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Drone Flight Takes To Living Rooms, Gymnasiums, and Parking Garages (hackaday.com)

szczys writes: The FAA can regulate the skies, but they don't own the airspace inside of buildings. There are many ways to get your flying fix indoors. Perhaps the most obvious is flying tiny quadcopters (about 1 inch on each side) in your living room. But for years, hobby groups have formed relationships with schools and churches to have meetups in their gymnasiums. It's not limited to propeller-aircraft; ultralight rubberband power fixed-wing is a popular indoor option. And FPV enthusiasts can get competitive by setting up race courses in parking garages.

73 comments

  1. Gives 'Underground drone racing'... by iced_tea · · Score: 3, Interesting

    A whole new meaning. I smell a new sport.

    1. Re:Gives 'Underground drone racing'... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Dude, underground drone races in steam tunnels, storm sewers, catacombs with the only lighting coming from the drones themselves and Oculus/Cardboard streaming for fans to watch. I will pay money to watch that.

    2. Re:Gives 'Underground drone racing'... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude, underground drone races in steam tunnels, storm sewers, catacombs with the only lighting coming from the drones themselves and Oculus/Cardboard streaming for fans to watch. I will pay money to watch that.

      Wow! I actually would pay A LOT of money to watch that too! Seems like a lot of potential.

    3. Re:Gives 'Underground drone racing'... by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      How well would the video and control signals propagate in a steam tunnel though? Likely this wouldn't be as cool as you imagine.

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    4. Re:Gives 'Underground drone racing'... by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      That depends: how much coax cable and how many antennas do you have?

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    5. Re:Gives 'Underground drone racing'... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, if this is only underground in the sense of physically underground, or if underground-underground with very fast amateurs, you could get away with the inability to propagate signals through the earth by means of a leaky feeder cable, which is basically just a long coax with holes in the sheath, making it act like a massive antenna from one end of the track to the other. It's used in mining for radio communications, don't see why you couldn't do it with steam tunnels.

    6. Re:Gives 'Underground drone racing'... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      While I really like this idea, there are a few problems with it, sadly. The commonly used FPV gear frequencies aren't terribly good at passing through materials, at 5.8GHz even trees can be an issue. The second issue is latency, for drone racing and aerobatics you want really low latency, and an increase in resolution saturates the downlink (trying to push greater than 650tvl even at 5.8GHz adds noticeable latency), so you end up with high latency from image capture to viewing on the pilot's side of things (granted, who doesn't love a good crash). Moving to a lower frequency band so you get better penetration through objects further reduces the speed of the downlink, again increasing latency. Perhaps this is a problem that can be fixed with better hardware......

    7. Re:Gives 'Underground drone racing'... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Two words:Leaky coax.
      You've got an antenna where ever you run cable.

  2. Gymnasiums? by U2xhc2hkb3QgU3Vja3M · · Score: 0

    ...hobby groups have formed relationships with schools and churches to have meetups in their gymnasiums.

    Oh yeah sure, lots of churches have gymnasiums.

    1. Re:Gymnasiums? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      actually... yes

    2. Re:Gymnasiums? by almitydave · · Score: 2

      ...hobby groups have formed relationships with schools and churches to have meetups in their gymnasiums.

      Oh yeah sure, lots of churches have gymnasiums.

      My church has a community center with a gymnasium. In fact, many churches have associated schools which have gyms.

      --
      my, your, his/her/its, our, your, their
      I'm, you're, he's/she's/it's, we're, you're, they're
    3. Re:Gymnasiums? by ScentCone · · Score: 5, Funny

      Oh yeah sure, lots of churches have gymnasiums.

      Obviously your town hasn't yet been infested with mega-churches. Those have at least one gymnasium. It's just down the hall from the coffee bar, past the giant child-care facility, and around the corner from the logo-wear t-shirt kiosk, the artisan bakery, and the acupuncture practice. Jesus isn't the savior anymore, he's the CEO of a retail empire.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    4. Re: Gymnasiums? by WarJolt · · Score: 1

      Depending on where you live in the country, churches can have a much larger role in the community. I think something like 83% of Americans identify as Christians.

    5. Re: Gymnasiums? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Do you think everyone lives in the U.S.A.?

    6. Re: Gymnasiums? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well there is that handful of good folks from Canada but aside from that... no one of any consequence lives outside the states, I suppose.

    7. Re: Gymnasiums? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Depending on where you live in the country, churches can have a much larger role in the community. I think something like 83% of Americans identify as Christians.

      Ironically if we were to start taxing the business of religion properly and fairly, 83% of "preachers" would quit.

    8. Re: Gymnasiums? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think nearly everyone regulated by the FAA does.

    9. Re: Gymnasiums? by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      Do you think everyone lives in the U.S.A.?

      The topic is the FAA, and people going to churches etc to fly drones.

      Anything that isn't the USA, for once, is pretty much irrelevant to the story.

      Unless of course you think an FAA rule is going to affect where you fly a drone in Whereeverthefuckistan.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    10. Re: Gymnasiums? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The schools, churches and gymnasiums in the summary are mentioned in the context of the FAA, so currently this thread is discussing churches in the USA. Your mileage or kilometerage may vary.

    11. Re:Gymnasiums? by DRJlaw · · Score: 1

      Oh yeah sure, lots of churches have gymnasiums.

      Obviously your town hasn't yet been infested with mega-churches. Those have at least one gymnasium. It's just down the hall from the coffee bar, past the giant child-care facility, and around the corner from the logo-wear t-shirt kiosk, the artisan bakery, and the acupuncture practice. Jesus isn't the savior anymore, he's the CEO of a retail empire.

      Or "infested" with church-run schools. You'd never find gymnasiums in church-run schools. Which oddly, around here, tend to be on the same grounds as the church itself.

      BTW, mega-churches exist because people want them. It's a bit presumptuous of you to claim that your town has been infested simply because a facility doesn't cater to your point of view.

    12. Re:Gymnasiums? by ScentCone · · Score: 4, Interesting

      BTW, mega-churches exist because people want them. It's a bit presumptuous of you to claim that your town has been infested simply because a facility doesn't cater to your point of view.

      Actually, they exist in our area because of a perverse loophole in zoning laws. Most are financed by third parties with a business interest in the proceeds from the church-run retail operations, and the bigger the facility, the more cash they make as a non-profit, paid out through very high salaries to key figures, and very high returns on the got-nothing-to-do-with-religion investors. Yes, people want them. Because they are very large recreational facilities that get to benefit from a tax dodge, and they are killing off attendance at the little mom-and-pop social institutions that we used to think of as churches.

      It's not "presumptuous" of me to correctly relate the nature of these facilities and the way they interact with (or don't) the county, municipal, state and federal governments as they move millions and millions of dollars around while enjoying special zoning exemptions, tax avoidance, and all sorts of hiring and labor exemptions. These are large businesses that throw on the hair-think veneer of religiosity in order to avoid operating and real estate expenses that any other operation of that size would have to pay. Investors see that it's a good business model, and clone them until there's literally no room to do it any more.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    13. Re:Gymnasiums? by lgw · · Score: 1

      The question isn't whether "people" want them, but whether God wants them. I have no opinion on the matter, aside from noting the lack of smiting, but it's still a legitimate question. In fact, it's why "evangelicals" and "fundamentalists" are distinct groups in the US.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    14. Re:Gymnasiums? by sycodon · · Score: 1

      The church I grew up in had a gym/meeting place/and stage, circa 1910.

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    15. Re: Gymnasiums? by mrchaotica · · Score: 1

      Unless of course you think an FAA rule is going to affect where you fly a drone in Whereeverthefuckistan.

      Wrong federal agency: the Air Force handles that.

      --

      "[Regarding the 'cloud,'] ownership was what made America different than Russia." -- Woz

    16. Re:Gymnasiums? by The-Ixian · · Score: 1

      I have never been in a Mormon church that didn't have a Gymnasium either.

      --
      My eyes reflect the stars and a smile lights up my face.
  3. Fuck That by sexconker · · Score: 1

    The FAA can regulate the skies

    The FFA can regulate the skies only to the extent that the regulations serve the purpose of the FAA as defined in the fucking law.

    https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/...

    The law is designed "to provide for the regulation and promotion of civil aviation in such manner as to best foster its development and safety, and to provide for the safe and efficient use of the airspace by both civil and military aircraft, and for other purposes".

    The FAA has been shitting out regs that do NOT promote civil aviation in a manner that best fosters its development and safety. You could argue for safety and then claim safety trumps all, but we all know that's not true. Banning cell phones on airplanes has nothing to do with safety. Neither does granting flight attendants unlimited "fuck you, do as I say or I'll make the other passengers hog tie you and when we land you'll head straight to the rape room" powers over passengers. And we all know safety doesn't trump all - if that were true we wouldn't fly at all.

    1. Re:Fuck That by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're a COW, sexconker, an FAA hating COW. MOOOO goes FAA-hating Sexconker, MOOOOO! MOOOOOO!!!!1!! You anti-government-agency pro-toy-drone COW!!!1!

    2. Re:Fuck That by Obfuscant · · Score: 1

      Banning cell phones on airplanes has nothing to do with safety.

      Actually, it does. And it has to do with the band allocations for cell phone use (FCC issue). You'd be hard pressed to claim that transmitters haven't gotten better over time, since the regulations prohibiting their use on aircraft without the operator's permission were enacted.

      Neither does granting flight attendants unlimited "fuck you, do as I say or I'll make the other passengers hog tie you and when we land you'll head straight to the rape room" powers over passengers.

      Actually, that regulation, too, is based on safety. The fact it may be over-used at times doesn't change the basic reason it is there.

      The captain has overall authority over the flight. The flight crew are acting under his authority. If the captain, or the flight crew, doesn't tell you to sit down and buckle in when they know turbulence is about to hit, it's their responsibility when you get hurt. If you are a "you aren't the boss of me" numbskull and don't do it, then it's on you.

  4. Other places to fly ... by fahrbot-bot · · Score: 1

    The FAA can regulate the skies, but they don't own the airspace inside of buildings.

    Or salt mines, sewer / storm water drains, underwater (handling may be sluggish).

    --
    It must have been something you assimilated. . . .
  5. Language nazi here. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The battle is lost already, but I would like to point out that these are not drones, and just because some dumb idiot moron on cnn called it a drone, doesn't mean the idiot moron was right.

    1. Re:Language nazi here. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A 'drone' is an unmanned, remotely piloted aircraft. Seriously, that's ALL it means.

  6. This is EXACTLY what we are doing with droneracing by afinegan · · Score: 1

    This is EXACTLY what we are doing while we fight this unlawful FAA guidelines(more lawyers everyday say the FAA is in the wrong with what congress passed in 2012) https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

  7. There is no regulation against such use. by ScentCone · · Score: 3, Interesting

    The 2012 FMRA law prohibits the FAA from burdening recreational users of model aircraft with any further reguation. There's plenty of debate about whether the administration's recent end-around of using the DoT to push the new Suzy Must Register Her 9-Ounce Pink Plastic Copter In A Public-Facing Federal Database is already a direct and willful violation of that law (to be determined in court).

    So unless we're talking about people wanting to race their FPV quads right next to an airport, there's really nothing driving hobbyists indoors. Especially since going indoors doesn't exempt them from that dubious new registration program anyway: if it flies by remote control and it weighs more than half a pound, it has to be registered before it ever flies if it's purchased new, or otherwise by February 19th. So grandpa needs to get busy with that garage full of 50-year-old balsa wood models, lest he become liable for a $20,000 civil fine (and that's before the criminal penalties, possibly including jail time).

    Sure, those 1-inch-wide micro-quads are under the weight limit. They're also more or less no fun at all, compared to the real thing.

    --
    Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    1. Re:There is no regulation against such use. by Coren22 · · Score: 1

      I am patiently awaiting the court ruling saying my family can start flying again. They expanded the DC no fly zone to 30 mile radius, which covers my entire county, and indicated that it applied to ALL UAS ("drones").

      https://www.faa.gov/uas/no_dro...

      --
      APK likes to ask for responses to the same things over and over. Maybe he just likes the responses?
    2. Re:There is no regulation against such use. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its unclear you need court approval. https://www.faa.gov/uas/model_aircraft/

      Model aircraft used strictly for hobbyist / recreational purposes, and flown within certain reasonable guidelines (not over non-operators, under 500 ft altitude, not close to airports, and under 55 lbs) can be freely flown.

      I don't know whether the new DC drone-free-zone applies, but my instinctive read is that it also applies no restrictions to model aircraft.

    3. Re:There is no regulation against such use. by dougmc · · Score: 2

      Especially since going indoors doesn't exempt them from that dubious new registration program anyway: if it flies by remote control and it weighs more than half a pound, it has to be registered before it ever flies

      No, the FAA says otherwise.

      From their FAQ --

      Q22. If I only fly it indoors, do I have to register it?
      A. No, the FAA does not regulate indoor UAS use.

      Now, given that they haven't even really written the regulations for much of this stuff yet, and it's largely based on advisory circulars and FAQs and such, it's possible that whenever they do get off their butt and write the actual rules that they could say something else, but for now ... they explicitly say you don't have to register anything that only flies indoors.

      Also, they aren't registering model aircraft anyways -- they're registering pilots, and then requiring that the pilot's registration information be on the model aircraft. (After all, when you go to your site, do you tell them about your models? No, not a thing -- instead you just tell them about yourself.)

    4. Re:There is no regulation against such use. by gurps_npc · · Score: 1
      50 year old balsa woods are MODELS. They have no camera, and are not Drones. The FAA has made NO requirement for them.

      Simple rule - camera? Drone. No Camera? Model airplane.

      The 2012 FMRA law talks about models, not drones. They are not the same thing and never have been.

      Just as the US can regulate and outlaw machine guns without regulating semi-automatic guns, the US can regulate Drones without regulating Model airplanes.

      --
      excitingthingstodo.blogspot.com
    5. Re:There is no regulation against such use. by ScentCone · · Score: 2

      50 year old balsa woods are MODELS. They have no camera, and are not Drones. The FAA has made NO requirement for them.

      The FAA doesn't use the word "drone," ever. And yes, their new registration requirement DOES apply model helicopters, model airplanes, and multi-rotors. The presence of absence of a camera has nothing to do with anything. If you have a model airplane that flies, and it weighs more than 8.8 ounces, the FAA says you have to register it by February 19th or be subject to fines up to $20,000. They have, as people have asked questions, been explicitly clear that this new requirement includes any and all flying devices. As the FAA's directory said at the press conference, "If it flies, we're going after it."

      The 2012 FMRA law talks about models, not drones. They are not the same thing and never have been.

      Wow, you need to read up on this. The law talks about "models," and then goes into what constitutes a model. It has NOTHING to do with fixed wings, rotors of any number, cameras, etc. It has to do with being under 55 pounds, and used recreationally. Period. That's it. You're the one that's making a distinction between a model helicopter and a quad-copter ... nobody else (from a government perspective) makes that distinction at all. It's not the form factor of the flying device, or existence of a camera - it's that you're using it recreationally, vs commercially. That's it.

      Just as the US can regulate and outlaw machine guns without regulating semi-automatic guns, the US can regulate Drones without regulating Model airplanes.

      When the "US" refers to "drones," they're usually talking about full-scale aircraft (like Predators, or Global Hawks, or Reapers, etc). Sure, the government can make distinctions. They just did. Their distinction is that if your model airplane weights less than 8.8 ounces, you won't have to register it. Otherwise, you will have to.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    6. Re:There is no regulation against such use. by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      Except that they're saying that the registration for new purchases has to take place at the time of the purchase, before the device is used.

      Yes, they're issuing all sorts of muddled, self-contradictory nonsense surrounding this nonsensical and illegal (that is, counter to the 2012 FMRA law) requirement. It's a train wreck, and of course won't stop a single die-hard idiot (let along malicious operator) from doing anything dangerous.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    7. Re:There is no regulation against such use. by dougmc · · Score: 1

      Except that they're saying that the registration for new purchases has to take place at the time of the purchase, before the device is used.

      Where exactly are they saying this?

      Before it's flown outdoors you must be registered and it must be labeled, yes, but I'm not aware of anything saying it must be done at the point of purchase or that it is needed before it's even flown indoors.

      So ... citation?

    8. Re:There is no regulation against such use. by toddestan · · Score: 1

      Here's the best part of that FAQ:

      "Q38. Updated: The website said registration is free. Why am I being charged $5?

      A. The credit card transaction helps authenticate the user. You will see a credit for the $5 in 5-10 days after the charge appears."

      I mean, the marketing types have been pushing the limits of "free" for some time now, but the FAA just took it to another level.

  8. So much for FIREFLY.... by tekrat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Thanks to the FAA, I guess you *can* take the sky from me.

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
  9. In other news... by EmeraldBot · · Score: 1

    In other news, more drones droning about drones, and we had two drones droning about drones today at that. (Though actually, the first story was pretty important and I'm glad to see there's more awarness in recent years)

    As even the summary says, modelers have been meeting in basketball courts and abandoned parking lots for a long time now. I had a friend who was an enthusiast actually, and so I've been to a couple. Of course people fly their drones alongside their model planes in here: not only do you have a safe wind-free environment, but you also have easy lighting for evening hours and heating/cooling (during the winter this becomes quite handy). There's nothing new about this: people have been doing this for years now, long before the term became popular, and long before the FFA issued any sort of regulation. I honestly don't see the news factor here, unless you're looking for the FAQ section of The Beginner's Guide to Drones.

    --
    "Set a man a fire, he'll be warm for the rest of the night. Set a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
    1. Re:In other news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      moo

  10. FAA can regulate whatever it wants by schwit1 · · Score: 1
    ... until a court says otherwise, and even then it won't always stop. Has no one learned anything from the past 15 years?

    There are zero consequences to government overreach and abuses. People in power will abuse that power until they get thrown in jail or personally fined, which is never going to happen.

  11. "but they don't own the airspace inside..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    They actually do... Sorry guys. If it flies in the air under its own power, indoors or out, it is subject to FAA regulation.

    1. Re:"but they don't own the airspace inside..." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Legal citation?

    2. Re:"but they don't own the airspace inside..." by Lodlaiden · · Score: 1

      I guess it's a good thing it has a remote control.

      --
      Suborbital [spaceflight] is the special olympics of spaceflight. - Rei
  12. ... not necessarily. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Just in case Canadian readers think the same applies (and I'm suspicious that the same isn't true in the US), Transport Canada DOES have jurisdiction indoors. They might not pursue you in your own basement, but God help you if somebody is hurt in an public venue (Gym, Parking Garage, arena, etc.). Local law enforcement will have the right to charge you under the current regulations.

  13. ...restricted your right to assemble... by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 1

    The (government) can regulate (public places), but they don't own the floorspace inside of buildings. There are many ways to get your redress your grievances indoors, without assembling in groups that make people nervous. For example, you could sign a White House Petition, sound off on an electronic forum, or save time by writing all your grievances down in a Word document and sending it directly to the Recycling Bin.

  14. Good idea esp. For beginners... by ClarkMills · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Good idea especially for beginners. My first (toy) drone lasted about 2 hours... Learning to fly it in the lounge was interesting but I got ejected outside after shredding the wife's flower arrangement. From there it was up up and blown away... I still haven't found it.

    In a gym you will be hard pressed to lose your done and I'd expect the the environment to be stable.

  15. Not in my gymnasium by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The damn BLOS FPV quad jerks already screwed everyone in the RC hobby. They are not going to be welcome at the indoor club where I fly ultralights and micro-flyers. Other clubs may allow them, but the pilots will probably have to be AMA members in order to get airtime. That should already make them more responsible than the "Hold my beer and watch this!" crowd. Search YouTube for "QUAD BLOS FPV" or "QUAD GUN" to get an idea why *everyone* in the RC flying community now has to be tossed into a FAA/DHS database. F'in quad idiots.

  16. For camera drone users it's not about the flying by carlhaagen · · Score: 1

    It's about the vantage point, the perspective and the curiosity and exploration from seeing your surroundings from high up. These people have no interest in playing around in a gymnastics hall or an abandoned hangar.

  17. slow down, there are still repercussions by nimbius · · Score: 1
    --
    Good people go to bed earlier.
  18. Be Happy, Slaves! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's okay kids -- you can do drugs, run guns, and engage in prostitution.

    But God help you if you download a movie or fly a remote controlled airplane!

  19. What the hell is this crap? by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 1

    Perhaps the most obvious is flying tiny quadcopters (about 1 inch on each side) in your living room.

    Wow. no way, I never would have figured that one out!

    But they've missed a trick here, because, believe it or not, you can also fly larger drones in your living room! No, it's true! Two, three, even four inches on each side!

    But for years, hobby groups have formed relationships with schools and churches to have meetups in their gymnasiums.

    How many churches have gymnasiums?

    It's not limited to propeller-aircraft; ultralight rubberband power fixed-wing is a popular indoor option.

    Uh... how are those ultraight rubberband-powered fixed-wing powered, if not by propellers?

    --
    systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    1. Re:What the hell is this crap? by lgw · · Score: 1

      How many churches have gymnasiums?

      Most of the big ones.

      Uh... how are those ultraight rubberband-powered fixed-wing powered, if not by propellers?

      Slingshot.

      --
      Socialism: a lie told by totalitarians and believed by fools.
    2. Re:What the hell is this crap? by dougmc · · Score: 1

      It's not limited to propeller-aircraft; ultralight rubberband power fixed-wing is a popular indoor option.

      Uh... how are those ultraight rubberband-powered fixed-wing powered, if not by propellers?

      I've seen model aircraft that were powered by flapping their wings like a bird.

      Also, it's not really ultralight or rubberband powered, but turbine (i.e. jet) powered model aircraft are certainly a thing.

      And finally ... unpowered gliders are quite popular, even indoors.

      But yes, context suggests that the person who wrote that probably meant "multicopters" or "electrically powered aircraft" rather than "propeller-aircraft". You've done us all a great service in drawing attention to the less than ideal choice of words ...

  20. 1" quadcopters are pretty difficult to fly. by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 2

    I have one from Axis drones, that was the world's smallest quadcopter when I bought it, and avoiding slamming it into the ceiling, then crashing to the floor at my place is the biggest challenge. They're much easier to use in a gym, or at least a house with high ceilings.

    Axis has a new small copter with video, called the VIDIUS, which should be really good for beginners.

    I'm not with the company, just someone who likes playing with new technologies.

  21. So Outdoors by AF_Cheddar_Head · · Score: 2

    This guy was flying his drone at an outdoor football stadium during a skydiving exhibition, the \. article is about flying in spaces with a roof over your head. So yeah this article about a Kentucky idiot is a great illustration.

  22. until by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    you catch someone's hair in the copter blades...

  23. Just Wait by sycodon · · Score: 1

    "The FAA can regulate the skies, but they don't own the airspace inside of buildings."

    Yet...

    --
    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    1. Re:Just Wait by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      You can't take the sky from me.

      Oh. Wait.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:Just Wait by JoeMerchant · · Score: 1

      Drones can't reach the same sky that a Firefly can.

  24. Re:For camera drone users it's not about the flyin by jeffb+(2.718) · · Score: 1

    No, I suppose they'd be heading for the locker rooms.

  25. See Fleye at CES by jerome.sonnet · · Score: 1

    Perfect indoor drone is at the CES... safe, fun and cute... http://www.popsci.com/fleye-dr...

  26. Fuck the FAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We do not recognize the FAA and are ignoring them. We will not comply and will not pay any fines.

    1. Re:Fuck the FAA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      We do not recognize the FAA and are ignoring them. We will not comply and will not pay any fines.

      GITMO isn't closed yet, and I hear they have plenty of vacancies. Enjoy your stay, terrorist scum. Or maybe we just have them revoke your citizenship and drop you off in a rubber raft out in international waters. Enjoy your lingering death one way or another, worthless criminal scum.. and nothing of value was lost.

  27. oldie but a goodie by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I almost got into these after seeing this....

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl0EXJ0RUkA

    Still gives me chills :)

    lol, feels like I should be writing the headlines at the bottom of every website after that lead-in...

  28. geofencing by cstacy · · Score: 1

    Drone manufacturers like DGI (Phantom) are being required by the FAA to implement "geofencing" in the drone firmware. This will prevent the drone from taking off if it is within 30 miles of Washington, D.C., for example. Doesn't matter if it is indoors or not.

  29. whatever gave you that idea? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The FAA can regulate the skies, but they don't own the airspace inside of buildings.

    They weren't supposed to regulate the space below human navigable airspace (several hundred feet up) either, and now they do. What makes you think they won't try to extend their authority to your living room?