Proof that despite negative news stories,drones can be useful tools

[shaunicus75]

 Ironically where I filmed a quadcopter flight back in september,the town of Tewkesbury,has made the news in the last few days.Due to a burst mains water pipe,leaving the town and surrounding area without water for 2-3 days.The source of the leak was right below where I flew over back in september.Severn Trent actually used a drone to pinpoint the source of the leak

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9_f9T0UHDo

[bankhaunter]

I think drones are brilliant when used with consideration, it's a pity that they can also be abused.

[jd.linklater]

I agree that drones are an extremely useful piece of kit in the right hands, they have been used on several occasions in the US to locate missing people and animals, even stolen property. They really do have the potential to save lives, unfortunately in the wrong hands the results of misuse can be frightening.

This story was widely circulated a couple of years back, there were already guidelines in place for the use of drones but this guy thought he knew better and decided to launch it in his back garden with an almost inevitable result.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hereford-worcester-34936739

It's a shame the Government didn't come up with suitable regulations for drone use before they became available to the general public, guidelines will always be abused. I sometimes think that the Government use the public as guinea pigs to see how stupid they are before passing laws to control their idiotic behaviour. The law came too late to save this poor kid's sight.

[cee-dee]

Idiots with drones is surely nothing new? Many, many good/useful things have been misued for a long time, surely almost since time began?

It's all to do with a lack of common sense? I suppose when the common sense was being dished out, the idiots were round the corner playing marbles?

As to the useful use of drones today, it began with R/C model aircraft and in the early '80s they were being used by companies to view things "from above" with what were then the miniature film cameras fitted to the aircraft, later, it was a model helicopter, much more complex to build and also more diffiucult to fly.

The drones today are much more convenient, quieter and easier to fly and as with everything, when they get cheap enough for the mass market, the idiots get hold of them and cause trouble?

[shaunicus75]

Rc Helicopters are by far the hardest things to fly.Toy grade quadcopters ie the cheapest ones are actually much harder to fly.The one i have is so easy to fly in comparison.you let go of the sticks on the controller,and it will just come to a halt and hover at that height,as long as you have gps.Problem is people dont calibrate before flying and dont check GPS,which leads to flyaways.And with the quadcopter i have,i only fly in wide open spaces.You cant really fly in a built up area,as you will get too much wifi interferance