Anyone use a drone?

Okefenokee_D · December 04, 2019, 06:25:44 PM

Been debating about getting a Drone. I figure it would be nice to have to look around the property and also video/photograph things.

Anyone got one? What do you use yours for? Is it worth getting?

sprucebunny · December 04, 2019, 06:40:30 PM

Check for airports and prisons near where you want to fly it. Those have a 4-5 mile exclusion zone.

Okefenokee_D · December 04, 2019, 06:41:42 PM

I am good there. Drone I am looking at doesn't have Geofencing like DJI does, but still need to obey.

chevytaHOE5674 · December 04, 2019, 07:08:53 PM

I have a Autel Robotics X-star Premium that I play with from time to time. Can be handy for scouting hay and crops in the field. Also can use it to check on cows. Fun toy to play around with.

Worth the cost? Probably not.

btulloh · December 04, 2019, 07:10:33 PM

My cousin's son has several and he comes over here to fly them sometimes. His big drone is a quadcopter with quite a bit of lifting capacity and flight time and it carries both a real-time camera and a GoPro (or 2) for recorded video. It can fly pre-programmed or self guided. It's really pretty capable. So without having to buy one or learn all the ins and outs I've gotten sort of free look into the situation.

Going up and looking around is pretty neat, especially the first few times. The recorded video from the GoPro's is really good. Even at 300 or 400 feet altitude, you get a good perspective on the world. If you're a weather watcher it's kind of interesting to watch fronts and storms in the distance.

All that being said, I think the novelty wears off pretty quick - for me anyway. I'd say that's going to vary from person to person, and also depends on how many other irons you've got in the fire. There are times I hear something in the distance and I'd like to "release the drones" and take a quick look. I'd have to keep one on ready standy-by to really do that, but it could be done.

My bottom line is this though: I got a good dose of drone without any investment of time or money and after the shine wore off I don't feel compelled to own one. That's just me though, everyone's going to have a different outlook on that.

florida · December 04, 2019, 08:01:13 PM

I have one but would say it's an expensive toy. It's fun but like the boat I never use. If I was younger and could see better I'd probably be more inclined to use it but every time I fly it I worry about losing it.

beav · December 04, 2019, 08:02:20 PM

I got bitten by the drone bug.
I used to build and fly (crash) rc gliders. You had to pay attention until landed. You had to fly it.
The drones I fly are gps satellite guided. If you need a break just let go of the sticks and it will hover in place.
I also enjoy photography and the aerial perspective is fun and different.
I got my drones like most junk I have - broken on Craigslist.
The movies and pictures are of surprisingly good quality.
My goal this winter is to get killer videos and pix of the skate and ski sailors on the lake here

Tom the Sawyer · December 04, 2019, 08:59:47 PM

I bought a DJI Mavic Air last summer. Haven't had a lot of time to use it but it takes great video and presents a different perspective on our place. I programmed it to fly our property lines (only 10 acres) but it is very handy over the woods, creek, etc.

May use it for some of my mill videos, but I'm the one running the mill. Nathan Elliott (123MaxBars) incorporates it very well in his YouTube videos.

Resonator · December 04, 2019, 09:38:21 PM

A lot of the You Tube channels I watch use them to record construction and earthmoving. They show the overall lay of the land, and before and after shots of the job. One of the quarry companies I hauled rock out of would fly over their stockpiles, and use it to calculate how many tons of material they had on the ground.

charles mann · December 04, 2019, 09:53:42 PM

FYI for drone operation

https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_fliers/

Raider Bill · December 05, 2019, 08:00:33 AM

I've had one for a year, sort of.. Neighbor got it for Christmas last year and got it stuck in the oak tree in front of my house Christmas day. Far as I know it's still there.
Guess it wasn't worth the price of a bucket truck to retrieve it.

Old Greenhorn · December 05, 2019, 09:12:53 AM

Quote from: Raider Bill on December 05, 2019, 08:00:33 AM
I've had one for a year, sort of.. Neighbor got it for Christmas last year and got it stuck in the oak tree in front of my house Christmas day. Far as I know it's still there.
Guess it wasn't worth the price of a bucket truck to retrieve it.

NoW That's funny right there!!!! :D :D Sounds like it stays up forever on a single charge.

Ron Wenrich · December 05, 2019, 09:16:05 AM

I always thought they would be good for locating possible timber and to check up on logging operations. You can cover a much larger area than you can on foot. It probably would be pretty good for sale layout. If you use it as a tool instead of a toy, you can figure out more uses.

Okefenokee_D · December 05, 2019, 11:44:55 AM

I just ordered the Autel EVO for $1000 😳. My goals is to use it to watch over my property especially trespassers (all these Palmetto berry thefts). I figured too, that if I was burning my woods I could put it in the air to check the lines for any spot fires. Pictures and videos of nature would be nice too. I guess I will try it out...I would have 30 days to return it under Amazon.

I plan to use it at work though we are suppose to get one, but it won't stay here with me.

btulloh · December 05, 2019, 12:00:37 PM

Looking forward to a full report and some video.

Wudman · December 05, 2019, 02:37:28 PM

Couple of things of note to keep the government off your back here in the states. First off, flight has to be line of sight. You have to be looking at your unit at all times. That pretty much limits its use until that regulation is changed. Secondly, for commercial use, one must have a pilot's license. I can fly around my house and take pictures of my yard for personal use, but if it is used for any business purpose, one needs a pilot's license to operate. I'm supposed to be getting trained and take my test.......but for forestry use, there is not a lot of application due to the line of sight restriction.

Wudman

charles mann · December 05, 2019, 05:31:29 PM

Wudman, i posted the regs from the faa site, pretty much touching what you typed. I figured they could read the regs for themselves so they cant say i didnt know.

We deal with hobby drone operators wanting to looky-loo at the fires, inside and out of the restricted airspace. There have been many near misses and several midair collisions. Even as little as those things are, they can cause 10s-100s of 1000s of $$$ in damage and possibly loss of aircraft and crew.
Not to long ago a mil h-60 hit a quad-copter, damaging 1 blade beyond repair and pieces of blade and drone were ingested in the engine, fodding it out and causing the already under powered acft to make an emergency landing in a field.
There was a near miss of a sheriff heli in fl and the pilot had a camera on and it showed the leo heli at a lil over 500' and then a lil black spec entered the screen at the same altitude. Luckily the drone passed just outside the rotor disk and no collision happened. Those low alt incidents are why the regs are in place and a max alt of 400' has been established.

I highly doubt regs will change for the better for drone operations, hobby or commercial. With the popularity of hobby and comm drone operations, regs will become more strict, not less.

Traci · December 05, 2019, 06:07:33 PM

Don't own a drone but a few years ago felt disrespected and an invasion of privacy when someone took pics of my house, woods and backyard with his drone and then wanted to sell them to me. Wish they would have asked first.

charles mann · December 05, 2019, 06:24:03 PM

Quote from: Traci on December 05, 2019, 06:07:33 PM
Don't own a drone but a few years ago felt disrespected and an invasion of privacy when someone took pics of my house, woods and backyard with his drone and then wanted to sell them to me. Wish they would have asked first.

There is a guy in florida that does that as business, using robinson helis. he takes pics of boats and persons on it, then offers to sell them the pics and some people actually hire him for it. His business model is, new pilots have to pay him to fly for him, even though they might have just dropped $60-70k in flt training.

Okefenokee_D · December 05, 2019, 08:53:08 PM

Quote from: Traci on December 05, 2019, 06:07:33 PM
Don't own a drone but a few years ago felt disrespected and an invasion of privacy when someone took pics of my house, woods and backyard with his drone and then wanted to sell them to me. Wish they would have asked first.

That's messed up. But from what I know airspace is public starting at 500'. Below...supposedly no one knows for sure.

DFILER2 · December 06, 2019, 01:32:35 PM

Quote from: Traci on December 05, 2019, 06:07:33 PM
Don't own a drone but a few years ago felt disrespected and an invasion of privacy when someone took pics of my house, woods and backyard with his drone and then wanted to sell them to me. Wish they would have asked first.

That's interesting, they have been doing that around here with airplanes for many many years. We have one my FIL bought in the 1940's and we purchased an update in about 1978. Since then someone has stopped in with the offer a few times and now they come with the picture already framed. Just pointing out that that isn't a new thing at all.

SawyerTed · December 06, 2019, 07:57:57 PM

I caught a drone! A drone hovered over my back yard at about 50' and seemed to be imaging my house and outbuildings. It was no match for my Tica 10' surf rod, 30 pound test on a Penn reel and a Hopkins spoon. Second cast took it down. Never have heard from he owner.....

Old Greenhorn · December 06, 2019, 08:22:11 PM

Good for you! This is no different than trespassing. several years ago there was a Fire department south of me working a house fire and some idiot decided to fly his drone in and get close shots while these guys were working. He was incensed when the firefighters turned the hose on the drone because it was distracting, too close, and they had no idea where or who the pilot was. When I commented that he had no idea the hazard he was adding to an already hazardous situation he had no clue. He felt he had a 'right' to have his drone there, hovering 40 feet over the back deck of somebodies property.
As with everything, people need to treat others with respect.

charles mann · December 06, 2019, 08:38:17 PM

Quote from: Old Greenhorn on December 06, 2019, 08:22:11 PM
Good for you! This is no different than trespassing. several years ago there was a Fire department south of me working a house fire and some idiot decided to fly his drone in and get close shots while these guys were working. He was incensed when the firefighters turned the hose on the drone because it was distracting, too close, and they had no idea where or who the pilot was. When I commented that he had no idea the hazard he was adding to an already hazardous situation he had no clue. He felt he had a 'right' to have his drone there, hovering 40 feet over the back deck of somebodies property.
As with everything, people need to treat others with respect.

That fire dept and sawyer ted's incidents are why the feds require registration numbers on the drone and they have to be registered with the faa. If i catch 1 over my property, 00 buck will fix the problem and ill hand it on my windsock pole out by the road. It'll be on display for all to see what happens when they trespass on my property.