Epic Fail
Thankfully, no one was seriously hurt - and I admit that I laughed when I found out the groom only suffered a few cuts. But in all seriousness, flying a copter in close proximity to people on the ground can be a matter of life and death - and should not be attempted unless:
- The operator is experienced - this means hours of practice, not minutes
- The equipment is reliable and suited to the payload it is to carry - no DSLRs on a copter rated for a GoPro
- Winds are relatively calm - strong or gusty winds can exceed the abilities of even the most experienced pilot.
This video has had over a million hits in a little over two weeks. My concern is that the media and attention-seeking politicians will use this video as an excuse for clamping down on copter-mounted cameras.
It behooves all of us who would like to retain the freedom to fly these small copters for personal and light commercial use to operate them safely - or at least not to post our accidents on YouTube or Vimeo.
There are safe, easy-to-fly copters that cost a little more than trying to build one yourself. I recommend buying one instead of trying to lash together parts from hobby stores, hoping to save a few bucks.
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