Discussion for article #232556
If you’re gonna drink, don’t fly. But if you’re gonna drink and fly, FFS don’t do it in D.C.
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People shouldn’t be in control of anything when they drink, whether it’s a motor vehicle or even a toy.
Oh please, it isn’t as if he was flying a real plane, it is a toy.
This guy is the first to be placed on the Alcohol Watch List.
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I hope Sarah is second.
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He crashed it at 3 AM and you are just now figuring out he was drunk?
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John Boehner?
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This is probably the best thing that could have happened in this situation. Now they will address the risk and all is well. Funny this guy is from a relevant federal department though.
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droning while drunk
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Today’s version of drunk-dialing?
That thing could kill someone. Licenses to drive these things should be required, and operating one drunk should be a serious offense.
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I think the point is that since he was drunk it’s kind of OK. I mean, who hasn’t crashed a drone into the white house at 3 AM? He’s probably a good old boy.
if that “toy” fell on your head, it could easily kill you or cause serious brain damage. Ask a scientist to explain to you Newton’s Second Law. (F=ma).
This is one of several reasons why I chose not to pursue getting into the business of aerial videography using drones a couple years ago when this became a thing. First of all it takes a lot of practice to be GOOD at flying an R/C copter, let alone fly one and get smooth, usable footage. Second it is currently illegal to place a camera on an R/C copter or drone for commercial purposes, precisely because the FAA has not yet been able to formulate regulations for these things that adequately protect the public. Third, you should never fly these things over a crowd or inhabited area because of the danger to people below. Fourth, the cost. You’re going to hard land or crash your copter sooner or later, then you have to fix it. You’ll be fixing it a lot when you’re learning. Finally, if you can even get insurance for this activity, it’s going to be expensive. Every common commercial liability policy that covers video and film production businesses, excludes coverage for flying drones for commercial photography and videography. This rush to buy drones with cameras is a huge boondoggle on par with the 3D craze and the 4K TV craze.
I realize the guy who crashed this thing was just flying it for fun, but I had to get on my soapbox. Few people are thinking about the downside of drones with cameras everywhere.
I love reading the histories about the White House being a place you could ride your horse directly up to the front door. I suppose folks will now require 24 hour snipers protecting the invisible shield that ensures even small birds get killed before approaching within 1,000 feet of the White House.
So, just how much of DC should become the new Forbidden City?
You do realize that is a stock photo and probably not a photo of the drone in question? That it was 2 foot long doesn’t really tell us anything, either. Given they said it is something you could get at a Radio Shack tells me it wasn’t the unit in the picture.
Having said that, I want one. It looks…
Angry.
Least surprising news story of the week.
They have had 24-hour snipers for many years. My daughter was a White House intern in the late 90’s. When I went to see her, there were agents from the Uniformed Branch of the Secret Service, with M-16s on the roof at all times. (And is it odd that the Secret Service has a uniformed branch?)
And if he hadn’t been drinking before, he surely is now.
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Drinking while droning? What will our culture come up with next? Sexting while droning?