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U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

reuters.com

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Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#141

Post by black-tea »

jsty wrote: post #122
black-tea wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is an electric BMW that has a loudspeaker in a fake exhaust pipe to make it sound like a petrol engine to people outside of the car. I think the negative effects of noise pollution are underestimated. It's never properly taken into account when people plan things. Part of it is many people don't understand just how soul destroying it can be (yet).

> has a loudspeaker in a fake exhaust pipe to make it sound like a petrol engine This is however exceptionally helpful for blind people navigating near a road. I haven't seen the BMW in question so it might be unnecessarily loud, but electric cars are often so quiet you could barely hear one coming.

Are blind people stepping out in front of bicycles because they can't hear them?

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#142

Post by black-tea »

cm2187 wrote: post #133
black-tea wrote: post #121

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is an electric BMW that has a loudspeaker in a fake exhaust pipe to make it sound like a petrol engine to people outside of the car. I think the negative effects of noise pollution are underestimated. It's never properly taken into account when people plan things. Part of it is many people don't understand just how soul destroying it can be (yet).

It's like drawing a horse on an early petrol engine car...

Yeah, or giving a car a shiny fur coat and neatly trimmed mane.

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#143

Post by Buttons840 »

abakker wrote: post #114
bigmattystyles wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tangent: I don’t think I’ve ever been more incensed than when I learned Harley Davidsons are quiet out of the factory and people make them loud. And while I can get a ticket for something trivial, I’ve never heard of someone getting a ticket for riding a motorcycle or car that’s obnoxiously loud and can be heard a mile away. My point, I guess, cities, townships, what have you, don’t care about noise.

FWIW, California changed the minimum ticket for noise violations on vehicles to $1000 this year. They are apparently cracking down on it, as they have abolished the “fix it ticket” that used to allow the vehicle to be repaired and then the ticket is commuted. Now, the officer must fine you.

I once had the exhaust pipe before my catalytic converter on my car fall out due to a bump and some rust that had been building up. My car suddenly became very very loud, louder than I had ever realized it could be. I was quite embarrassed while driving the car home, and soon got it fixed. It wasn't especially expensive to fix. If that happened in California I might get a $1000 ticket? Or is the large ticket only for intentionally loud and illegal exhausts.

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#144

Post by bujak300 »

bigmattystyles wrote: post #66
cronix wrote: post #41

One thing the drones really need to do before being deployed en masse (besides safety) is to become relatively silent. They are quite loud. I can hear a single one from about 1/2 mile away. I can't imagine what it will be like if many are flying all over, at all times. It will be like everybody is living next to an airport - something I consciously choose to not live close to due to noise pollution. Quality of life w…

Tangent: I don’t think I’ve ever been more incensed than when I learned Harley Davidsons are quiet out of the factory and people make them loud. And while I can get a ticket for something trivial, I’ve never heard of someone getting a ticket for riding a motorcycle or car that’s obnoxiously loud and can be heard a mile away. My point, I guess, cities, townships, what have you, don’t care about noise.

Oh you can get a fine in Europe for a loud vehicle. It can even be seized by the cops.

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#145

Post by toper-centage »

baroffoos wrote: post #80
TomGullen wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think that's a NIMBY - pretty sure people not into drones will just be against the noise in their backyard or other peoples backyards.

Its such a minor and rare sound though. A car driving past you is so much louder and more annoying as well as being more common. In fact I can think of countless common and accepted sounds that we find acceptable.

Cars are becoming very quiet, especially electrical cars. But drones are basically flying vuvuzelas. They are not just loud - their sound is insufferable.

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#146

Post by snovv_crash »

daliusd wrote: post #139
gweinberg wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure but size matters. A helicopter that can carry a person weighs 1000 pounds or more. A drone can be less than 1 one thousandth the weight.

There are no cameras that would weight less than a pound (0.5kg) and be good at night at the same time.

Look up the Runcam Micro Eagle. It costs $35 and has a 1/4" low resolution sensor and is commonly used for night flying of FPV drones.

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#147

Post by toper-centage »

taneq wrote: post #13
ProfessorLayton wrote: post #6

Lots of safety concerns are brought up, but I'm really curious how drones will play out in conjunction with noise and NIMBYism. Drones are loud, so I can't imagine that commercial drone activity (Especially at night) will happen without heavy pushback from locals. NASA did a study and found that the noise drones make is perceived to be more annoying than those from cars [1]. They acknowledge noise-based pushback as a…

You can barely hear (or even see) a small drone above about 100m.

Already happened a few times to me that I could distinctly hear a drone's buzzing but couldn't pinpoint where it was because it was between 50 to 100 meters high and some 50 meters away. It was just an annoying sound because it was a quiet, non windy day.

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#148

Post by toper-centage »

perennate wrote: post #34
todd3834 wrote: post #9

> Under the FAA’s proposals, operators would be able to fly small unmanned aircraft weighing 0.55 pounds (0.25 kg) or less over populated areas without any additional restrictions. > For drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds, however, a manufacturer would need to demonstrate that if an “unmanned aircraft crashed into a person, the resulting injury would be below a certain severity threshold.” I assume this also inclu…

I haven't read the proposed regulations, but most likely it is a typo and should be 55 pounds not 0.55 pounds. Because the existing FAA regulations have a lot of things that change at the 55 pound threshold. 0.55 pounds doesn't really make sense, such a light drone can barely fly in modest wind and won't have enough battery life to go very far. Edit: maybe 0.55 pounds is correct. Because that threshold is also used i…

55 flying pounds is enough to kill a person... No way someone could prove that 55 pounds of drone can't hurt someone.

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#149

Post by jsty »

cm2187 wrote: post #134
jsty wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> has a loudspeaker in a fake exhaust pipe to make it sound like a petrol engine This is however exceptionally helpful for blind people navigating near a road. I haven't seen the BMW in question so it might be unnecessarily loud, but electric cars are often so quiet you could barely hear one coming.

But should blind people rely on sound to cross in the first place? Many european cities are pushing for more cycling. Bicycles are pretty much totally silent and can go as fast as a car typically goes in a busy city.

I don't think it would ever be the chosen option and guide dogs, human assistance, etc. would all be preferable. But sometimes those just won't be available.

One of the more dangerous aspects is in areas where cars are reversing / manoeuvring at low speeds - e.g. car parks. I'm fully sighted and still occasionally have a near miss with an electric / hybrid that I haven't noticed reversing!

Bicycles do present some measure of danger, albeit reduced thanks to the lower momentum & crushing power.

Some material from the RNIB, a UK charity: https://www.rnib.org.uk/rnibconnect/silent-deadly-electric-h...

Re: U.S. proposes to allow drone operation at night, over people

#150

Post by leetcrew »

Shivetya wrote: post #137
bigmattystyles wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Tangent: I don’t think I’ve ever been more incensed than when I learned Harley Davidsons are quiet out of the factory and people make them loud. And while I can get a ticket for something trivial, I’ve never heard of someone getting a ticket for riding a motorcycle or car that’s obnoxiously loud and can be heard a mile away. My point, I guess, cities, townships, what have you, don’t care about noise.

Oh please, I have owned two new ones, the last in 2017. They are not exactly "quiet" as new but not nearly as loud as those who straight pipe. After market pipes certified for road use still must meet Federal law. Plus recently as for more current models the EPA slapped HD with fines and future penalties over the modification of the engine and exhaust which really has cut down on the noise because HD will void your w…

> My father's recent DJI purchase did not automatically include the propeller guards, seems there is good profit in selling replacement blades.

you don't necessarily want prop guards most of the time. they make the props less efficient, which decreases aerodynamic performance and battery life.

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