May 24th, 2017

Drones are Fantastic. In the Right Place.

by Alex Hallatt

When I first saw a drone on a technology show, it struck me how incredibly useful they would be. And they are. Now, even the lowest budget TV programs and movies have fantastic drone photography. Drones can find lost, or injured hikers and they can sometimes be successfully employed in animal conservation (though maybe not for rhinos: www.savetherhino.org/rhino_info/thorny_issues/the_use_of_drones_in_rhino_conservation).

But, with little effective regulation, they have become pests. I experienced this directly, when I went in for an impromptu dip at my favourite Dorset beach and a drone hovered directly overhead to film me. My attempts to hit it with pebbles were unsuccessful, but I wonder who would have been breaking the law in this case: me, the drone operator, or both?

What do you think of drones – do you love them, or hate them, or feel indifferent?