Proposed licensing of quads

[Leigh Beaumont]

Just seem on news they have proposed licensing and a data base for owners of quads or drones as they call them
to prevent accidents, this is mainly due to the quad coming close to the landing airliner

suprised they didn't just try and ban them, it's better than a ban of use

[French Paul]

See America can just ban what they like tomorrow but here that takes years.
I think from how I took it they are looking at a quad version of the bmfa as the technology they use isn't just different but it's for a different purpose which is being abused by a lot of newbies and even professionals!
it will become like our driving licences soon, different regulated categories all because a couple of hundred idiots forgot about such a thing called risk which for Heli pilots comes naturally with fear.

[pgkevet]

I'd guess the consideration for licensing is less from the hobby viewpoint than it is from the potential commercial aspects as in suggestions that these things might be used for deliveries in the future and lead to all sorts of airspace congestion. Of course thats daydream nonsense until battery life imprves markedly or the active zone is tiny - and you have some way of being sure there's a person at the end to receive whatever object you deliver. there is enough legislation about to control amatuer and daft professional photo type use already..it just needs using or policing. There's enough naughty folk driving cars without licenses and insurance. You'll never stop that.

[French Paul]

I read somewhere that the courier involved with that refused any knowledge of making such a claim and indeed it was some university students being given free toys by a certain company to give them worldwide media coverage/free advertising.
The long way round had a company pull out at the last minute when they realised how much their bikes were to be used and knew it would be bad publicity to show how unreliable they actually are, fortunately BMW make bikes that are built for the purpose!
sadly for quads, electronics are constantly failing and nothing is reliable so they won't be making deliveries while any of us a breathing. Take a look at the new £2500 inspires, some with £10k of camera onboard have fallen from the sky already, and not just one!
thats why quads need different limits set, too many innocent people are being injured by inferior technology and unreliable gps systems wandering off.
I'm sure it will sort itself out soon enough and I really hope that the guys who enjoy quads aren't totally thrown out of a hobby worldwide

[gazmk2]

I wonder if they will tarnish all multirotors with the same brush or if they'll leave the aerobatic quads (Leap, Invertix etc) alone. I have to admit I was out flying my leap over an empty field while at my folks and some fella walked on behind me, as soon as he saw I was flying a quad he began to sound very nervous and kept asking me if I was filming with it.

Of course once I showed him what it actually did he stayed to watch! But this just goes to show what the general perception of multirotors is with the general public.