AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2015 - 20

LICENSE TO LEARN

Drones aren't new

BY ROD MACHADO

Stanley the neighborhood boy chases a cat and other uses
SHH! DON'T TELL ANYONE, but drones aren't new. As a
kid, I ran with a clan that operated drones. Back then,
we called them remote-controlled (RC) model airplanes, and we built them from balsa wood and paper.
A little dope was also used in the construction, but we
never trusted him enough to let him fly.
Those weren't very good drones, perhaps because
quality control diminished in direct proportion to the
amount of mind-altering glue used in their assembly.
Nevertheless, our drones did what über-sophisticated
drones do today: make noise, terrorize small animals,
and provide their operators with hours of fun-until
they are carried off by the prevailing westerlies.
Flying RC models today is a lot less risky for
youngsters, mainly because the law says young-

Our drones did what über-sophisticated drones do
today: make noise, terrorize small animals, and
provide their operators with hours of fun.

ROD MACHADO

once belonged to
a vegetarian
motorcycle gang
known as the
Sprouts.

20 | AOPA PILOT March 2015

sters can no longer buy glue. Fortunately, they don't
have to, because drones now come preassembled and
ready to fly.
Recently, our little neighborhood boy, Stanley,
received a drone for his birthday. When I first
heard the buzzing noise, I raced to the window
expecting to see a chainsaw drill team in action.
Instead, I spied a quadcopter's grappling hook hovering over the neighborhood cat as Stanley skillfully
twisted two tiny chopper sticks on his remote control. I thought, "Now there's something you don't see
every day."
If Amazon has its way, a day is coming when you
will see drones every day.
On a recent episode of 60 Minutes, Amazon's
owner, Jeff Bezos, spiked the needle on the FAA's
wacko-meter by unveiling the octocopter his company plans to use to deliver books to his customers'
doorsteps. According to Bezos, any product weighing
five pounds or less could be delivered within 30 minutes by drone. Isn't this the perfect solution for those
who have the patience to read a book but not wait 24
hours for FedEx to deliver it?
Believe it or not, many people fancy the idea
of octocopter book delivery. After all, 24 hours is
a long time. This delivery method, however, is not

foolproof, especially if little Stanley has a butterfly
net. No doubt Stanley's wall-mounted corkboard
eventually will contain the following species: monarch, swallowtail, blue morpho, Amazon octocopter,
and painted lady. Then there'll be the inevitable call
to customer service from someone who orders a book
and then walks outside to await delivery, only to see
a Sikorsky Skycrane fly overhead. No doubt he'll rant
to the agent about how he ordered only one book, not
one of everything.
My guess is that the FAA reached Defcon Level
1 at drone containment headquarters when the
Wisconsin brewery Lakemaid began delivering beer
by drone to fishermen in ice huts. Ice huts apparently
inspire quite a thirst, and nothing satisfies that need
better than beer that arrives by air.
Of course, the FAA would have none of this
and promptly popped the top on Lakemaid's beerdrone delivery service. The feds say that commercial
drone operations are permitted only on a case-bycase basis. No doubt Lakemaid argued that this was
exactly how they'd been delivering beer. The booze
news has it that this argument didn't fly with the
feds. Lakemaid's "beer from the sky" service has since
gone flat.
It turns out that FAA Advisory Circular 91-57
requires RC operators to always keep their machines
in sight, below 400 feet agl, and more than three
miles from an airport (read the AC for other requirements and exceptions). It should be clear to everyone
that drones can present a serious threat to pilots and
cats. Let's hope the FAA acts wisely as it formulates
a new drone operation policy.
One thing is for sure. Despite the prevailing
westerlies, drones aren't going away. Several of our
local police agencies are now using them to catch
bad guys.
A real win-win situation might be if Lakemaid
were to volunteer its out-of-work drones for use in
law enforcement. No, I'm not suggesting that beer
drones be used to fire Sidewinders or Budweisers.
I'm just thinking that criminals will be easier to catch
when they see a beer drone tailing their getaway car.
After all, what criminal wouldn't choose to do a little
Miller time before doing hard time?
AOPA
WEB

www.rodmachado.com

http://www.rodmachado.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - March 2015

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