks. The main rationale being that peoples enjoyment of these Natural places should not be disturbed by someone zipping around drones overhead. .


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## linvillegorge

chomps1211 said:


> Saw something just recently that drones have already been banned from national parks. The main rationale being that peoples enjoyment of these Natural places should not be disturbed by someone zipping around drones overhead. .


Probably prompted by that dumbass who crashed his into a hot spring in Yellowstone. :laugh:


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## Kevin137

I agree National Parks are a separate subject for the majority of the world, a National Park would be somewhere of extreme natural beauty with wildlife living there that are considered endangered or protected... Not so sure it is the same in the USA, but would imagine it is, until of course when you think that snow resorts are parked on land that is considered the same, which is kind of confusing...

I totally get the protection of wildlife... We invade far too much of the space on this planet already...  Very different in a ski resort in my mind though... Or over a lake with jet skis running riot though... Haha


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## linvillegorge

:signlol:


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## czoid74

haha:signlol:


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## Kevin137

He deserved everything he got there... Who does he think he is invading the private space or the Angry Ram... Haha :signlol:


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## Kevin137

Well with winter fast approaching, and the Airdog due for delivery in the month of November, they have put back the launch...

They are currently addressing issues with the sonar/ultrasound and how the drone sees the ground for avoiding a collision...

So how long will the delay be, god knows, but hopefully not too long...!

The + side, is they are recruiting 10 Beat Testers immediately...!!! So, hopefully this will be a good thing...!!!

Not sure how there application process works, other than i assume it is for people that backed originally, so not god news for others, but i did email, and was informed i was already on the shortlist, so i may have a testing unit before the snow arrives... Will be interesting that is for sure...


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## CassMT

linvillegorge said:


> :signlol:


so much win, goin to grab the dronechargers.com url


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## chomps1211

*OK,.. It's official,…*

Drone's are officially a "_thing_" now!!!

South Park has got a drone episode on right this minute! lol








-edit-
….or maybe it was about shaving Vajayjay's??? :hairy:


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## Kevin137

China unveils laser drone defence system | World news | The Guardian

I can see everyone wanting one of these if hobby drones become an issue... Haha


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## KansasNoob

I got a kick out of the new South Park episode with the drones.


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## Mizu Kuma

As you might be able to tell by the name, it's NSFW!!!!!


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## Kevin137

Bringing back the debate about drones, albeit in an old thread, how many of you followed the story of the man shooting down the drone that "apparently" filmed his kids...?

There is always 2 sides to the story, obviously the guy who shot it said it swooped down to 10 metres and filmed yet the owner of the drone proved from the software the drone never got below 270 foot when at his property...!!!

So what is right and wrong, remembering that you do not own the air above your property, is this right...??? And to what length should you be allowed to go to keep your privacy...

On the other side of the drone debate, the 1st of the automated drones start shipping 2 weeks tomorrow on the 31st of August, with Airdog being the 1st out of the box, and being aimed at Action enthusiasts, has the law kept up have people considered using these and where...???

I am actually flying out to Riga in Latvia on the 26th Aug to meet the Airdog team and visit the factory, was a cool invite to get, and i jumped at the chance...! Will let you know how it all goes and what i think of them...


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## snowklinger

Mizu Kuma said:


> As you might be able to tell by the name, it's NSFW!!!!!


lol thats fuckin hilarious


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## ryannorthcott

Kevin137 said:


> Bringing back the debate about drones, albeit in an old thread, how many of you followed the story of the man shooting down the drone that "apparently" filmed his kids...?
> 
> There is always 2 sides to the story, obviously the guy who shot it said it swooped down to 10 metres and filmed yet the owner of the drone proved from the software the drone never got below 270 foot when at his property...!!!
> 
> So what is right and wrong, remembering that you do not own the air above your property, is this right...??? And to what length should you be allowed to go to keep your privacy...
> 
> On the other side of the drone debate, the 1st of the automated drones start shipping 2 weeks tomorrow on the 31st of August, with Airdog being the 1st out of the box, and being aimed at Action enthusiasts, has the law kept up have people considered using these and where...???
> 
> I am actually flying out to Riga in Latvia on the 26th Aug to meet the Airdog team and visit the factory, was a cool invite to get, and i jumped at the chance...! Will let you know how it all goes and what i think of them...


So f'in stupid, just ignorant bumpkins looking for an excuse to use their guns in the name of defending their rights. 
Satellite imagery can pick up a zit on a kids face from orbit, while consumer drones make people look like ants from anything above 50 M... I don't see anyone complaining about other types of surveillance either. Like it or not we are entering into a very big brother society, drones are just the scapegoat.


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