Drones For Campers, Off Roaders, and Boaters

Recreational drones are becoming fairly commonplace among outdoor enthusiasts these days.  As cost comes down and both the ease of operation and licensing and legal requirements diminish it becomes every more accessible to everyone.  However, not everyone appreciates the proliferation of drones around our campground and other outdoor activities.  They can sometimes be kind of a nuisance and may even intrude on individual privacy.  Having someone else's drone buzzing around your campsite can be very annoying.  Sometimes recreational drones interfere with legitimate aircraft operation.  For example, drones flying around an accident scene or incident can prevent emergency helicopters from landing to give aid.

Some people fly drones just for the fun of it.  Just getting the thing to go where you want it to can be challenging and viewing the things you can see from the drone can be exciting.

You might use a drone to explore potential campsites.  You probably wouldn't really need one in developed campgrounds although you might still use them to pre-view potential choices.  But they could come in really handy for checking out dispersed camping sites where hidden obstacles along the way could seriously impede your progress or damage your equipment.

Drones can be really useful for off roaders.  Whether you are riding a dirt bike or driving a rock crawler, it can be helpful to scout the trail ahead.  Or to send out the drone to look for missing fellow riders.  Sure wish we had them when our kids were young!   Tracking down 6 kids out the the desert when they were overdue to return was often a real challenge.  At one point I started thinking about buying an ultralight aircraft for the purpose.  A drone would have been a lot better and easier and less expensive solution.

Boaters might use drones to explore shorelines for places to drop anchor or view rigging on sailboats.   It could be really helpful to know if there any debris that would interfere with using a cove as an anchoring site -- or if it is already filled with other boats before you get there.

Some drones require FAA licensing or at least registration.  If you own or buy a drone, be sure to comply with all the necessary regulations.  This is important for your safety as well as the safety of others.

Operating a drone requires a certain minimum amount of training and skill.  There are a number of good Youtube videos to both introduce you to operating a drone and to enhancing your skills and capabilities.  But, just being able to manage the controls and get the drone to go where you want it to go is only part -- the easiest part -- of operating a drone.  Much more thought and understanding is required to make sure you operate your drone in a safe and acceptable manner.  Safety largely involves avoiding flying your drone where it can create a hazard for others.  There are legal limits on how high you can fly a drone (400 feet above the ground), but even at that altitude they can interfere with larger aircraft operating in the area.  One thing I have encountered as a volunteer firefighter is drone interference with our Life Flight helicopters.  Basically, if a drone is operating anywhere near one of our landing zones, the helicopter can't land.  A delayed landing of a Life Flight helicopter could literally mean the difference between life and death for some of our patients!

Acceptable drone operation also includes significant consideration for privacy.   Sure, it is possible to fly your drone over your neighbor's back yard and even take videos through his windows.  But it is not ethical nor legal to invade someone else's privacy or property without permission.  As fun as it might seem to spy on your neighbors, don't do it!

Drones are sometimes excellent resources for emergency services personnel.  The fire service is learning to use them to get more detailed views and information about fires and motor vehicle accidents.  They can also be used during river rescues to quickly scan the river for victims who have often been carried far from where they were last seen.  One problem emergency services drones sometimes encounter is interference from recreational drones.  ''Ordinary citizens'' are naturally curious about many emergency situations and may launch their personal drones, perhaps to learn more about what is going on or maybe offer assistance but often it just for entertainment.  Those personal drones can interfere with and restrict the operation of  legitimate emergency services drones and that could delay critical actions necessary to respond to the emergency.

Some commercial companies have begun to experiment with using drones to deliver packages.  It some ways that seems like a very good idea, a low cost way of making personalized deliveries quickly.  However, think about what will happen if drone deliveries become ubiquitous.  Imagine dozens or even hundreds of delivery drones buzzing around your neighborhood!  Obviously this will eventually require some kind of regulation and coordination, including prioritization.   One would certainly hope that delivery of life sustaining medications would take priority over delivery of a McDonald's Happy Meal!

Recreational drones can be fun and educational.   And they can provide important services.  I wish we had them when we were dirt biking with my 6 kids years ago!  It would have been so nice to be able use a drone to keep track of them or to help locate them if their bikes broke down far from camp.  Likewise they might be useful in searching for lost hikers or lost pets or scouting routes for hiking, biking, or riding OHVs or horses ahead of time.  There was a time I even considered buying an ultra light airplane to have to look for lost riders.  A drone would have been a LOT better solution!

One word of caution when buying a drone.  There are companies out there offering "free"drones.  Beware!  They usually come with a hefty monthly (and often hidden) "subscription" to some online service you probably don't even want!  That subscription may be as much each month as you would pay to buy a cheap drone on amazon.com!

Speaking of cheap drones, remember you get what you pay for.  Inexpensive drones can still be fun to fly but won't have all the fancy features of the higher priced ones and probably won't be as durable.  I have heard of problems with batteries that only last about 10% of the advertised flying time!   Look for legitimate reviews by other users or better yet, if possible, talk to other drone owners before buying one.  Like most technology, expect your drone to soon be made almost obsolete by newer, fancier models.  I recall a cartoon of a sign in a personal computer store window promising their new computers were absolutely guaranteed not to become obsolete before 10:00 am.

If you own or are considering buying a drone, please take the time to learn how to fly it properly.  And remember, that means a lot more than mastering the technical skill to make it fly!  Know when and where to fly -- and when not to!  Be aware that flying a drone anywhere near a wildfire or other natural disaster can interfere with critical air support.  If  you are flying, they can't.  Pay close attention to and respect designated no-fly zones.

Drone on!

December 21, 2022 -- Winter Solstice and First Day of Winter!

Today is December 21, 2022  It is the winter solstice (shortest day of the year) and is the first official day of winter.  By now you should have already winterized all your recreational vehicles, off highway vehicles, and camping gear.  If you haven't you'd better get it done quickly, especially if you live in a 4-seasons climate.  As temperatures drop, anything with water left in it is going to freeze.  Since water expands when it turns to ice it can destroy plumbing and any container that isn't flexible enough to accommodate the expansion without cracking or breaking.

You don't have to be a Druid or other pagan to appreciate the Winter Solstice.  It is the shortest day of the year and marks the end of days getting shorter and the beginning of them getting longer again.  For primitive cultures this was a significant, almost magical or supernatural and very welcome event.   It is still a very welcome event for us today, especially for outdoor enthusiasts.

The Winter Solstice often falls on December 21 as it did this year and will do again in 2023.  However, it may shift a day or two from year to year.  That is because our calendar does not exactly match the actual movements of the Earth.  Our calendar uses 365 days a year, with 366 on leap year.  The actual orbit around the sun takes 365.256 days.  Leap year approximately accounts for most of the .0256 day difference every 4 years, but there is still a .006 day variation that isn't accounted for quite as regularly.  Leap years are skipped when the year is divisible by 100 but not divisible by 400.  Thus, 2000 was a leap year but 2100 will NOT be a leap year.

Traditionally, the winter solstice has been a time to celebrate the harvest, the return of the Sun, and the dichotomies of life and death.  Harvest is usually complete by winter solstice and since it marks the shortest day of the year, it is the end of days getting shorter.  Daylight will last a little longer tomorrow than it does today.  The transition of days getting shorter to days getting longer seems to be an appropriate reminder of life and death.  Some winter solstice traditions include the burning of a Yule Log.  Today, Yule Logs often include candles and many seasonal decorations.

Traditional menu items for winter solstice celebrations include nuts, berries, squash, potatoes, and meat, just what you might expect to be readily available this time of year.  Modern societies don't generally make a big deal out of it, but in pagan societies, winter solstice was a significant cause for celebration.  It is very likely that our celebration of Christmas on December 25 is at least loosely connected to ancient winter solstice rituals.

If you are looking for an excuse to have a party, winter solstice isn't a bad choice.   You may have to a bit of research to establish any realistic themes or activities, pretty much all of which will have pagan roots.  Just celebrating the start of winter might be kind of fun and given modern attitudes toward winter, it might include winter activities such as skiing, ice skating, sledding, tobogganing, ice fishing, and snowmobiling.  Your winter solstice feast might include meat, potatoes, and wassail (usually made with beer, wine or cider and spices and served hot and is used to toast someone's health).

Here's to ya!