Washington, D.C .—We have a full-blown crisis!   We are being told that government must suddenly regulate and register the well over two million drones used by hobbyists, photographers, filmmakers and other ordinary civilians. For over two years now we’ve heard the media tell us how these little pesky devices will bring down airliners, invade privacy and destroy our way of life.   Pulling the puppet strings of the media has been the FAA and DOT .   Chicago’s Mayor, Rahm Emanuel said it best back when he was Obama’s Chief of Staff, “ Never let a good crisis go to waste! ”   This drone crisis is nothing more that a manufactured one. The FAA has showered the media with their “facts” in that they claim there are well over 700 cases of near misses with airliners and other conventional aircraft. Missing from these statistics are a single fatality, serious injury or even a report of notable property damage.   Because drones have driven news stories like w...

Los Angeles, CA — YouTube has changed entertainment and news in a big way.    It’s brought the true democratization of mass media allowing virtually anyone to create, and broadcast whatever he or she desires.   Saying that, there are those issues related to what content gets special behind the scenes promotion by YouTube.   There is a lot of trash mixed in with some stunning content.   YouTube is  also a training ground for those that want to shape and hone their skills. Music lovers routinely steal or borrow music content created by others for their video’s soundtracks. This has created copyright pandemonium.   However it’s not really a bad thing for the artists. In fact new exposure of forgotten music of decades gone by has boosted legitimate sales! I’m a chronic music thief!   I do it because I fail to see the harm and I don’t get punished.   More importantly I need great music for the videos I create.   There is copyright fre...

Los Angeles, CA —Many people consider the airspace  above the property that they own or lease is theirs.    Some have actually used firearms to shoot at drones somehow thinking that was somehow justified. Federal and state laws universally ban shooting at aircraft.   There are heavy penalties for shooting at drones or any aircraft, even UFOs.   Many drone operators operate on ignorance and have bought into the idea that there is or may be private ownership rights to airspace above private property. The law is simple, our airspace is shared public property.   Exclusively, the FAA regulates aircraft including drones operating in our airspace.   State and local governments cannot make or enforce laws regulating aircraft in our airspace.   Many local jurisdictions have tried out of the simple ignorance of their lawmakers.   Those laws they have already placed on the books are unenforceable due to the FAA preemption. Have the helicopt...

Los Angeles, CA —Officials here recently claimed that drone operators endangered lives by halting firefighting efforts.  Angry local politicians vowed prosecution and new legislation to remedy this “huge and life threatening ” problem. Photographic evidence supporting those reports is non-existent .  You’d think the crew members presumably are all armed with smart phones would have captured images to help identify the drones to assist investigators.  There are no pictures because this never happened!  Needless to say there are no captured drones either. As for those helicopter pilots making these reports they seem to forget that their massive propeller’s, prop wash would simply blow any little cameras drones away from their aircraft into oblivion.  A near miss happened? Really?  The high cost of these camera drones makes their owners very protective of their investments.  If they are reckless and crash them, all the the fun is over. According...

UPDATE!!! I'm pleased to report that the town council tabled the drone ban ordinance acknowledging it needed to be studied.  They put off consideration until October at the earliest.   A half-dozen or so people spoke against the ordinance and nobody supported it.   I'm glad the council had second thoughts since this was created out of fear and misunderstanding. Frankly I'm proud of their taking the high road.   As for those of you operating drones in Paradise Valley or for that matter anywhere, please fly safe and be considerate  of others.   Town of Paradise Valley, AZ —In arguably the most expensive real estate in the State of Arizona they are proposing the most draconian camera drone ban ever! The town’s council will be voting on this draft ordinance during their May 28, 2015 meeting.   They want to outlaw any use of a drone without a single use permit and fee.   It further outlaws the publishing of all aerial images in somewhat...

Kathmandu, Nepal —Drone video of the tragic earthquake that struck the very top of the world is beyond epic.   As soon as the quake hit television networks and camera drone operators were boarding all available means of transportation.   The drone pilots understood full well the absolute importance of rushing to the scene.   They know that drone images and video helps rescuers and engineers determine the safest ways to extract victims.   At the same time shows the rest of the world just how this desperate the situation is being handled. Drone pilots and first responders everywhere are beginning to understand that in natural disasters, search and rescue along with other emergencies analyzing the material is a genuine lifesaver.   It’s much easier for ground crews to locate survivors, evaluate hazards and determine the need for specialized equipment with the help of the new small drone technology. Helicopters are too large and their prop wash can actu...

This is an Align quadcopter with a Panasonic GH4 4K motion picture camera perfect for electronic news gathering assignments.   Atlanta, GA —All Federal Aviation Administration regulations were and are conceived and written in blood, literally!   That is, that there is a deadly aircraft accident behind every rule.   That has always been the case except when it came to drones. We all must take safety seriously and any legitimate concern deserves study and respect.   The drones are somewhat expensive and their owners simply don’t want them damaged through recklessness. For some strange bureaucratic reason the FAA has outlawed the use of a drone to make money.   As un-American as that seems, they’ve gotten away with this form of economic tyranny. The FAA has always allowed the use of drones for recreation and hobby activities with scant few restrictions.   Rather than make rules just last month they’ve finally issued a few advisory Dos and Don’ts fo...