A new consumer guide for small drone users — the first of its kind — has been released by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's worldwide campus.
- ERAU worldwide campus releases small drone user guide
- Dean says they released it to help consumers make wise decisions
- Thousands have used the guide, dean says
Kenneth Witcher, the dean of the campus's college of aeronautics, said the research team created it to help people understand how some of the most popular drones work and to break down what they do.
"We want to make sure that they understand what they're getting into," Witcher said.
"YouTube is full of incidents where novice users bought a platform that was more complex than they expected, tried to operate it, and they wasted a lot of money and, in some cases, hurt some folks," Witcher said.
Witcher said it took three days to test the dozen drones. They checked them for things such as communication and speed.
"What we focused on as a first-time operator is if you take that controller, you can see that's a pretty straightforward controller, pretty simplistic. But this (other) one is probably a little more complex, so that complex operation might not be the best for a novice user," Witcher said.
Witcher said thousands have already begun using the guide across the world.
"It helps them make wise decisions for when they buy a platform that is suitable to not only their experience level but also what they're trying do with that platform," Witcher said. "It prevents them from making mistakes."
To read the drone guide, go to http://uasguide.erau.edu/