Showing posts with label Quadcopter Video. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Quadcopter Video. Show all posts

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Another Quadcopter video...

This one I shot in Phoenix at 16th Street and Butler I hope you enjoy and share this with your friends.  My Magic Carpet ride!

Tuesday, May 06, 2014

My position on and Use of Camera Drones for Investigation and News Gathering

Phoenix, AZ—Today numerous news organizations have filed a legal brief in the matter of the FAA vs. Pirker.  Pirker was fined for making a video for the University of Virginia using a small camera drone.  A federal judge in Denver struck down the FAA’s ban and now the matter is under appeal.  There may be a risk to commercial drone use should the FAA win their appeal.
The news organizations are properly claiming a 1st Amendment right to use the drones for news gathering purposes.  
The FAA banned all commercial use of drones by civilians.  They did not however attempt to ban drones being used by hobbyists.   The FAA says they will issue regulations for the drones later this year.
The Drone Genie is long out of the bottle and now these are must have toys for every teen aged boy in America.  The drones are invisible on radar and the FAA can’t possibly begin to police every drone in America.
I will concede that the FAA owns the air space around every airport.  The same could be said for the airspace above 400 feet where conventional aircraft flies.  However everything else below 400 feet is mine along with other drone operators.
There are already strong laws in every state dealing with privacy invasion, harassment and endangerment.   Anyone breaking those existing laws will well-deserve a date before a criminal and possibly civil court judge for that kind of misconduct.  In case you were wondering you don’t have an expectation of privacy when you skinny-dip in your back yard pool if it can be seen by air.
I’m using my drone for newsgathering, investigations as well as for improving my drone piloting skills and for simple enjoyment of its hobby aspects. I will take my chances with the FAA especially when they are unreasonable, arbitrary or tyrannical.   My clients deserve clear video and still images at a fraction of the cost of hiring conventional aircraft photographers.
The FAA claims to be concerned with safety in the nation’s air space.  If that’s true they need to remember not a single life has been lost as a result of the use of a drone by civilians.  Conventional aircraft or large heavy drones may well need FAA attention not the lightweight plastic drones like mine. 
Here are three examples of my drone videos:




Wednesday, April 30, 2014

The Arbitrary and Capricious FAA and its Tyranny Against Newsgathering Efforts. Check out this terrific video!

Mayflower, AK—April 27, 2014, tragedy struck the heartland in the form of springtime tornados.  It was not really safe to send up a helicopter and crew to survey the damage.  Emergency vehicles found roads impassable and were unable to locate victims needing assistance.
One drone video journalist sent up his camera high above the scene.  The stunning video he captured was a real public service.  First responders could see areas where help was needed.  The local residents lucky enough to have escaped the wrath of the storms could see if they still had homes and the extent of damage. 
During these emergencies looting becomes a concern and understandably police limit entry to these areas significantly.  Using the camera drones homeowners can see just how their precious homes survived or did not without waiting for police escorts that can take days. 
The FAA tried to take jurisdiction over these little drones that use the tiny HD GoPro cameras.  They decreed that any commercial use would bring their investigators and $10,000.00 fines would follow.  They went after one newsgathering operator and punitively fined him.  A federal judge in Denver recently struck the FAA’s overreaching regulation reversing the fine.  The FAA appealed and the matter is before the Appellate Court waiting for a resolution.
In any event the FAA will try to exercise some authority over these devices but we must expect and demand some sort of reasonableness.  They don’t have any of the manpower needed to regulate millions of these toys that are being built by hobbyists or sold by hobby shops.  The devices themselves because of their small size are invisible to radar.  
Most importantly when the little drones have mishaps nobody is injured nor is there any property damage to show when that happens. 
When there are earthquakes, wildfires, floods and such the only way to survey the damage or discover people needing rescue is from the air.  There are not enough helicopters and flying during threatening weather like the Mayflower is safe as the video shown below demonstrates.  The camera drones can provide a huge public service.