I bought a drone. For some reason the company actually sent me two, which I can only assume is an assessment of either their workmanship or my skills as a pilot. Perhaps both. The unboxing was fantastic. The battery was already charged, and after a little assembly I was ready to go … straight into the wall. As it turns out, I am not a naturally talented drone pilot. As the tech quickly advances, however, that is increasingly a nonissue. The model I purchased is a fairly simple “starter” drone that’s only eight inches long, has literally no bells or whistles, and is probably already obsolete. It will allegedly do a mid-air flip if you press the right buttons, but I haven’t yet kept it in the air long enough to try it out.
The nicer models you can buy come with GPS monitoring software that allows them to hover and maintain their position without the aid of the pilot. Even more automation is available from the waterproof and self-launching Lily Camera or the foldable Hover Camera, both of which more or less lock onto a target and film it wherever it goes. Then, to go even further down the rabbit hole, there is the Drone Catcher, which is basically a drone that can autonomously catch other drones. Go Huskies! Seriously, though, you don’t get much more “Houghton” than drone battles over an empty parking lot surrounded by snowbanks.
Of course drone battles over your own backyard might be a little much for most folks. Last August, new FAA regulations went into effect for the commercial use of drones. This means people shooting video for real estate listings or other promotions, among other commercial activities, will need to acquire a Remote Pilot in Command Certificate for around $100. This is a departure from the interim regulation that required commercial drone pilots to get a standard private pilot’s license that can run $7,000 to $10,000. Hobbyists are still required to register their drone with the FAA before flying it outside and to generally avoid causing trouble. Hobbyist registration is relatively easy although you will be required to display your FAA number on the drone itself. Thankfully, the FAA has produced a helpful (holiday) video to get the novice pilot up to speed.