Drones as recreational use could be the new #1 hobby of 2017. Drones swept the world when they were introduced around 2012 to the public. The CIA has been flying unmanned drones over Afghanistan after September 11, 2001 for security purposes, but now any American can purchase a drone and start a hobby. Fortunately, the government has been getting stricter about drone use among the public. They implemented a step by step process of owning a drone that entails you to register it with the government and pay a fee. In this article by CBS, they interviewed a woman, Zoe Stumbaugh, who had a medical condition that forced her to be bed ridden for 2 years. She loved to ride motorcycles and couldn’t do that as her hobby anymore so she decided to pick up drone racing.
Why Drone Racing could be a bad idea:
Even though this type of racing is new and everyone wants to join this new wave, there are some dangers that pose a threat to bystanders. In the article, Drone racing gets off the ground, it wants you to picture 12 drones racing through obstacles. To me that is a recipe for disaster. Having that many drones in one race, there will be an accident. It could cost people way too much money and time if their drone were to be crashed. These things are not cheap. How many crashes would it take for a drone racer to quit? Nick Horbaczewski, the founder of DRL (drone racing League) stated,” if it crashes, it actually explodes into a thousand pieces.” This poses a threat to any wildlife or domestic pets that roam the lands where these races take place. These animals could mistakenly ingest tiny pieces and cause harm to the environment. The animals have enough problems with humans ruining their habitat. They don’t need these drone racers making it even harder. This sport, as it is fun, can be very dangerous to its audience. The speed at which drones race is an excessive speed finding their way through obstacles to where even a professional drone racer could make a mistake and take someone out. If it were to hit someone, that bystander could get a concussion or seriously injured. Even the operator could get a hurt by the props or getting electrocuted. These drones steer through these obstacles at speeds that exceed 60 mph. that’s fast enough to knock someone out if hit in the head. While most people believe drones are fun and enjoyable, there are major dangers that people don’t even think about until it is too late.
To back up this perspective of how Drones are a disaster, here are 12 reasons why the FAA hates recreational use of drones found on techrepublic.com
To further defend our point of view on recreational drone use, here are a few major issues that pose a threat to society from recreational drones.
In an article from the New York Times, they mention the possible risks from private drone users, such as colliding with a plane and endangering passengers and pilots. The FAA reported 238 sightings by pilots that said drones were dangerously close to their aircraft.
In Conclusion there are some individuals that could operate these drones within the boundaries that could keep these toys on the streets, but everyone learns this at a young age. “It only takes one person to ruin it for everyone else.” That is what the cartels are doing and other people that are flying contraband over jail walls. here is an article that will make you change your mind on recreational drones. click here to read full article, Drone carrying drugs over border.