weekly drone myth – it’s the wild west!

I see and hear them everyday. Drone myths and misunderstandings. Almost everyone at this point has encountered drones, knows someone who has a drone or is savvy enough not to call them drones (they are UAVs or UASs in the biz). Some myths are silly, some are fantastical and others may be plain dangerous. Whats your favorite myth? Let me know in the comments.

drone myth: drones are taking over and it’s the wild west!

This has some validity. Drones are in the news almost daily and their use is increasing. While we are far from a drone on every porch and delivery options in the nano-seconds, drones are still a small & niche part of a larger group of industries. These commercial uses are growing and developing at a rapid pace so it’s easy to get confused by conflicting reports.

And there are rules and regulations in place that are meant to keep it from being the wild west. The main body of control is the Federal Aviation Administration. Almost everything you want to know from licensing to do’s and don’ts are on this page. Currently, the industry is young enough and there is not a lot of data, that the rules are strict yet widely interpreted differently from pilot to pilot and region to region.

for operators: smart growth and safe practices will only help the industry

If you are part of the growth in drones, play it smart. The industry has a long way to go. Emphasis education with your clients and vendors. Lead them to the best option, which may not be a drone. Be flexible, alert and use the buddy system (no, that’s not a rule..another myth for next time!)

Photo of a drone DJI hovering over a nursery in Tennessee. Image by Aerial Innovations of TN.

A recent shoot at a local nursery

2 thoughts on “weekly drone myth – it’s the wild west!

  1. If you are “in the biz”, why do you continually refer to them as drones (you said yourself they are sUAS or UAV)?

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    • Billy Joe, thanks for your comment (I had the notifications turned off!! sorry about the delay). Yes, I do refer to them a lot as drones and not UAVs since my target audience is very comfortable with that name and many don’t know what UAV or UAS stand for. Unfortunately, the entire industry (RC, UAV, etc) took on the moniker “drone” early on and it’s hard to change public discourse that easily. I’m gonna keep trying to educate, though!

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