UAS ARE HERE TO STAY (DRONES)

Drones, officially called Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), are here to stay. In the United States, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there are approximately 1.5 million registered drones. Of those, nearly 400,000 are for commercial operations, including more than 160,000 licensed pilots (I am one of those pilots).  So as drone enthusiasts we must be good ambassadors so we can change the public perception. We are not here to invade their personal space. This seems to be the topic while discussing drones. Some folks will never be persuaded to change their negative view about drones. So for me my focus is to educate those that have an open mind and are willing to listen. It is either a business decision, or a personal choice that one decides to operate a drone. There are laws in place to regulate drones. It is up to the drone pilots to operate within those guidelines and to educate those that are skeptical.

I was recently having a discussion with an acquaintance about operating drones. I know this individual has purchased several drones and has a propensity to operate on the edge. He tends to crash them, thus the reason for purchasing several drones. Not wanting to be a killjoy and say, hey stupid stop flying drones, because you are a safety hazard. I wanted to know what is going on in his mind, and what drives him to operate in this manner. Truth be told, it's simple, in his mind, if he operated within the boundaries, he wouldn't get the footage he wanted. I wrote a short blog on
The Million Dollar Video Hypothetically speaking this is his goal. During our discussion there was an airplane pilot in the room and I sensed he was somewhat concerned too. I left the edgy drone operator with one thought, I explained that operating a drone in a careless and reckless manner is dangerous. Hopefully I planted a seed that will someday sprout.

There are also instances with national prominence that solidify negative perceptions. A drone operator flew over a World Series Game in April 2019. At another event in May 2019 an operator was dropping pamphlets over large crowds outside a concert venue in Sacramento, CA. These are all examples of bad publicity and does not help with the image of drone operators. Even though I'm not against regulations, there is no law that will prevent this from happening again. This can and will lead to over regulation, and cause undue hardship for the responsible masses.

So back to my original thought of being good ambassadors, we need to educate ourselves. One website I recommend is the FAA's B4UFLY This will go a long way toward the goal of education and being a Drone Ambassador. But it doesn't begin and end there. The FAA also offers WEBINARS, and there are resources such as podcasts and blogs.  Remember though, podcasters and bloggers are not always official sources, they are just a tool, and it is up to the individual listening or reading to verify the validity of the information.

Finally, understanding others point of view helps with alleviating negative perceptions. I am somewhat passive when approached by someone that doesn't like that I'm flying a drone. I generally explain what I'm doing, show my license, and assure them I'm not there to invade their personal space. I'll also show them the footage I've captured to help ease their apprehension. If that doesn't work, I move along and will return later. The last thing I want is a confrontation that will reinforce someones negative image of drones and drone pilots.

I look forward to your comments. You can follow my blog or follow me on Twitter @DannyBaker0 to keep up with the latest news and events. Mahalo!