TRI In The News
Hobbyists Finding There's No Place Like Drone
From The Virginian-Pilot
Original article available here
On a recent blustery morning in an Oceanfront parking lot, Hutton Strader, a Beach resident, placed a 2-pound drone he'd purchased online on the pavement. The drone resembled a small hovercraft, with four rotary blades.
Strader stood several feet away. Using a remote control, he piloted the drone into the air. It hummed high above his head.
On less windy days, he has sent it hundreds of feet skyward and captured footage of the resort shoreline and rows of homes lining the beach. He's posted flight videos online.
Strader, a mechanical engineer, is fascinated with tech toys and has fiddled with other remote control devices, including boats. The drone is his new favorite gadget.
Increasingly, the devices are meeting with regulations.
Opponents are focused on privacy. Earlier this month, Charlottesville's City Council became the first in the United States to pass an anti-drone resolution, declaring the city a "No Drone Zone" and calling for an ordinance banning drones from airspace over Charlottesville. The resolution says hobbyists whose drones aren't equipped for surveillance or with weapons should get an exemption to fly in unpopulated areas.
Last week, Virginia legislators sent a bill to Gov. Bob McDonnell approving a two-year moratorium on the use of drones by government or police, except for during emergencies.
Using drones for surveillance, crowd control or to collect evidence are among the issues John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute would like lawmakers to address. The Institute drafted the Charlottesville resolution.
"It's a good idea to set up a bipartisan committee of constitution experts and study ways to protect our civil liberties," Whitehead said.
Meanwhile, the sky's the limit for personal drones, with few restrictions.
Operators of recreational model aircraft can fly them without a license as long as they keep them below 400 feet and away from airports and air traffic.
They're increasingly accessible. Personal drones sell online for just a few hundred dollars. Strader bought a simple drone online for about $350. It was a learning experience.
"I practiced on a small one that I crashed many, many times," he said.
He soon bought a more advanced model and mounted a GoPro video camera on it; for that drone and camera, he spent $1,000. He uploaded to YouTube the drone's video from a recent flight over the beach on a snowy day.
Strader has purchased goggles with LCD screens to view live video and is learning how to navigate the drone from the ground while wearing them.
"I will see live what it sees," he said.
The advancement of smartphone technology, which includes components used in drones, led to a decrease in the price of personal drones, Strader said.
"Ten years ago, you would not be able to acquire the parts," he said. "With the progression of technology, it's now readily available."
Four motors power the drone, and a battery charges its radio transmitter and video camera for a six-minute flight. He has flown it about 300 feet high. The Westin at Town Center, for reference, is about 500 feet tall.
In one video, rows of beachfront homes are visible from overhead, though no people are seen. From the drone's highest altitude, Strader is a speck on the ground.
He's not the only one flying drones over the Beach. Small, unmanned Air Force surveillance planes launched from Fort Story are flying over unpopulated sections in military training missions.
The Federal Aviation Administration is predicting rapid growth in drones as it develops guidelines for their operation in U.S. airspace.
"Small, unmanned aircraft are likely to grow most quickly in civil and commercial operations because of their versatility and relatively low initial cost and operating expenses," according to the FAA's website.
Interest is soaring. Public safety, transportation and marine organizations were among 81 that applied for drone licenses from the FAA in 2012. Public entities such as university researchers and police departments need a license to operate drones.
Back at the Beach, Strader said he'll keep flying his personal drone for fun.
"It's just a hobby," he said. "It's just a toy.
