Topic: My buddy and his drone!!

[rrocket]

My buddy has a super cool Phantom drone.  He took it to Point Pelee today..the southern most tip of Canada.  You can even see the tip in the video.  Cool stuff!!

FWIW, this thing is incredibly easy to fly and the quality and stability is impressive!  I'd like to get one and bring it to track days to film...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qybUIa0P5hM#t=145

[Noto]

Best.$1000.Toy.EVER!

[Northernridge]

These are becoming popular with farmers out west who use them to scan fields for a host of things...including fun.

[PJungnitsch]

They are a very interesting thing. I got a cheap one from Costco just to play with, and you realize pretty quick that the autostability functions the expensive drones have are worth the money.

[wing]

What kind of track days?  Unfortunately most race tracks and all sanctioning bodies have banned them.

I want too but they get expensive for a good one

[Noto]

These are becoming popular with farmers out west who use them to scan fields for a host of things...including fun.

read this:

http://www.popsci.com/article/technology/drones-are-helping-make-delicious-wine

I think it's a great tool for agriculture.

[Fobroader]

While I think these things are really cool, I believe if I bought one it would be one of those things that I would play with for a few days and then it would sit in the back of the closet as a conversation piece.

[Noto]

While I think these things are really cool, I believe if I bought one it would be one of those things that I would play with for a few days and then it would sit in the back of the closet as a conversation piece.

True to a degree...if you or I bought one?  Probably.  I'd take it out skiing/waterskiing.  Some people use it for weddings/other outdoor occasions. 

If I owned a farm though?  or a vineyard?  or had some other sort of business where filming can be useful...I'd use it all the time (assuming the battery life isn't an issue at ~15mins/charge).

This isn't purely a toy.  I think it's going to advance a lot of things in this world.  It has a lot of potential for misuse, but still...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESYr2y-WOeE

[Northernridge]

When I was a kid these were called RC helicopters. They sound more dramatic now that we call them drones.

[Fobroader]

While I think these things are really cool, I believe if I bought one it would be one of those things that I would play with for a few days and then it would sit in the back of the closet as a conversation piece.

True to a degree...if you or I bought one?  Probably.  I'd take it out skiing/waterskiing.  Some people use it for weddings/other outdoor occasions. 

If I owned a farm though?  or a vineyard?  or had some other sort of business where filming can be useful...I'd use it all the time (assuming the battery life isn't an issue at ~15mins/charge).

This isn't purely a toy.  I think it's going to advance a lot of things in this world.  It has a lot of potential for misuse, but still...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESYr2y-WOeE

Oh I agree, if I could use it for business, yeah, for sure, for just screwing around, I think it would lose its luster very quickly.

[Noto]

When I was a kid these were called RC helicopters. They sound more dramatic now that we call them drones.

RC helis didn't use GPS and stability control.  These are far, far beyond the capabilities of RC helis.

[Northernridge]

When I was a kid these were called RC helicopters. They sound more dramatic now that we call them drones.

RC helis didn't use GPS and stability control.  These are far, far beyond the capabilities of RC helis.

Since the car was invented we have added things like airbags, batteries, cruise control and GPS but we still call them cars.

Some clever marketer appropriated the name 'drones' for modern RC helicopters to great effect.

[redman]

Globe and mail has a recent article on Drones and privacy and "anti-drone" counter measures.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/technology/tech-news/can-we-stop-the-drones-invading-our-public-and-private-spaces/article20643509/

Ferrel pig hunting with drones. No longer allowed !! Damn There go the plans.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/how-hunting-drones-are-being-regulated-out-of-the-sky/article20506117/

[Noto]

Some clever marketer appropriated the name 'drones' for modern RC helicopters to great effect.

Ahh.  I get what ye be sayin'.  I concur.  Still an RC Choppa, and calling it a drone or a UAV is probably a bunch of hooey from marketing.

...but it is smart marketing.  I want a drone way more than I want an RC Choppa.

[Fobroader]

Some clever marketer appropriated the name 'drones' for modern RC helicopters to great effect.

Ahh.  I get what ye be sayin'.  I concur.  Still an RC Choppa, and calling it a drone or a UAV is probably a bunch of hooey from marketing.

...but it is smart marketing.  I want a drone way more than I want an RC Choppa.

Its like when they paint a rifle black and call it "tactical".....uh huh...nothing says tactical like a .22cal Ruger 10/22   

[Northernridge]

Some clever marketer appropriated the name 'drones' for modern RC helicopters to great effect.

Ahh.  I get what ye be sayin'.  I concur.  Still an RC Choppa, and calling it a drone or a UAV is probably a bunch of hooey from marketing.

...but it is smart marketing.  I want a drone way more than I want an RC Choppa.

Great. Now I don't want a car anymore because of you. 

[Noto]

Some clever marketer appropriated the name 'drones' for modern RC helicopters to great effect.

Ahh.  I get what ye be sayin'.  I concur.  Still an RC Choppa, and calling it a drone or a UAV is probably a bunch of hooey from marketing.

...but it is smart marketing.  I want a drone way more than I want an RC Choppa.

Great. Now I don't want a car anymore because of you. 

You're welcome

[rrocket]

What's cool about it is if you lose reception to it, it goes into safe mode and flies back home!

You can also program it to fly to waypoints.

I'd love one.  But $1k is a bit step

[Snowman]

Cool. Can he fly it when its out of visual sight? Does he have a display to see the view from the camera?

[johngenx]

Already seeing a big impact on filming of sports like skiing, climbing, biking and so on.