Once heralded with much fanfare, the GoPro entry into the consumer drone market looked like a sure bet... until troubles with a number of the products grounded the program. Very portable and easy to fly, the Karma ran into trouble when owners reported them falling out of the sky without warning... and not just a few times.
GoPro, to their credit, pulled the product from the shelves, instituted a recall, gifted former owners with a free GoPro camera (after their drones were turned in) and went back to the drawing board... promising to be back when they were sure they had the problem licked. Well, they did just that, and this week, the Karma returned to the market. The city council in Orlando Florida has approved a disappointing new drone ordinance, which went into effect immediately. The ordinance prohibits the use of drones on nearly all public property in the city, established a local permitting process, and sets fines for violations. Permits to operate a drone can be obtained from the city for an annual fee of $150, or operators can get a per-event permit for $20. If you've ever been to Sebring for the Sport Aviation Expo, you know that the city is known for its auto racing heritage. This weekend, during the airshow, a different kind of racing took place and the resulting action was WILD! Thursday and Friday saw
practice rounds and the qualifying races for the final, which was Saturday. The races are sanctioned by MultiGP, an international drone racing league for first-person view (FPV) radio-controlled aircraft focused on pure competition and community. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of the AMA Drone Report!!!
AMA Drone Report 02.06.17 is chock full of info in this Weekly News Episode, Monday, February 6th, 2017... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:
- Karma Returns -- GoPro Re-Introduces Consumer Drone
- Orlando City Commission Gives Unanimous Approval To Drone Ordinance
- Live Drone Racing Streamed From Sebring
- Drone Racing Experience at AMA Expo East
- The International Drone Racing Association Launches Drone Pilot Insurance
- Drone Instrumental In Rescue Of Lost Hikers
Get Comprehensive, Real-Time, 24/7 coverage of the latest aviation and aerospace stories anytime, at aero-news.net. And be sure to join us again next week for the next edition of "AMA Drone Report" here on Aero-TV. Thanks for watching. See you, again, tomorrow!
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