Worried what this could mean for the hobbyist airspace.

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/08/31/amazon-p...roval.html

It doesn't mean anything good for the hobbyists, that's for sure.

It means that the government will take away your ability to enjoy your hobby and hand the air space over to Amazon in
exchange for money.

This was always the game plan.

(31-Aug-2020, 04:37 PM)unseen Wrote: It means that the government will take away your ability to enjoy your hobby and hand the air space over to Amazon in
exchange for money.

This was always the game plan.

The ones that were the most likely to cause a problem from the FAA's perspective will be impacted the least....long range pilots.

I posted a related topic below. It's now only a matter of time before we will all need to become outlaws. It's one of the primary reasons to keep your name off any government drone owner/operator registration lists.

https://intofpv.com/t-it-s-about-to-begi...-exemption

In the USA, no law enforcement agency is going to devote much in resources to enforcement of drone laws.  You may not get to fly in more busy/populated locales.  But if you fly where witnesses are infrequent, you will be fine.

Where I see the problem is loss of access to parts.  The regs will cause people to leave the hobby in large numbers.  The drop-off of sales of related items to the hobby will cause manufactures to move on to more lucrative products, and parts will dry up.  So stock up on parts that are air RC specific....ground RC will continue, so where there is bleed over of parts between ground and air will still be available.

Continuing in this hobby will have a difficult future.

(31-Aug-2020, 06:22 PM)SnowLeopardFPV Wrote: ... It's now only a matter of time before we will all need to become outlaws.

I'm already ahead of you I made my outlaw avatar months ago already lol.

(31-Aug-2020, 07:45 PM)Krohsis Wrote: In the USA, no law enforcement agency is going to devote much in resources to enforcement of drone laws.  You may not get to fly in more busy/populated locales.  But if you fly where witnesses are infrequent, you will be fine.

Where I see the problem is loss of access to parts.  The regs will cause people to leave the hobby in large numbers.  The drop-off of sales of related items to the hobby will cause manufactures to move on to more lucrative products, and parts will dry up.  So stock up on parts that are air RC specific....ground RC will continue, so where there is bleed over of parts between ground and air will still be available.

Continuing in this hobby will have a difficult future.

I always order my motors in sets of eight (8). That's right enough for two drones or plenty of spares which ever way you want to look at it. Especially stock up on things that break...like antennas maybe...or maybe just about all of electronics. Currently, I have over a half dozen operational drones and almost enough parts for 3 or 4 more builds. Between the spare parts and scavenging, I should be good to go (for mid-range anyway) by the time   hits the fan.

(01-Sep-2020, 08:27 PM)iFly4rotors Wrote: I always order my motors in sets of eight (8). That's right enough for two drones or plenty of spares which ever way you want to look at it. Especially stock up on things that break...like antennas maybe...or maybe just about all of electronics. Currently, I have over a half dozen operational drones and almost enough parts for 3 or 4 more builds. Between the spare parts and scavenging, I should be good to go (for mid-range anyway) by the time   hits the fan.

You are a wise man, iFly!  My plan was to start in earnest gathering components this last April, but then the virus hit and components were difficult to get.  I have started on my plan to stock up much like you now that availability is better.

I'm sure more FPV / drone related YouTuber's will come and and say their piece, but Russ has now made his own comments known...

The civil liability for these corporations has to be astronomical.  It will only take a few drone failures that cause serious injury or death and it will throw a wet blanket on the whole thing.  I really believe the whole idea will die on the vine in time.  But, by the time that happens, the recreational drone business will only be available to those who are willing to thumb their noses at the government.

Besides the tail-wagging-the-dog issue of corporations vs legislation in the US, I still find it hard to believe that drone delivery is viable.

If the drones are coming from a nearby depot you still have the same fulfilment problems you had before to get products to a local hub. Their carry weight is going to be crap compared to a dude with a van - it'll have to be one package, one flight. You're basically sacrificing great bandwidth (a van filled with boxes that are delivered in 24 hours) for good latency (a single box, delivered in an hour?). As a customer how much more would you be willing to pay to get that? I don't know what I'm missing, but it seems an immense amount of time, effort and money for an idea that - as it's core - seems really stupid. Maybe they're playing the long game and are getting the back-handers in place before they need them in 50 years ...

I just don't know what problems it solves.

(02-Sep-2020, 08:15 AM)Banelle Wrote: Besides the tail-wagging-the-dog issue of corporations vs legislation in the US, I still find it hard to believe that drone delivery is viable.

If the drones are coming from a nearby depot you still have the same fulfilment problems you had before to get products to a local hub. Their carry weight is going to be crap compared to a dude with a van - it'll have to be one package, one flight. You're basically sacrificing great bandwidth (a van filled with boxes that are delivered in 24 hours) for good latency (a single box, delivered in an hour?). As a customer how much more would you be willing to pay to get that? I don't know what I'm missing, but it seems an immense amount of time, effort and money for an idea that - as it's core - seems really stupid. Maybe they're playing the long game and are getting the back-handers in place before they need them in 50 years ...

I just don't know what problems it solves.

(02-Sep-2020, 08:15 AM)Banelle Wrote: Besides the tail-wagging-the-dog issue of corporations vs legislation in the US, I still find it hard to believe that drone delivery is viable.

If the drones are coming from a nearby depot you still have the same fulfilment problems you had before to get products to a local hub. Their carry weight is going to be crap compared to a dude with a van - it'll have to be one package, one flight. You're basically sacrificing great bandwidth (a van filled with boxes that are delivered in 24 hours) for good latency (a single box, delivered in an hour?). As a customer how much more would you be willing to pay to get that? I don't know what I'm missing, but it seems an immense amount of time, effort and money for an idea that - as it's core - seems really stupid. Maybe they're playing the long game and are getting the back-handers in place before they need them in 50 years ...

I just don't know what problems it solves.

Well, from what I have learned from past research, the biggest hurdle with AMAZON delivery is NOT getting it to the final distribution point, it is the "last mile", getting the package from the final distribution point to the actual customer. In fact, they use of variety of "last mile" options including, but not limited to, the US Postal Service, UPS, AMAZON Prime vans, and even individual  private contractors. So, it actually does make sense to use a drone service since it is feasible for a "last mile" service. Now, whether it is cost effective, that is a totally different issue. I would guess that it will NOT be cost effective at least in the beginning. Even so, AMAZON has the financial resources to forge ahead through that for potential payoff down the road. At this point, they already have more invested than will be recouped in the short run. Just fathom what they have spent that has, so far, produced ZERO dollars. This is indeed forward thinking and groundbreaking in the world of deliver systems. On the other hand, it is certainly not the first drone delivery system; just the first one that might actually make money in the future. 

I am not sure anyone has caught this, but part of the real value is that drone delivery has the potential to be totally or partially autonomous. It's just like everything else: 1) You have to start somewhere,  2) It is never easy, 3) There will be unforeseen obstacles,  4) It will take longer than expected,  5) It is never profitable at first.  

Remember when gas was cheap and water was FREE (essentially). Now we pay a premium to get water in a bottle and pay outrageous prices for totally unprocessed food (organic, ha ha). Go figure. 

I foresee a whole ton of push back from city's and HOA's banning this type of delivery in their neighborhoods once people hear the kind of noise these things will create. NOBODY is going to want their backyard barbeque, gardening, nap, etc. disturbed by these things buzzing in. Just like electric scooters have been banned all over here in California.