My 6-foot fiberglass tailless drone from back in the days before quadcopters became popular. It was really hard to fly before I added a gyro and mixer. I still love it, but it’s no longer legal because of some modifications I made years ago.
That’s a fixed-wing drone. These days, when people hear ‘drone,’ they usually think quadcopters, but fixed-wing drones came first. Heck, if you go far enough back, you could even count Civil War balloons as drones.
@Dexter
Exactly what I mean. Back in my day, ‘drone’ meant something like this. I even owned a Predator model once. The imports got shut down during Obama’s presidency because of where they were made. I could get a 72-inch V-tail for $200 back then, but it got too hard to get those. I wonder if anything changed under Trump.
@Rene
Not likely. If anything, Trump probably made things even harder for the hobby.
Rory said:
@Rene
Not likely. If anything, Trump probably made things even harder for the hobby.
Yeah, that’s why I stopped using them. Even my quad is 580 grams now. I mainly set them up for recon. Guess I’m one of those crazy preppers.
@Rene
If anything, import taxes went up under Trump.
Kade said:
@Rene
If anything, import taxes went up under Trump.
They stopped importing from those places because of child labor and human rights issues at the time. I think that was during Obama’s term, though it’s been a while.
@Rene
Yeah, child labor and human rights violations are awful, so I get why they did it.
Rowan said:
@Rene
Yeah, child labor and human rights violations are awful, so I get why they did it.
I agree with the reasoning, but it was frustrating. I had everything set up, and then it all fell apart. I ended up looking like a scammer, and it was embarrassing.
@Rene
Tariffs always get passed on to the consumer. You end up paying for it anyway.
Raj said:
@Rene
Tariffs always get passed on to the consumer. You end up paying for it anyway.
I know, but shipping a few units from China was just as bad. I got mine when NitroPlanes still offered them, maybe 15 years ago.
What kind of modifications make something like this illegal?
FlightFocusFinn said:
What kind of modifications make something like this illegal?
Probably something like adding a couple of missiles. That would definitely do it.
FlightFocusFinn said:
What kind of modifications make something like this illegal?
Weight, flight distance, and adding bomb bay doors.
FlightFocusFinn said:
What kind of modifications make something like this illegal?
Weight, flight distance, and adding bomb bay doors.
None of that makes it illegal.
@Kai
Depends on what you’re putting in those bomb bay doors. I’d just call it a ‘payload system’ and avoid saying ‘bomb.’
FlightFocusFinn said:
What kind of modifications make something like this illegal?
Weight, flight distance, and adding bomb bay doors.
Yeah, payload bays and weight aren’t illegal. Those just depend on certifications. Same with flight distance—it’s about certification and where you’re flying.
Man, that thing’s one payload away from being a cruise missile.
Dustin said:
Man, that thing’s one payload away from being a cruise missile.
Lol, I actually used the bomb bay to scatter my buddy’s ashes years ago.
Dustin said:
Man, that thing’s one payload away from being a cruise missile.
It does kind of look like a Scan Eagle.