Drone Day

A place to relax and discuss flying topics.

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MoonlightVFR
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Drone Day

Post by MoonlightVFR »

I just heard that over 3,000 person expected to apply for Drone pilot license TODAY.

Could this be an opportunity to reach out to these newly minted Drone pilots and introduce them to the Cessna 170?

Yes we have been about preservation and maintenance.

Market the JOYS of flying a Cessna 170.

What do you think?

Any thoughts?
gradyb, '54 B N2890C
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Ryan Smith
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Re: Drone Day

Post by Ryan Smith »

MoonlightVFR wrote:I just heard that over 3,000 person expected to apply for Drone pilot license TODAY.

Could this be an opportunity to reach out to these newly minted Drone pilots and introduce them to the Cessna 170?

Yes we have been about preservation and maintenance.

Market the JOYS of flying a Cessna 170.

What do you think?

Any thoughts?
Likely not. Two completely different personalities.
bagarre
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Re: Drone Day

Post by bagarre »

Most of the droners that I know relate more to the RC car crowd than the RC pilot crowd... let alone GA pilots.
Thats the attraction of drones; you don't need to know anything about flying to put one in the air.
flyboy122
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Re: Drone Day

Post by flyboy122 »

I humbly disagree with the other posters. Professional drone operations have a lot more in common with GA flying than people think.

I had the pleasure of sharing a dinner table with the guys from General Atomics (they build the Predator drones for the Air Force) at the Singapore Airshow last winter. Turns out all their drone pilots are minimum commercial/instrument rated in piloted aircraft. Most hold a lot more ratings/endorsements, and I'm not talking ATP. More like helicopter, tailwheel, float, etc.... Turns out these guys are all flying nuts! They invited me to fly the Predator simulator, which is essentially identical to the real thing as it uses a real console, and....well, that's how you fly a Predator. I was skeptical about this "RC plane" at first, but let me tell you after about 2 minutes I thought I was in the cockpit! This is not a toy. It actually flies Cessna type speeds in the pattern, a little faster in cruise, but climbs like a homesick angel. It's basically a glider with a 900 hp turboprop! I asked about power on stalls and they looked at me kind of funny. Despite all the automation available, make no mistake they flew that aircraft. I left with a whole new respect for what they do.

Now I realize that the vast majority of drone operations won't be on that scale, but it is aviation. The drone licensing is going to expose people to the NAS and aviation operating procedures. Once the veil is lifted I wouldn't be surprised if some of these people realize it's not that hard, and take the next step. The alphabet groups (EAA, AOPA, etc..) would be wise to do some targeted outreach.

DEM
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Ryan Smith
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Re: Drone Day

Post by Ryan Smith »

A Predator/Global Hawk/Gray Eagle/etc pilot is an honest-to-God pilot.

FAA Part 107 is aimed at people wanting to fly DJI Inspires around taking videos. Two completely different bodies of people.

I fly drones for a living from quad copters up to Class II (300lb) twin-engine military UAS platforms.
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Drone Day

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

The image of a pilot is rapidly changing. As rapid as technology itself. It seems to be human nature to think that those who are newer to something aren't equal to those that came before because the newbies have it easy or use different tools not available in the past.

I think we all have heard how our parents walked to school bare foot up hill both ways. Today it seems all the kids are sent to school on a bus.

Pilots are no different and in the world of remote control or radio control aircraft it is no different. I first flew RC in the late 70s. At the time I heard stories of rubber ban powered escapement servos and giant home single channel transmitters. That was real RC flying not the analog proportional stuff I started with.

I've been out of the RC hobby for 25 years but recently reentered the realm. Wow what a change. These guys today can not imagine flying analog proportional systems. Most can not build their own aircraft, instead buying and flying foam planes from China. Certainly these guys flying incredible 3D maneuvers we could only dream of with their store bought foamies with push button computer radios can not be a RC pilot the level I was. A successful day flying for me was returning home with a repairable aircraft. Today they just hit the auto recover button. Should they break it, order a new one. While they look at what they are doing as a challenge, I see very little in it.

All the RC aircraft I've flown have been drones though it has only been made popular name by the recent quad copter. The difference is we didn't wear shoes when I became a drone pilot. And it was up hill both ways to the field. Darn newbies.

Yes I am enjoying some RC flying. But mostly I've tried to conquer another challenge. Free flight rubber powered aircraft.

Here is my Cloud Tramp designed in 1954 by Charles Hampson Grant. Breaking a minute flight and keeping this aircraft within the confines of our flying field takes real piloting skills the newbie drone guys just don't get. My mentor is friend Bob Kopski who has been a genuine drone pilot since the '60s when he built and flew real drones popularly called model airplanes with his own home made equipment. Bob started with rubber FF way back when they walked to school bare foot uphill in 3 ft of snow and he still regularly picks up a transmitter between teaching us newbies how to be a real ff pilot.
Cloud Tramp
Cloud Tramp
The Cloud Tramp with that other relatively easy aircraft I fly.
The Cloud Tramp with that other relatively easy aircraft I fly.
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GAHorn
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Re: Drone Day

Post by GAHorn »

One of the last guys I trained in the simulator (Citation-X) was a former drone-pilot for the USAF. He spent 15 months in the a certain area of the world where he operated the drone, while a uniformed AF Officer sitting beside him wearing a privacy-headset used the designator to take-out the target being shadowed. He said it was positively weird feeling to diligently follow a vehicle and watch it disappear in a cloud of dust/smoke.

I'm sure it's only a matter of time when some terrorist uses the technology and the two oceans we've enjoyed for protection suddenly become very small.

I was recently up-front-involved with a drone episode. The gov't agency (Lower Colorado River Authority) which purchased land nearby called to obtain my permission to fly a drone within 2 miles of my runway for purposes of photo-surveying the shoreline of the river bordering the property. Felt kinda odd being asked by the gov't if it was OK with me. 8)
'53 B-model N146YS SN:25713
50th Anniversary of Flight Model. Winner-Best Original 170B, 100th Anniversary of Flight Convention.
An originality nut (mostly) for the right reasons. ;)
hilltop170
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Re: Drone Day

Post by hilltop170 »

Well George, what did you tell LCRA?
Richard Pulley
2014-2016 TIC170A Past President
1951 170A, N1715D, s/n 20158, O-300D
Owned from 1973 to 1984.
Bought again in 2006 after 22 years.
It's not for sale!
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Arcticmayhem
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Re: Drone Day

Post by Arcticmayhem »

Wow you guys are a bunch of old fuddy duddies. Can't we all just get along? R/C was part of a natural progression in my passion for flying. The flying bug bit me hard when I was a little kid. I started folding paper, then my mom bought a kit trainer and old radio from a garage sale. It was all I could afford as a kid but I stick built a few planes before realizing that I just wanted to fly and not spend so much time gluing shattered splinters back together. A cheap, durable 2ch foam trainer got me in the air long enough to learn how to fly it. After I graduated HS, I got my license, bought a Cessna 150 and flew the wings off of it for 9 years before upgrading to a 170. I still dabble occasionally in the RC stuff because it is cheaper than the real thing and the stakes are lower. Plus I can fly inside when the weather is crappy. Drones are just another facet of what makes the flying hobby fun. Most of my pilot friends are also RC pilots. I have plans to build a FPV quad when I have a little spare cash to spend. I like making videos and drones make some of the best camera platforms out there, enabling pilots to get some amazing unique shots. Last week I took the test to get my part 107 sUAS cert. Maybe some day it will come in handy.

All that to say that pilots are pilots, no matter if they can afford to own a plane or just zoom their matchbox planes around their car seat. It's a passion for anything that flies, and I am glad to associate with those types of people.
Levi
1955 170B N4336B
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Drone Day

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

Aryana wrote:I just loathe the term "drone" which has become the catch all name for every pilotless aircraft.
I've come to hate the term "drone" as well. Most people have no idea what vehicles the term encompasses.
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bagarre
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Re: Drone Day

Post by bagarre »

Aryana wrote:It makes my skin crawl when people see my 27% project and call it a drone. :roll:
Wait until it's finished and folks ask if it's an ARF.
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Ryan Smith
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Re: Drone Day

Post by Ryan Smith »

Pretty sweet drone. :wink:
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FredM
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Re: Drone Day

Post by FredM »

When does drone season start? I can shoot them down for target practice if they are in my airspace, right?
Fred L. Mahan
51 C170A N1289D
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Bruce Fenstermacher
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Re: Drone Day

Post by Bruce Fenstermacher »

Fred, what airspace is it exactly you think you own?
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FredM
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Re: Drone Day

Post by FredM »

I was kidding of course but I was thinking about the airspace over your property up to 400 ft, where your idiot neighbors would likely use to spy on you. They do make a drone that can capture another drone with a net. I am sure that would be cost prohibitive though. I am sure there will be plenty drone/property owner conflicts.
Fred L. Mahan
51 C170A N1289D
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