Drones - video and sound a new form of train watching?

ahem ... Well getting back on target of this thread... Here is another drone video of the Michigan Central Station...

Nice job... and nobody trespassed or got hurt filming this video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KFfY71jMpw

The term drone should be replaced with model helicopter or airplane.  That is all they are with a camera attached.  These things have been around for decades. 

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The term drone should be replaced with model helicopter or airplane.  That is all they are with a camera attached.  These things have been around for decades.

Drone: an unmanned aircraft or ship that can navigate autonomously, without human control or beyond line of sight.

Like it of not... They are different from model RC airplanes or helicopters.

Ron

The rail roads are testing the use of these for examining bridges and trestles and spotting train and track defects, and I believe trying to get permission for their use. I have read that individuals can operate these as they wish, but operation by commercial business is prohibited or requires special permits, or something like that. Maybe some familiar with the RC flight stuff can comment on this? From time to time, Trains magazine has articles on the real rail roads use of the drones.

Enjoyed the videos posted in this thread. Pretty fascinating devices, others have valid points about safety. Will be interesting to see how all this evolves.

BNSF is looking at using them.

The designer fears some of you guys come up with is positively staggering!  Won't be long 'til yer afraid to blow your nose without filing an environmental impact statement! 

Yea well, just wait until one of those Hollywood Paparazzi flies one over some movie actress' swimming pool in her "back yard", while she is sunbathing in the buff!

That second video is an Sn3 layout.  If you look carefully, you can see a giant head behind the scenery at about 22 seconds.

Larry

Sure would be a great tool to do some research on some are to get at places...

Would love to fly one over this trestle at Mullan Pass west of Helena Montana......

AMEN! The "wussification" of America continues.

Some of you guys must be afraid of your own shadow...and progress.

Now...where's my buggy whip?

Someone should put that building out of its misery. It's an empty shell open to the weather. The vandals have made sure that this building is WAY beyond saving. It should be torn down...before it falls down all by itself.

AMEN! The "wussification" of America continues.

I wonder if you would feel the same way if one of these yahoo's decides to fly 10 miles away at 4 or 5 thousand feet (Which they are capable of) and takes out the engine of the full scale plane you are piloting?

Ron

Didn't know that planes flew at only 4-5,000 feet.... 

Anyways, great video. Love the angles those drones get. It is just something you do not see everyday for sure with regular camera work. 

Thanks for the link file, going to read it this weekend. BNSF was one of the ones talked about in Trains magazine. Others were also interested.  

An extraordinarily unlikely scenario. And if it happens, I'll deal with it. We train for all kinds of engine-out scenarios every year in the simulator and I have dealt with two for-real engine failures in my flying career.

I honestly do not understand folks like you who constantly look for things to be afraid of. If you want to live a "safe" life, you may as well stay in bed all the time. Nice and safe there. 

I'm not interested in living a "safe" life. I try to live a productive life, and that involves taking a risk every once in a while.

An extraordinarily unlikely scenario. And if it happens, I'll deal with it.

Ok Rich... Uncle!  You win.  Back to Trains and talk about that.

Ron

Those who prefer safety over liberty shall have neither.  

My $1.99 (.02 adjusted for inflation.)  

Huh... I took a little flak for my views on the subject.

I mentioned it would only be a matter of time before some yahoo idiot does something stupid and the Feds would come in and either ban recreational use or just regulate the heck out of it.

Looks like the recent drone crash on the White House lawn has the government thinking about the next steps.

http://news.yahoo.com/spokesma...house-095128139.html

Ron

Yes I think we all agreed that it will be some fool/idiot operator that will ruin it for all of us.

Better get your drone footage in now...

There has already been a stink made here in Texas, calling for regulation. This spurred by someone flying one over a UT football game. I believe they got that guy. But like most things this was about money, illegal filming of the game. I can see the possible dangers in them, IE: crashing into, Whatever, but a rock or baseball can be just as dangerous. But the feds will have to protect us from ourselves...........Lord knows we cannot be trusted for that..........................

My son-in-law is a videographer.  He suggested to his boss, the owner of the small company, that they get a drone.  He has all kinds of ideas for enhancing their productions, but his boss said they are only legal for private individuals not for profit.  If they become legal for commercial use, they will get one. We will see which way it goes.  Yes, I can see it going either way.

Any more on your take on it CSX Al?

The police here in Michigan are reviewing adding Drones to the Force.

http://www.detroitnews.com/sto...lice-drone/22386343/

Thanks for the video. Matty Maroun has been sitting on this property for years. Lots of political ramifications involved. Has been suggested as Det Police HQ in the past. Detroit (I hope) has reached bottom, but unless those who want to destroy this city are stopped, decline may pause but will continue. Blame politicians, but the citizens also. Years of neglect and decay, but it's improving . I'm surprise that not much debris remains and looks like it was cleaned up for the video.

Democrat politicians continue their rape of the community. Watch Kwame Kilpatrick get pardoned from his 28 yr corruption sentence by O when he leaves office. Shame!

I predict personal drones will gradually become as annoying as mosquitoes, for which there will arise anti-drone sprays, swatters, etc., for they will become varmints, and therefore targets to many. 

Would be nice to see my latest train order being delivered by Amazon drone, but I fear some neighbour would bring it down with the latest anti-drone technology.

This one of my favorite channels on YT. The use of drones, bring excellent aireo photography to train watching day & night on this channel.

https://www.youtube.com/channe...vHYdGIEk3SEVpAWsLGCg

  Click artwork to enlarge

There are sure a lot of people out there that have little or no common sense and will be ruining these things for the ones that do have some. Flying a drone over the White House has got to be right up there with trying to beat a train to a crossing in a close race, IMHO.

What cracks me up is the guy has a family, works for the federal governmeent, was drinking at 3 am and decided to fly over the white house for a few pics, then he was so drunk, crashed his drone, and then passed out... woke up in the morning saw the news and had to call security and say he screwed up...

and probably update his resume as well...

The only "drones" that have a flight ceiling that high belong to the military and wouldn't be anywhere near civilian aircraft. Also, condsidering how light these quadcopters are, they're no match for a jet engine's impellers. Now, if you were flying your quadcopter near an airport and into a flight/landing path (misuse big time), I'm sure you'd be getting a quick visit and extended "talking to" from local and Federal authorities.

By the way, a deer slug will make quick work of a snooping quadcopter.

There's a clinical term for this guy -- anal orifice. I've been a [local] government employee for 27 years and have encountered some very brilliant, and very stupid people in government service. Even the stupid ones beat this guy.

Here's one of my favorites flying over the Tehachapi Loop.

Gilly

Nice, but helicopter blade noises... ah...

I really like the ones dubbed over with some kind of music....

this one is awesome and could stand in for a great commercial....

Just what I want, some clown snooping at my bedroom window at all hours of the day!

Where is Spiderman when you need him?

Why would you limit this to little models? With enough money this technology could be put into full size choppers and airliners.

Then we could have non-rated pilots flying big stuff in crowded airspace without permission and not talking to anybody on the radio.

Actual "drone" pilots have to have all the ratings of a commercial pilot (including medical certificates) and have clearances into the airspace. So, if you want to comply with the law, go ahead, otherwise, stay out of the air before you kill someone.

Shotgun blast too. Just like skeet shooting!

Jerry

1.   Judgement Day August 29th, 1997: Sarah Connor named this date, at 2:14 a.m. ET, as the day Skynet became self-aware. 2003: In a timeline featured in the "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" DVD, Judgment Day was listed as happening in 2003.Apr 21, 2011

    

   Jerry

There are no FAA regulations for Commercial Drones because they keep delaying them.  They are currently granting some waivers to the ban on commercial drone flights that require a pilot with the lowest medical, but this is not a regulation.  You can legally fly a drone as long as it is not for commercial activities and not within restricted airspace. 

Here is a video from my "drone" of a SEPTA train running from Philly to Wilmington Delaware.  I did not break one law and enjoyed every minute of it.

The only "drones" that have a flight ceiling that high belong to the military and wouldn't be anywhere near civilian aircraft.

Sorry Matt... Dead wrong.  This one can go to 11,000 feet with the right conditions although the company does not recommend going above 400 feet.

http://www.thepocketdrone.com/

The Pocket Drone can fly over 5,000 feet from where the pilot is standing, and theoretically can fly up to approximately 11,000 feet. At higher altitudes, the air gets thinner, which will make control more difficult. Please note that in the US the FAA recommends restricting your altitude to no higher than 400 feet above the ground. Flying above that height will bring you into airspace with manned aviation such as helicopters and planes, and can be highly dangerous.

Watch this high altitude test and crash of a commercially available drone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfxdeRx2fLA

this was an advanced  defense weapon cyborg that skynet controlled. skynet was the computer program the u.s. military developed to help control its war computers. it started thinking by itself,and starts a nuclear war to kill the worlds human population. movie t-3 goes into it in detail.-jim

Even one of the larger drones available for the average person would be no match for several hundred tons of steam locomotive plowing into it at 50 to 80 MPH.

I do agree tho that while these are cool as heck some nimrod will ruin it for all of us because they used to eat paint chips as a kid. Look at laser pointers, cool neat gadget that many areas now ban because somebody thought it was cool to point at planes.

Jerry

Jerry

Safety glass, or not, its no squishy bird. At speeds like that, very dangerous.

Even with a spotter, if he isn't close enough, he is useless. Would he even have time to react in a crowd.

At the Woodward cruise in Detroit this year, a pair of drone operators picked "our corner" as a base, and were flying above the road, and crowd. They were shut down by the local, and county "blues" in about 7 minutes, and issued public safety tickets. They were licensed, had press credentials, and got to keep their equipment. The crowd applauded.  (the "pilots" leaving)