My wife bought me a drone for Christmas. It is March 23, and I am just getting around to using it. Operating a drone is more complicated than it looks, and that’s probably a good thing. I expected a learning curve for operations, but I didn’t expect all the hoops I would have to jump through to properly license the drone. Again, that’s probably a good thing.
Apparently, if you want to operate a drone as a hobby or for personal use, you don’t need all the licensing. But if you plan to use it for a business or a commercial purpose, it gets complicated. I was hoping to use the drone to take scenic photos for our publications and aerial video of our events. Once I mastered this, I thought I could teach others, and we could provide this as a service for our customers. That seemed like a good idea.
So I did what most people would do, and I went online and researched the process of registering a drone and becoming properly licensed in Iowa to operate it. Once I sorted through the ads from the training program services and got to the actual requirements, I learned that this was going to take more time and money than the five minutes and five dollars I was willing to invest in it. Just this week, I took my third attempt at it — until I realized I was duped by yet another online training program and decided to give up for the day and try again later.
As a child, I would visit a cousin whose husband had high-end remote control cars, planes, boats, etc. He would take me out to an open pasture or a nearby lake and operate these things, even letting me briefly give them a try. That was the 1970s, so the technology was in its early stages. Even so, this kid was in awe.
A few years ago, Jolene and I attended the Des Moines Symphony’s Yankee Doodle Pops outdoor concert in Des Moines. (If you haven’t attended, you should, as it is a wonderful experience.) That night, we could see a dozen or so drones flying around in the sky. At least we thought they were drones. It was a bit eerie.
With all that awesomeness and eeriness in mind, I understand the concern with privacy intrusion and general uneasiness with drones. The Russians seem to not like our country’s drones either. I get it, and I can’t help but wonder how easy it would be for a terrorist to fly a drone with a small bomb into a packed outdoor stadium. It’s a real concern.
Meanwhile, my dog seems to keep things in line on my home front. As I was attempting to fly my drone the other day, she took a courageous leap and downed it like a Frisbee. Luckily, the drone was intact — and so were the dog’s teeth.
Clearly, the sooner I learn how to properly use this thing — and get it registered — the better.
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com
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