Originally Posted by
Two's in
Don't miss the obvious point. You appear to be eminently qualified to operate a drone/UAS in a commercial capacity. Your aviation experience and training put you in good stead to manage the risks carefully and generally avoid any potential conflict with manned aircraft.
But now here's the rub. Any dull-witted Neanderthal can buy a drone/UAS with little bother, sit on the end of an active approach and scare the living Jesus out of commercial pilots, or cause any kind of hazard around a myriad of flight operations (recent Fire Fighting drops spring to mind).
There are no aircraft being operated commercially without a fully trained and qualified crew at the controls (well, hardly any) but the same is not true for drones/UAS. The rules are not written for you - they are written for the lowest common denominator, you just get caught up in the subsequent effects.
You couldn't have said it better. Unfortunately I meet these idiots on a regular basis and asking if they are aware of the Drone Code at all. Most are not. My view it is down to the point of sale to make sure that at least a copy of the drone code is included and signed before sale. It won't stop second hand machines being used by idiots, or the homebuilt types which have no set altitude limits.
DJI quadcopter won't fly above 1500' anyway, and have an even more limited range in beginner mode. There is a hack to get around these limits but not many people will go to that trouble. I do laugh when I hear of drones up at 11000'. the wind alone would carry them off into the big blue yonder as a DJI type can typically only fly at 30mph or so maximum.
Thank you for the replies which, if nothing else, is satisfying my own curiosity.