Drones hover over Paris landmarks and U.S. Embassy

a reply to: Aleister

He was showing off in Central Park and it came around and hit him in the head causing what was an almost instantly fatal head injury.

Drones should be made illegal, with a very strict and thorough licensing process to enable people to use them.

They're a major security concern and very difficult to stop! a cheap and easy way to look over a fence and see who's guarding the home, or an easy way to look at a public area, note the security and plan an attack.

They're dangerous!

a reply to: Agit8dChop

The FAA just proposed new rules for flying them.

www.faa.gov...

originally posted by: Agit8dChop
Drones should be made illegal, with a very strict and thorough licensing process to enable people to use them.

I would have to agree.
I think this should be treated in the same way as other leisure pursuits which pose a risk, like rockets and so on. You can;'t just go and buy a rocket and set it off in your local park, and the same should apply to these drones.

The thing is, there are already laws in France to tackle this, they are already illegal for flying over Paris, and that hasn't stopped these criminals from doing so.

It's all very well saying we need new laws, but if people are willing to break those laws then all we can do is continue to try to tackle it, as France is doing.

Even if the purchase of them was illegal, it would not be hard to have the parts and components delivered to build one yourself. That is going to be almost impossible to police.

originally posted by: Zaphod58
a reply to: Aleister

He was showing off in Central Park and it came around and hit him in the head causing what was an almost instantly fatal head injury.

Yikes, and people thought lawn darts were dangerous!

It looks like you can pick up really small ones for around $50, and we all know how small cameras can get these days. Without regulation they'll not only be major security issue for literally everyone, but I can also see them being a real physical menace. Pretty much anyone could buy one at that price, and I assume the bigger they are the further they can fly away from the user.

Time for some opaque curtains!

a reply to: FireflyStars

There are some that can reach as high as 15,000 feet. They're short range compared to other things but they can get pretty far for their size.

Can the signals be easily scrambled? I have seen cell phone blockers and think this would be very possible.

a reply to: Connman

It could be done, and relatively cheaply.

a reply to: doompornjunkie

FYI. Drones now come in different sizes. from the micro drone like this hubsan x4 107c. I got this one btw. it's flyable outside in light winds and has a hd video camera.





also there is a hubsan x4 107d with first person video.



Then we get up to something like a dji phantom 2



Here the dji goes close to 5K feet in the sky



As you can see these drones are very capable and hard to catch.

Also. Check out this video. Hubsan is coming out with a new drone that has gps waypoint programing. you don't even have to know how to fly the darn thing.

a reply to: Zaphod58

You are right they are the over the counter for everybody affordable drones, that is going to be a big problem, I can only guess how many of this over the counter models can be modified, to serve one purpose, also having more of this cheaper models in the air could mean more accidents when they malfunction.

Is any reports on how these smaller drones could be modified? to make them more efficient? if damage is what somebody will like to do, they only need to be able to reach a target.

a reply to: Agit8dChop

I agree, Agit, I remember a thread here from people that were pro drones that were very unhappy to hear the concerns of others about the possible impact of having drones flying all over with minimal restrictions, right now drones in the US are for testing purposes but already is a big market for them and without regulations anybody can buy the cheap models and fly them at will.

a reply to: marg6043

As of right now.

There are plenty of websites where you can buy drone parts and make your own drone yourself.

www.robotshop.com...

All you need is some time and money.

a reply to: grey580

And that is a very great thing to know, anybody can then modified their own drones for specific purposes.

Not very comforting.

check this out. 101kmph quadcopter.
Scary fast. And he's using a first person view aka fpv system to fly the drone.

a reply to: marg6043

yes absolutely.

Drones can be used for good or evil.

But don't blame drones. This sort of thing has been around for years with rc planes.

Blame the people not the thing.

AFP is reporting that three Al-Jazeera journalists have been arrested in Paris for flying a drone...

twitter.com...

They're baaaaack.

Mystery deepens as unidentified drones reappear over Paris

Unidentified drones have been spotted in the skies above Paris for a second night as authorities seek to determine whether the aircraft pose a security threat. Police say at least five drones were seen at locations including the U.S. Embassy, the Eiffel Tower and major thoroughfares in central Paris, as well as several of the city gateways. A police source said the unmanned aircraft were reported by witnesses and security forces.

Makes you wonder if they're shooting an episode of Dr Who there.

originally posted by: daaskapital
AFP is reporting that three Al-Jazeera journalists have been arrested in Paris for flying a drone...

twitter.com...

The BBC is reporting on this too, although the statements are a little confusing.

BBC REPORT

Apparently it seems as though they were arrested in the afternoon/evening, flying a drone, but that they were doing so in order to report on the story about the drones...

A spokesman for prosecutors said there was "no relationship for the moment" between the arrests and mysterious drone flights over the city at night.

Not exactly very clever, and someone should have perhaps advised them to read up on the illegality of what they were doing.

Then things get a little more confusing with this final little paragraph...

The French authorities have opened an inquiry into the flights but government spokesman Stephane Le Foll ruled out any security concern. "There is nothing to worry about," he told reporters.

So, they don't know who is flying these drones over tourist sites and sensitive locations, it's happening under the cover of darkness, they recently experienced a terrible terrorist attack, and all European nations are expecting more attacks, and he says "there is nothing to worry about"?

Something is not adding up here. Either he's being misquoted, or he's an imbecile.

originally posted by: ~Lucidity
They're baaaaack.

Yes, the OP was from today, and news reports are stating that this has been two nights of drone sightings, so I think everyone in the thread was already going on the basis that there have been two consecutive nights of sightings.

Lets see if there's anything reported over tonight. I'm thinking there probably will be. They didn't stop after the reports of their first night, so why would they give a damn now?

a reply to: Rocker2013

Oh. I've been up for days...lol...lost track of time. I think they reported they caught someone like daas and Rocker said, but haven't linked them to the night flights?

3 arrested over Paris drone; no known link to night flights