There is A Malicious Propaganda War Being Waged Against Multi-Rotor Camera Drones!

Los Angeles, CA—Officials here recently claimed that drone operators endangered lives by halting firefighting efforts.  Angry local politicians vowed prosecution and new legislation to remedy this “huge and life threatening ” problem.

Photographic evidence supporting those reports is non-existent.  You’d think the crew members presumably are all armed with smart phones would have captured images to help identify the drones to assist investigators.  There are no pictures because this never happened!  Needless to say there are no captured drones either.

As for those helicopter pilots making these reports they seem to forget that their massive propeller’s, prop wash would simply blow any little cameras drones away from their aircraft into oblivion.  A near miss happened? Really? 

The high cost of these camera drones makes their owners very protective of their investments.  If they are reckless and crash them, all the the fun is over. Accordingly drone operators police themselves better than any government agency.

New York police helicopter pilots reported a near miss and the follow-up investigation resulted in the false arrests of two youths with a DJI phantom drone on felony charges.

The charges were dropped when the malicious lies of the pilot cops were horribly impeached.  Among things they claimed was the drone was traveling at ridicules, impossible and dangerous speeds when that Phantom could go no faster that 35 MPH.

Cameras on the drones are the ultimate “black Boxes” that document the drones behavior and flight in real time.   The cameras have exposed lies of people claiming their privacy was invaded or lives endangered.  One sad example was the wrongful arrest of David Beesmer who was charged with using a drone to peep into dressing rooms at the Mid Hudson Medical Group building.

Months later after careful examination of the drone’s video debunked the claims of witnesses and ended expensive felony court prosecution.  Bessmer was cleared but only after he spent thousands of dollars for a defense lawyer. 

The drone operators I know can't wait to put their flight's video up on YouTube like I do.  It’s about art, fun, newsgathering, real estate marketing or other positive activities. Activities that are clearly Constitutionally Protected!

I use drones for investigation.  Wow! That sounds so ominous!  The reality is that I found that my drone can get great overhead shots of accident and crime scenes to help defense lawyers, prosecutors, judges and juries better see and understand the layout much better than diagrams and land based images. 

Drones can't see through window glare, curtains or walls. Surveillance is best conducted with much bigger cameras from conventional places on the ground.  Drones that can transport sophisticated telephoto cameras are simply too cost prohibitive. 

You can't get that close up, face shot from more than a few feet away.   

I used my drone in a missing person case to examine some rough terrain I was incapable of searching on foot.  I actually found some property that belonged to the missing subject with my drone!

Pilot after pilot has reported near misses with drones.  These sightings all share the same similarities.  Most glaring is there are no actual collisions, videos or still shots of these rogue drones!

The media needs these drones to slow down the rain of pink slips in every newsroom in America.  The single most expensive cost in any TV newsroom is for helicopter newsgathering efforts.

Are these pilots simply seeking attention?  Or could there be something more sinister involved? 

One thing for sure drones may not threaten pilots by they are sure to take their jobs away.  Why risk life with manned firefighting planes when drones can do these jobs without risking lives?

News and police helicopter pilots know safer drones that only cost a tiny fraction of conventional helicopters that will be replacing them!  These guys are understandably not exactly cheering on this exciting new technology.

Sadly there are those people that simply see a drone in the sky and can’t resist calling 911.  They don’t report airplanes or helicopters, just drones?  Ignorance, fear and loathing are in high gear spurred on by phony drone misconduct reports getting airtime on TV.

Below is a video that resulted in phony claims to police by a woman that a drone was actually peeping into her single story home’s windows!  Months later the woman apparently claimed she was nearly hit by the drone!  The video speaks for itself and is unedited.  The video is complete from take off until landing but for the addition of music on an audio track.

The police investigation and report actually cleared the pilot but local prosecutors charged him as a criminal anyway! 

Drone Report: Three Dead in North Hills DUI Related Accident

Los Angeles, CA:  This morning (Aug 9, 2015) LAPD has a triple fatal accident on their hands.  This was at Roscoe Blvd and Haskell Avenue in the North Hills area.  Riley John Holman,19  of Mission Hills was arrested on three counts of suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated. 

MICHELLE OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL PLANS?

Washington, DC--Hillary Clinton's constant corruption has created an real opportunity for the Lame Duck First Lady to stay in the Whitehouse for as much as another eight years.

Suddenly the Obama Justice Department has begun an investigation into the Clinton e-mail activities thar clearly are at least technical violations of law.  Any prosecutor could present a case to a Federal Grand Jury and secure a multi-count indictment against Clinton in a heartbeat. 

That would creat an instant opportunity for the overly ambitious Mrs. Obama to step up and offer herself up as the party nominee.  Democrats will see it as a way of gaining two more terms of Omana rule. But would she actually do that? I say sure she would! 

Drones as Distress Signals for Maritime Emergencies

Los Angeles, CA—Let me offer this lifesaving idea for the thousands of watercraft both large and small sailing the seas.

Drones are perfect as a backup to radar for observing watercraft in the area.  Drones won’t be affected by watercraft power failures.

Additionally the drones can be sent up with special flashing emergency lights.  Unlike sending up a flare drones can stay in the sky for extended periods of time. 

The only real issue is educating boaters about recognizing the drone distress signal indicating a boating emergency.

Drones, Southern California Wildfires and Hysterical Chicken Little Propaganda

Cajon Pass, CA—For the last several brushfires that plagued this severely water parched area, claims were made that drone sightings delayed firefighting efforts.

Like so many reports by conventional pilots there’s never a shred of independent evidence such as videos, photos or the drones themselves.

The overblown and sensational claims of delayed response threatening lives and property are beyond outrageous.

Let me say that everyone is aware that conventional firefighting aircraft must fly well below the minimum airspace altitude. 

Camera drones could conceivably collide with conventional aircraft within nearby airspace.  That could be dangerous. 

Drone operators don’t want their drones destroyed, nor do they want their drones to be responsible for any kind of mishap.  

Drone technology is evolving faster than any wildfire and drones will soon replace conventional aircraft for these sometimes-risky firefighting missions.

Are pilots making up these stories to inhibit and delay drone integration into the airspace? 

Considering that despite numerous of reports of near misses there’s still never been a single collision, video, photo or recovered drone produced.  

News reports of these near misses are sensationally hysterical and terribly misleading. 

The nearly two million multi-rotor camera drones in civilian hands still have a perfect safety record.  No deaths, serious injuries or notable property damage. 

I’m not suggesting that a collision between a civilian drone and conventional aircraft could never happen. 

If the FAA declares wildfire scenes to be No Fly Zones for drones that are not directly involved in firefighting or rescue efforts that would be certainly reasonable.  

Accordingly, seeing a drone operator severely punished by the FAA for knowingly entering the airspace near a wildfire would not offend any reasonable person.

We could however do without the government manipulated, hyped, Chicken Little media reports on this issue. 

The Confederate Flag's Image and Meaning…

Charleston, SC—It’s never the losers of wars that write the history books.  With glee, the winners demonize the losers at every opportunity in anything published about the conflicts.

Our Civil War was much more about a heavy handed federal government and states rights than slavery.  Personally, I abhor the concept of slavery.  

Today that same federal government has made slaves out of every taxpayer.  They take more than half of what we earn and reward corrupt businesses that bribe politicians. 

The slavery of the Negro is distant history. Nobody alive today owned slaves or were slaves except for taxpayers of every color.

The Confederate flag represents among other things thousands of brave young American men that gave their lives fighting for their country.   It’s not a symbol of racism or hate. 

Saying all that, ignorance and propaganda has relentlessly maligned the flag over the many years at least to African-Americans it has become a symbol of hate. 

We will never be able to educate the millions of misinformed people of all races about the flag.  There is not a reason to bother educating them today.

Under the circumstances the flag has be defiled and misinterpreted beyond hope.  Accordingly removing it as an effort of political correctness will not harm society.

Rewriting history is what people do.  There is no cure for propaganda and ignorance in humans.

If it makes African-Americans and the ignorant happy,  removing the old Stars and Bars from government buildings, it’s a small price to pay to co-exist peacefully.

Uber Ridesharing Service and Their Laughable New Gun Ban

Los Angeles, CA—Uber has taken the taxi business to new highs or perhaps lows.  The convenient but overpriced service you order and pay for on your smartphone has suddenly banned firearms both drivers and passengers.

The right of self-defense is not something politicians or corporate suits can abridge. Our creator gave us the gift of fear and the instinct for survival. We are all alive because most of us understand  threats, danger and that injury or death is no option.

Some of us have had charmed lives always living and working in safe places where behavior is civilized.  Others have had to live and work where rape, robbery and murder is a reality.  Some of us understand the need to be prepared for self-defense much better than others. 

Uber decreed their fleet of vehicle as “Gun Free” with a press release and a prayer.  Do they really think their policy is somehow enforceable?  I suppose if they find out a gun somehow was in possession of a passenger or driver they can try and retaliate somehow.  If a gun was used by a driver or passenger to end a violent crime, who would give a rat’s ass what Uber thought about it?

Why Must State and Local Government Bully Food and Snack Cart Vendors?

Los Angeles, CA—There everywhere, small trucks, vans, carts and stands.  They offer water, beverages, ice cream and snacks. 

These are the equivalent of a kid’s lemonade stand.  In L.A. people with highly questionable immigration status seem to exclusively operate them. 

The vendor’s seem to have sanitation challenges since they don’t seem to have access to hot water to wash their hands.  I think we are all capable of deciding if their products are fit for consumption.

The vendor’s products are cheap and service is fast.  Most importantly the vendors aren’t stealing, begging or damaging our way of life.

The complaints against the food carts are nearly the exclusively owners of local brick and mortar shops and restaurants.

The brick and mortar set have the additional government tyranny to deal with over the new $15.00 per hour minimum wage!. That is in no the way the fault of the food cart operators!

The complainers carp and whine about abut unfair competition.   That and their own high cost to do business, along with heavy-handed over regulation, taxes and health inspections are a problem for the brick and mortar folks.

Beating up on the cart vendors because you are too timid and weak to fight government tyranny is both cowardly and wrong.  That bullying resulted in exactly what the L.A. City Council has done. They shut down most of the carts with a new ordinance. 

America was founded on the concept of free enterprise. Corrupt government officials are always looking to create monopolies for those who reward their extortion.  They’ve managed to do this everywhere with permits, licenses and fees.

I say leave the cart owners alone!  The way to combat the vendor cart competition is with better sanitation, competitive prices and service. 

The cart vendors have enough difficulties and challenges.  I say leave them alone and be satisfied if you’re not running a food cart yourself! 

My DJI Inspire 1 Camera Drone is Amazing!

Van Nuys, CA—I’ve been hooked on camera drones for a while now and I very recently picked up a new addition to my five drone, air force. 

My drone dealer of choice is Pirofliprc.com, which is also a brick and motor store located very close to the Apollo IX Model Aircraft Field between Van Nuys and Sherman Oaks.

This time it was the coveted DJI Inspire 1 with its dedicated 4K camera.  The Inspire I’s camera is distortion free unlike the GoPro cameras.  With the GoPro you can fix the distortion in postproduction but it’s a pain in the butt, at least for me.

The Inspire 1 camera will also shoot 12 megapixel stills.  Previously I simply grabbed a frame from the Go Pro camera.  I can control the camera from the controller so this is literally just a snap now.  A12 megapixel photograph is a lot richer than any video grab. 

This is a great drone for two.  You simply use two controllers with two monitors.  The pilot operates the drone while the second operator can independently control every aspect of the camera.  This essentially frees the pilot to concentrate exclusively on flying.  Of course, a single pilot can handle both jobs alone but it’s a bit more challenging.  For a couple in love, operating the Inspire 1 would only be second to the bedroom for fun. 

The Inspire 1 can travel 45 miles per hour and be operated from a motor vehicle.  You can program the drone to land exactly where it took off, or it can home in on the controller's location. If you’re moving in a boat or motor vehicle, that is imperative.

Following moving trains, vehicles, boats or horses from the air with the Inspire 1 can be easily be accomplished.  You're limited only to the 18 minute flight time and top speed of the drone.  

The Inspire 1 is faster, more stable and larger than the DJI Phantom series.  Traveling with the inspire 1 on commercial airlines may be difficult if it won’t fit in some airline’s overhead bins. 

The new DJI Phantom 3 drone costs only one third of the Inspire and is has most of the features including a similar camera.  Understandably for globetrotters the Phantom 3 may be a more practical choice.

My primary drone use among other things will be electronic newsgathering.  Somehow I managed to earn two aerial film credits on the IMDB (Internet Movie Database) so filmmaking is included.

The Inspire 1 controller has an HMDI connection socket that makes broadcasting a live video feed possible for television.

Both the Inspire 1 and the Phantom 3 have a built in capability to stream live video to YouTube.  You simply give your live feed video link to your intended audience members and they can see your flight live from anywhere on the globe! 

The application uses the microphone on your smartphone or tablet.  That enables the pilot to talk to his or her audience during the live flight.  Of course once the flight is over the video stays on YouTube like any other upload.

I’m still getting familiar with my Inspire and I hope to put many videos up very soon.