Reuters poll says 42% of Americans oppose private ownership of drones

BaldEagle · Feb 5, 2015

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/02/05/us-usa-drones-poll-idUSKBN0L91EE20150205

It is very sad to see our media put these types of polls out without a critical review of the information. I bet there are a reasonable number of people who, when they hear 'drone', they think of the military UAV's with missiles on them or something like that. Or they think of very large UAV's. When I show people the Phantom 2V+ or even the Inspire, they often comment, "wow - I thought it would be much bigger". And finally, I think the way the question is asked or what questions are asked before this question can strongly bias the answers given.

Too bad we don't have our own lobbyists in the US to clear up misinformation on this.
There was a better NYTIMES editorial

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/05/t...he-drone-industry-the-leeway-to-innovate.html

... that seemed more balanced.

Overall, however, I think the more we post and show the world how safe these can be and how problems are the exception and not the rule, the more we can demonstrate to a leery (and maybe pre-judging) public that we're just having fun with a technology that can be safe, reliable, and responsible.

slim.slamma · Feb 5, 2015

I'm a republican!!! So they ain't taking my guns, they ain't taking my drones! I'm not retuning them... I'm not selling my drones to please nobody. Welcome to America, get ready for the fight

tonycip · Feb 5, 2015

I agree you say drone and people think military weapon..Maybe we need to start calling our's something else. rc quad copters maybe.

ISP5557 · Feb 5, 2015

I fly a UAV for a State Police agency. We have been following all the FAA guidelines for an operational COA. We have been at it for nearly two years and we have our training COA but not for operational use. We are only going to be using it for crime scene and fatal crash documentation at this time. We have met all the requirements the FAA has set forth, it is just a very slow process and they keep changing the rules. We do not use DJI products yet, we have a very expensive quad that I would sell tomorrow. I have been flying a Phantom 2 and now an Inspire for training purposes to keep my flight hours up. They are the best flying UAVs out there. The FAA is coming out soon with new rules and regs that will probably start with licensing each quad. Ours has just recently had to have a tail number attached. ($5 bucks per N number) The next thing will be the operator will have to have a license like a pilot only not as in depth. I had to pass the Pilots Knowledge exam and attend manufacturers training along with getting a Class 2 physical. These are what I believe will be coming soon to a flying field near you.