Domestic Drones for Business and Personal Use: Approve?

No. The units are for clandestine observation of the enemy. As long as the government there is the high risk every drone will retain the capability to spy on we citizens. The government is spending massive amounts of time, money and effort to spy on us now.

If they got that much money laying around, and I suppose that would help the military hide theirs better

Totally Disapprove!!! It will be a sham!
It will be the end of privacy as we (already, barely) know it!
It will put industrial espionage onto the next level.
Paparazzi will bloom!
If these drones are approved there is no escape but to approve mini ground to air missiles too... One has the right to protect and defend one's own privacy!
Military industries will bloom selling those drones, then selling the mini missiles to destroy them...

Don't think so.

How else is Walmart going to keep getting pics like this,

Oh Damn... I TOLD Mother not to go shopping in the summertime!

Damn!....Produce isle has many options,

How else can I effectively spy on the government?

I would approve of drones, subject to the following conditions:

1. Drones operate must under the same regulations as general aviation. The pilot has the same responsibilities as any general aviation pilot. Therefore, drone pilots must be licensed by the FAA with a minimum rating of "private pilot". Minimum $1M liability insurance.

2. Drone aircraft to be FAA registered, subject to the same fees and taxes as general aviation aircraft.

3. In addition to communications between ground-based pilot and aircraft, the drones need aviation radios to relay communications between air traffic control and the pilot. It's not enough to have a hacked smartphone with 4G wireless.

4. Drones need Mode S transponders so that they can be easily tracked from the ground.

5. Technically, all drone flights are instrument flights, not visual. Therefore, all drone flights must be booked with IFR flight plans (fees and all), including communication requirements with air traffic control. IFR minimum altitudes to be observed at all times.

6. Deviation from flight plan to result in FAA sanctions against the ground-based pilot who is acting as "Pilot in command".

I doubt the current rules for drones are anywhere near this robust. But they should be.

Why would private corporations need drones? Are they going to replace the security guards that patrol their buildings? Maybe I should get a drone and weaponize it so I can protect myself and my community and the drone itself from other drones. This is getting stupid, everyone and the neighbors dog will own a drone one day...

Hit the Power Ball and you can do just that.

there are reasons whey RC planes only have a 1/4 mile range....and there are reasons why you are not allowed to fly them just anywhere.

If citizens can have guns citizens can also have drones, but rednecks aren't that rich.

The second amendment says nothing other than "arms" which means no weapon is specified and the only thing they will never let you have are nuclear weapons.

It's not going to harm anyone is it ... he's not like going to crash it on purpose, it's not cheap you know.

In my opinion yes because it can be developed by other companies

What would a business need with a drone? What would a person need with a drone? Boarder Patrol and Customs are good uses for drones.

Cell phone users could enable their phone to receive text messages for spot discounts. Drones could circle an area and send promo messages to only those cell phones in proximity or en route to the retail location.

But of course! That way you can spy on the competition and blow their a$$ away! Lol...

If I could afford one, it would be most helpful in locating cattle and checking water supplies around the ranch without having to ride a horse 15 miles or get stuck on a rock on a 4 wheeler.....just zoom over, see where they are and which way they're moving and go round them up.....man that would be great...

you can already do that that simple stuff has been around for a while... low altitude low grade optics... I think they are talking about the ones with the high grade optics packages. and still NO!

I can't find one of those Low Grade stuff your talking about. I could make use of some of the heat signature stuff to if it was affordable.....

They already have them, they're called RC Airplanes. Any more than that is for government use only and that usage should be controlled better.

How the HELL do you guys have illegal immigrants coming through your southern borders when there are Predator B drones hovering overhead? those things can carry 11 hellfire air to ground missiles each or over 2000 lb of other weaponry...

Because the drones the border agents use are not armed. They're there to look for activity, and track it until border agents can intercept.

If you were mexico, would you be comfortable with your northern neighbor with armed drones all along the border?

Does it matter how they feel about it? So long as it remains within our country and doesnt cross into their airspace, it doesnt really matter how they feel. But, I am not for using drones anyways. There is no way to assure that it is not abused and used to spy on Americans without warrants.

I personally would love to see a condition that if the private corporations want to fly them, the military and police MUST have the ability to override that control with a judge's order or permission.

KMart running a scheme where they track consumers, they get served the warrant as their bird is redirected to a police controlled airfield. Busted.

I would be happy with that.

Should the Government be able to remote fly your personal aircraft too?

If your flying it in protected airspace? Yea.
If you have a medical emergency where your a solo pilot and can't take the controls? Yea.

That's at least two cases where I can see that being handy.

So you advocate remote control system being implemented in personal aircraft? What about cars?

How many dangerous and potentially lethal police chases could have been stopped by a police initiated kill switch?

OJ simpson? His famous ride down the highway in his SUV?

So you would give up liberty for security?

"People willing to trade their freedom for temporary security deserve neither and will lose both."
-Ben Franklin

It's a measured balance. If I thought the police would abuse it, I would walk to work. Hell, I might anyways, the exercise would do me good, and it would be cheaper in the long run.

And there are means in place to bring cops who would abuse a system like that to justice, so it's not like you can't sue them in return for using it inappropiately.

Well, That is a scary road you want to walk down.

As long as we have the ability to question their use of it and have them prove it was required, then I'm fine with that.

Remove that ability to question their judgement, then I'll demand they lose that right as well.

Once they have that power though, it is near impossible to have it removed.

That's why every time they exercise it, they have to prove the need for it in court. No exceptions. Never let the pressure up.

Well I wish I had the optimism that you have. But I have been proven wrong with that optimism too many times now.

Your mistaking optimism for pragmatism here. The police sees a very useful purpose for those drones and for remote shutdown of vehicles, so it is going to happen eventually.

But I also see that due to human nature, there will always be someone willing to bend the rules.

Thus where I stand, if you (the police) want that toy, you better answer the question why, every time, you use it.

Yes, it can do a lot of good. It can also do a good bit of evil as well and that latter can not be tolerated, ever, nor ever go unquestioned.

bet you belive police only lock up guilty people too.... bwaaahahahahahahah you are a hoot!