The builders next door are not using a drone, i was just making a point of comparison how they breach my privacy and safety. Issues which are used as reasons not to fly.
All i was going to do was to film my own roof purely for my use.
I was trying to say theoretically i must not do so as i should not be flying in a “congested area. My neighbours are adjacent.
But it seems ridiculous that if I has a PfCO i could do it legally working within the guidelines.
I think the big issue for many on privacy is the fact that most of our drones have cameras and can record data. Privacy is the main reason given for the 50m distance, not safety!
This is the biggest issue I found doing my PfCO training. You get absolutely no additional flying rights and yet still have to undergo hopelessly over the top learning just to make the same type of flight that hobbyists do every day. Truly, utterly pointless.
And to have to pay £185 each year just to keep it valid is really wrong.
@OzoneVibe Dave, one interesting point is the CAA’s reasons for not classifying YouTube as commercial. Their view on YouTube revenue has been well-known and defined by the quote below, but it’s interesting that many YouTubers, myself obviously included, shoot video specifically to place on monetized YouTube channels, knowing full well we will receive a revenue from the channel’s advertising. To me, this makes me commercial, even though the CAA don’t think I am…
They state that "…some types of arrangements are not generally considered by the CAA to be commercial operations such as:
Advertising revenue received as a result of persons visiting a website or social media page where video or photographic stills shot from a drone are displayed/posted. This is because these types of web-pages may be legitimately used to post recreational video material that was not commissioned by another party but was conceived and wholly funded by the poster.
Anyway, to @Maxpower I’m afraid having just done the PfCO training, more to prove to myself than any actual intention of commercial aspirations, I have to agree with your view. Not worth it unless you’re genuinely about to go commercial.
Interesting wording, @ianinlondon. And I would agree with your thoughts, too.
IMO (and having successfully defended myself from the CAA in relation to fixed wing flying some years ago) it’s all down to the flight, and why it was undertaken, and knowing/anticipating that there would be an income derived … when it’s on YT.
Let’s face it - some cunning people can actually make a living from YT - and it’s not “commercial”? Shades of grey.
Exactly. Whether or not you can make a living, it’s clearly bringing a bit of revenue. How is that different to an estate agent who does truckloads of measuring, ground based photos and work, but a single additional drone shot is considered commercial… (and I’m not an estate agent )
The privacy aspect is covered under the data protection act and should not be a consideration for the CAA’s intent to hinder drone use as much as possible.
My phone zooms in more than my drone and is a much greater risk for data protection than my drone in that aspect of its use but I don’t have to stay 150m away from people when I use it!
I am not saying that they are right, only that this is the reason given for that distance, rather than safety. As drones cameras continue to improve it becomes a less CIA reason.
Also worth noting that
The DPA contains an exemption for personal data that is processed by an individual for the purposes of their personal, family or household affairs. This exemption is often referred to as the ‘domestic purposes’ exemption. It will apply whenever an individual uses an online forum purely for domestic purposes.
So whilst it applies to those using drone images for commercial uses, it doesn’t apply to the hobbyist posting images on social media.
I have considered getting my PfCO as well but the excessive cost and nature of the course just seems completely out of proportion.
Looking at the course material most of it seems completely irrelevant to drones and aimed more at light aircraft. I certainly see no reason why you would need to know about weather patterns or thrust vectors on a drone.
When 99% of the time you google “weather today” or look out the window. If its crap you don’t fly. A majority of the legislation that has been implemented in recent times has been nothing but a knee jerk reaction to unsubstantiated events. Even the current rules and those coming later this year make absolutely no sense for drones.
“why you would need to know about weather patterns “
Crap - un- flyable weather can be 20 miles ahead of the storm front.
Turbulence - rotors .
That’s about it I think .
Again I don’t see the relevance, if your going to a location, you’d look in advance of what it was going to be like anyway.
I can fully understand the requirement to understand turbulence when it comes to light aircraft, but a 2lb drone, not so much. It certainly wouldn’t have a large enough impact on the crafts stability to actually cause an issue that wouldn’t be resolved with a slight adjustment mid air.
I fly pretty much every type of quad available, from your Mavic 2’s to a 65mm Tiny Whoop and I have yet to come across a scenario where I have lost control of the craft due to any external forces. Even a tiny whoop at a whooping 31g take off weight is still stable enough in gusty winds (10-20mph) where it can be landed safely. A 1kg Mavic 2, would barely even flinch at 30-40mph wind speed.
At 30mph it’s going to be almost full pitch for standard mode to compensate for wind. All obstacle avoidance will be disabled and you would only be able to travel a few mph into the wind.
At 35mph+ in normal mode it’s going to hit max tilt angle and start driftng off.
Can’t say I’ve tried it in that sort of wind, was only a guesstimate, although my 5" armattan marmotte quad has no trouble with gusty wind speed over the past few weeks, but then it has significantly more thrust than the Mavic 2, all I ended up with is a reduced flight time of 3 minutes instead of 4.5 minutes in gusts of up to 45mph.
Are you assuming gps mode ? Are you assuming that everything will be hunky dory all the time because the weather is not.
I’m pretty sure a drone in atti mode entering a rotor will be lots of fun for your underpants so it’s useful to understand airflow around structures.
Yes… there’s a lot of unnecessary bollox in a PfCO course , but then again, it does make you think more about what you are doing.
I’m wondering about the need for PfCO as much as anyone else, but I have found it reasonably useful and a great way to throw away a fair amount of cash. I have mixed feelings.
My 5" custom quads have no flight assistance at all, if you can fly one those in acro mode (which I do) you can fly any “consumer” drone with ease.
Landing a 5" quad capable of 100mph+ with a damaged prop from clipping a tree is a challenge in its own right, but its a night and day difference between flying that and a mavic 2.
For me, when I take the mavic 2 out for a fly its like putting on autopilot and sitting back with my feet up. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if the Mavic 3 or certainly Mavic 4 are autonomous with very little input from the “pilot”.
The issue is as with most things, regulation is playing catchup, and missing the mark like it always does. Much like the imminent autonomous cars, the technology will be here long before the regulation will and that will be what slows down adoption. Rather than regulators being pro-active and thinking about what will be, they look at what was and base regulation on that.
Using Litchi I can press go, it goes - it flies where it told it, takes photos/video of where it’s been told to take them, returns and lands.
All I do is press go!
Only ever used the DJI go app as my primary use of “drones” is for fpv. I get more enjoyment out of building and flying my own than I do with flying cameras
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