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oohrah wrote: ↑Sat Aug 08, 2020 10:10 am

Archery1 wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 9:44 am

oohrah wrote: ↑Tue Aug 04, 2020 9:33 am

KC5AV wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 11:09 am And registration is only required if the drone is over 250 grams. The Mavic mini comes in a 249 grams.

But don't you still have to comply with the airspace and altitude rules? And how do you know those if you're flying an unlicensed drone.

As a pilot, I'm concerned about ignorant drone flyers causing a hazard if they fly too high or get in the wrong airspace. There have been reported incidents of near misses and possibly even a few collisions.

My Mavic firmware updates constantly, and the app identifies flying zones by color code and warnings, and I believe in some areas will limit operation in no-fly zones (never been in those zones). Still, I have helicopters fly over at well below my elevation limit (35 miles from airport). Sometimes, a local crop duster does his turnarounds over my property. You typically get enough visual warning in those cases.

That's good to know, thanks. I assume your software then restricts your altitude, etc.

WRT helicopters, they do not have the same altitude restrictions as fixed wing, and over "sparsely populated areas", any aircraft can fly as low as it wants, as long as it stays at least 500 ft from any person or thing. Not smart, but legal.

oohrah wrote: ↑Mon Aug 03, 2020 9:01 am

nightmare69 wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 9:16 am As a drone hobbyists and Texas LEO, no you cannot shoot down a drone. You own the property not the airspace above it. Now if someone is flying 15ft above your backyard looking around your property, call the police. If I’m flying 200ft above I assure you my camera zoom isn’t like that of a military predator drone even though my DJI Mavic is a $1k drone.

I know drones have to be registered with the FAA. Do you also have to have a Part 107 license, or is that just for commercial?

The Annoyed Man wrote: ↑Sun Aug 02, 2020 9:44 am

MadMonkey wrote: ↑Thu Jul 30, 2020 5:00 pm They'll be useful in the coming years if you take the time to learn about them

Actually... I’m very interested in learning. My next planned large purchase isn’t another gun—of which I have plenty—it’s a a drone. I’m thinking in terms of the latest Mavik Mini, which is supposed to have longer battery life than the larger models, while still offering decent video feed.

Have you ever considered offering drone flying lessons to the uninitiated first-time buyer? You might make some decent side -money that way. (I have copyrighted the idea, which of course I’ll license to you in exchange for free lessons. )