Teachers and librarians — download this topic as a one page PDF (all hyperlinks are spelled out, so it works on paper). Use this link.
Drones are a mixture of the powerful technologies, many of which didn’t exist a few years ago.
Today you can purchase a drone for about the price of a bicycle that can fly for 20 minutes while taking clear, stable videos. Your new eyes in the sky requires new responsibilities, so let’s take a crash course in flying a drone.
1. How high can I fly? 400 feet; or a 40 story building. At the https://faadronezone.faa.gov you’ll find as set of rules that include:
- Only fly for fun. You must register with the FAA if you are hired for a job, such as to take photos of a roof. If the police spot you flying an unregistered drone or if someone complains, you could get fined.
- Fly during the daytime, when you can see your drone.
- Your drone can’t be too big. But this shouldn’t be a problem, because the FAA says it must weight less than 55 lbs (a heavy suitcase).
- You must always keep your drone in view when flying.
- Stay away from other aircraft or emergency response efforts.
- Never fly over active roads, moving traffic or people.
- Be aware of controlled airspace, such as around military bases or around airports.
2. Can anyone fly a drone? There are more and more rules about drones. If you’re serious you should register your drone with the FAA (Federal Aviation Association). It only costs $5, and takes a few minutes. Visit https://www.faa.gov/uas/ to learn more.
3. What does UAS stand for? Unmanned Aircraft Systems. That’s what a drone is. Check out this college degree in UAS, at Embry-Riddle University http://bitly.com/2rrOu4r
4. I’m really serious about drones, and I don’t want a toy. What should I get? You have a lot of choices. One of our testers uses a the DJI Spark for about $550. It can fly for about 20 minutes and works with your smart phone. It comes with crash guards and spare parts.
APPLICATION: MAKE A DRONE OBSTACLE COURSE
Sharpen your drone flying skills! Check out this drone store, full of ideas for making a drone obstacle course http://bitly.com/2KAVAMw. Or you can make one inside your house. Here’s a plan we found http://thomasrenck.com/share/Microdrone_Course_Project.pdf
Drones Rules on YouTube Want more? Here’s a video playlist that go along with this column. Use this link.
———————————————————————————————————————————————— LittleClickers.com (this page and the associated web site) is sponsored by Computer Explorers. Neither Children’s Technology Review (publisher of LittleClickers) or Computer Explorers has any vested interest in any of the sites listed on this page. Librarians and teachers are permitted to copy this page for non-profit use. To report a bad link, use this form, or contact us. Copyright 2018, Children's Technology Review.
