Welcome!

Welcome to LexDrone, a website about my (harry@forsdick.com) experiences in flying drones both in Lexington, MA as well as elsewhere in Massachusetts and other places.  I have been flying drones for several years and over that time have ammased a lot of information about the rules, regulations and most importantly the practical experience of flying drones in a wide variety of types of locations.
This website is the collection of my experiences which in passing along to you I hope you will have fun as well as fly your drone safely. I will start with a couple of important observations:

• Flying a drone is not as easy as videos on YouTube suggest.  Remember, people don't tend to put on YouTube the many failures and crashes they had before they were willing to show off the video they have taken.
• Like many exciting activities, flying a drone is an adrenaline raising sport.  And what happens when your adrenaline rises?
        --> Many things that seem easy to do from your easy chair are not so easy to do.
• Normally you are in a two dimensional world -- walk down the hallway, sidewalk, drive down the street -- your only real choices are left, right, back, forward.  You don't have to manage up or down.  With a drone (as with all aircraft small or large) you need to start managing a third dimension, which will increase by 1/3rd the number of decisions you need to make in real-time.  You will get good at this, but not until you have flown your drone for a while.  Be careful in the beginning.
• Inside flying: There is a class of very small drones ("teacup drones") that are meant to be flown indoors. Although you still need to be careful that you don't cut yourself of fast spinning propellers, you are probably no risk to other people or other aircraft. The FAA has not said anything about this area of flying, so have fun.

Micro Drones

• Outside flying: Drones larger than micro drones are not intended to be flown indoors, no matter how tempting. Things that are different about outside flying include:
    • There's a lot more space to fly. Outdoors is more forgiving then indoors.
    • There's wind, rain and snow outside. Sometimes it is too windy to fly; weatness is a threat to your drone.
    • There are people you can't control outside. Stay away from people when you are flying your drone.
  
• There are a number of regulations that are allready in place and are being enforced by the FAA controlling what you must do in order to fly a drone.  These are outlined in the section on Regulations.  I recommend you become familiar with these regulations before taking your drone out on Chrsitmas or Chanukah afternoon.  The regulations are easy to abide by, and make a lot of common sense. Following them will also make it better for the rest of us.  If everybody abides by them, the need for more draconian regulations will not be necessary.
• There are lots of great places to fly drones in Lexington.  By following common sense and extending common courtesy to your fellow Lexington residents, flying a drone will not become an activity that is looked at with suspecion by fellow Lexingtonians.
• Lexington has lots of trees, Massachusetts has lots of trees.  Although trees add a lot of beauty to your video landscapes, trees are the first source of obstacles for your drone.  The only accidents I have had with my current drone have been coming too close to trees.  So, be careful.

I highly recommend you now read the section on Regulations.