quote:
Sometimes technology, and the massive advances we make with it on a seemingly daily basis, scares me.
I know you mean this in a general sense and I completely agree with you. With regard to R/C aircraft it is even more alarming and to some degree threatens the hobby.
I've tinkered with R/C since the late 1980's. When I started MOST aircraft were balsa kits and took days and days to build or longer. There were some almost ready to fly kits, but they were still kits and required a bit of assembly. Because of the time invested in learning to fly this thing you just spent a month building it was a good idea to go to a local club and learn from someone with experience how to fly. As part of that process we learned about the responsibilities of operating R/C aircraft. Everyone was encouraged to join Academy of Model Aeronautics and follow their guidelines so they would be covered by AMA's umbrella insurance policy. Fixed wing was far and away most common airframe; helos were terribly expensive and very, very difficult to learn to fly.
Today, with inexpensive on-board flight controllers and quadcopters there is NO training necessary. If you've played a video game you can send $600 to DJI and when you're Phantom arrives you can fly until you're heart's content without any help. I think that's great and it has introduced a lot of people to a new hobby, but it has cut out a part of the process that helped older experienced members teach and train younger enthusiasts a LOT MORE than just HOW to fly.
I watch video clips on youtube of people flying their quad is places that just scares the hell out of me. Things my kids and I would never do because it's not responsible R/C operation and runs the risk of threatening the hobby for all of us.
People are going to keep pushing this and I'm afraid it's just a matter of time before someone's Phantom gets sucked up into a commercial airliners turbine because they're trying to get some cool footage by the airport. The ensuing loss of life and tragedy will be devastating way beyond our hobby. When it happens and we lose the privilege of operating remote controlled aircraft in this country I can't say I'll be surprised.