Honestly, I truly believe that there should be a certification process which forces people to properly be educated in operating these things. It bothers me to no end to read and hear about so many people misusing these things which gives a bad wrap to those who take the time to train themselves.
As much fun as it is to be creative with these quadcopters, they are a potentially lethal machines, and if not properly trained, the results can be catastrophic and life changing.
By obtaining a license, it not only gives us the proper education, but it also gives us credibility in our skills and craft.
I am a pilot by profession, and there is nothing more awesome than enjoying the "freedom" of flight. However, it took a lot of training and considerable cost to enjoy that privilege. Granted, flying a jet is very different from flying a quadcopter, but a lot of the principals of decision making are the same, and one has to truly have a good sense of situation awareness in order to operate both safely.
Unfortunately, there is a good number of general public who believe that it doesn't take much to properly operate an aircraft, manned or unmanned. But what a lot people don't take into consideration, is that there is a good amount of pre-flight planning, constant pro-active thinking while operating and even post-flight duties that have to take place each and every flight. For those who don't take the time to methodically go through their checklists are only narrowing their margin for error.
I apologize to those on this Forum - which I believe is most - who do take the time to educate themselves. For those who may need help, I would be more than happy to help out with providing checklists, educating you about airspace operations and learning how to increase your situational awareness.
