As a DC resident, I periodically wonder if my city will be frozen in stasis forever.
I get the general concern with drones & why we have a no-fly zone. But 15 miles is huge. And there's no permitted activity at all, nothing. I have such a hard time imagining a sub 250g drone under 50ft being justifiably something that the state can deny people in such a huge radius.
I'd like some day to be able to bike down the street with my kid, and have the drone take some photos. It seems brutal and unfair that that's not an option, even in the far off burbs.
I feel similarly tension here. I absolutely think drones can be a pox upon the world, loud and obnoxious, intrusive invaders without facing making a horrible racket & asymmetrically being able to photograph in incredible detail people with no defense who have imo a natural right to be able to enjoy the world unmolested by these machines invader detestable scum, without intrusion. But also it seems horrific to me to have such an absolute boundary, to have total denial of access to some of the most incredible places on earth.
Ideally I'd like to imagine some day some compromise. First Thursdays of every month where drones are allowed, maybe.
I wish more good rules/prohibitions had some reasonable exceptions to them. The law squeezing too hard is an affront.
dmitrygr•1h ago
You correctly identify how drones are a pox on us, but then your selfishness wins over your logic
choilive•1h ago
> I have such a hard time imagining a sub 250g drone under 50ft being justifiably something that the state can deny people in such a huge radius.
Ukraine would like a word
jauntywundrkind•42m ago
I agree that there's still a lot of places where drones probably can't be allowed!
But a 15 mile radius is huge. DC is only 10 miles to a side. It feels absurd to have so so so much residential area, far from anything like city, where drones are verboten.
some_random•1h ago
Without a serious concerted effort, rights only get taken away piece by piece. Most likely, the only change will be to enshrine the 15 mile no fly zone into law.
johaugum•1h ago
> I'd like some day to be able to bike down the street with my kid, and have the drone take some photos.
Personal drones in public spaces are becoming a real nuisance. They’re disturbing, and the majority of people seem unable to fly them in a safe and respectful manner.
Others on the same bike path should enjoy without the risk of having a drone slam into their face.
In my opinion, rules around personal drone usage are FAR too relaxed, and enforcement is absolutely minimal.
nkrebs13•1h ago
This is a dumb headline. They probably got a special use permit, as the article suggests in an easy-to-miss paragraph.
DJI has been in this game a long time. They're already on thin ice with US regulators. These places are instantly recognizable and they're the preeminent commercial drone company. There's 0 chance that they did this illegally.
jauntywundrkind•1h ago
I get the general concern with drones & why we have a no-fly zone. But 15 miles is huge. And there's no permitted activity at all, nothing. I have such a hard time imagining a sub 250g drone under 50ft being justifiably something that the state can deny people in such a huge radius.
I'd like some day to be able to bike down the street with my kid, and have the drone take some photos. It seems brutal and unfair that that's not an option, even in the far off burbs.
I feel similarly tension here. I absolutely think drones can be a pox upon the world, loud and obnoxious, intrusive invaders without facing making a horrible racket & asymmetrically being able to photograph in incredible detail people with no defense who have imo a natural right to be able to enjoy the world unmolested by these machines invader detestable scum, without intrusion. But also it seems horrific to me to have such an absolute boundary, to have total denial of access to some of the most incredible places on earth.
Ideally I'd like to imagine some day some compromise. First Thursdays of every month where drones are allowed, maybe.
I wish more good rules/prohibitions had some reasonable exceptions to them. The law squeezing too hard is an affront.
dmitrygr•1h ago
choilive•1h ago
Ukraine would like a word
jauntywundrkind•42m ago
But a 15 mile radius is huge. DC is only 10 miles to a side. It feels absurd to have so so so much residential area, far from anything like city, where drones are verboten.
some_random•1h ago
johaugum•1h ago
Personal drones in public spaces are becoming a real nuisance. They’re disturbing, and the majority of people seem unable to fly them in a safe and respectful manner.
Others on the same bike path should enjoy without the risk of having a drone slam into their face.
In my opinion, rules around personal drone usage are FAR too relaxed, and enforcement is absolutely minimal.