White House Threatened!

Drone Scare at White House! Here's what I imagined: The above is a US Air Force drone. Prices start at millions.Here's what crashed on the White House lawn: The above is a DJI Phantom 2 Vision Quadcopter. Prices start around $800. It is not a drone. It's a toy. If it's a drone then I was flying drones when I was 10. The press, gotta love 'em.Does seem like it could be made into a serious security threat, though, and I did notice a couple articles about that possibility.--PercyEdited by Percy, : Grammar.

I have heard them described as drones before. I don't think that is really a problem. I don't know about this model specifically, but many have all of the features of a drone including GPS preset paths, cameras, and autonomous landing in case of signal loss.

Maybe they need to spend money on a "star wars" drone defense system for the White House and other government buildings.

In the foreseeable future these things will be everywhere conceivable,
delivering packages, spying, you name it. There will be a host of security companies that will crop up to invent new ways to deal with this 21st Century tech.

It used to take a long time to wind up the rubber band. Now you can use a cordless drill.

Of course it is a drone. There has been a lot of press over the last few years about these l'il things as well as the FAA's attempts, (some would say over reach) in trying to regulate them, and your local police departments desire to have some of them.And as you've observed, it's not hard to conceive of a threat to White House security with a drone of this size or a bit larger.

Depends. Do drone users also get 72 virgins?

We used to call the model RC aircraft before the military started using un-manned drone aircraft to spy on and kill people.

Are these both drones: To me the first one is a toy, a radio controlled flying toy, and the second one is a drone, i.e., a genuine aircraft without a pilot physically on board. Why am I raising this issue again? Because apparently Drones are Flying Over Paris at Night. Are we talking about toys or are we talking about real drones?The article eventually says the drones are small and commercial (as opposed to military), so that means we're talking about toys. Flying drones inside the Paris city limits is illegal. If a radio controlled flying toy is actually a drone, then it's apparently illegal to fly radio controlled flying toys inside the Paris city limits. Really?Languages change over time. I'm actually perfectly fine with referring to both the toy and the real thing as drones, but language does provide these handy little thing called adjectives. If articles insist on using the word "drone" in a headline implying a threat when it is in reality about toys then they should call them toy drones. I object to news articles that get your attention with the word "drone" without letting you know until halfway through that they're talking about the toy version.The potential dangers of radio controlled flying toys have not changed in at least a half century. They are nothing new. Why they're suddenly being called drones (which they aren't) and a new danger (which they aren't, though they are certainly a danger) is beyond me.--Percy

Sorry, this is nearly off-topic, Indeed, so does its definitions/associations . . .I don't like my on-line name "dronester." I originally chose it because I think of myself at work as a mindless "drone" worker-bee. But now the name "dronester" has ugly associations with president-approved weapons that murder women and children.Ugh!Someone on the forum, through a typo, called me "dronestar." I think that sounds scientifically/science-fictionly cool.Percy, can you change my screen name to "dronestar?" Or should I just create a new member account and use that one in the future?

Well, now we can put cameras in them. Also bombs and guns. The fun toys were fun. But it is naive at best and dishonest at worst to discuss drones as though they are kids' toys, just because they have some characteristics in common with kids' toys. We need to discuss what should and shouldn't be done with what is actually a new technology --- a remote-controlled plane that can spy on you or kill you. It is futile for someone like you to say: "Well, kids have been able to pilot remote-controlled planes ever since I was a kid." Yeah, but it wasn't the government spying on you sunbathing naked in your back yard.

You can define a new alias at your control panel page, just click on the "Your CP" link near the upper left of any page. Go to the line labeled "Define New Alias", enter the new alias, click on "Submit Changes".--Percy

Yes, they are.Even a small toy-sized drone can be used for aerial photography, spying, or as a weapon.

The entomologist in me has to comment on this. Drones are not worker bees, they are males whose only function in the hive is to mate with the queens. Worker bees are all non-mating females that have been chemically neutered by what they were fed as larvae.

THIS IS THE BEST JOB.