It's International Drone Day and I have to ask, "Is the golden age of drones already behind us?" It's not that the tech is getting worse; it's better than ever. But I am starting to feel that we've passed Max-Q; the pressure to improve is slackening off while rules (and irresponsible pilots) are spoiling things for everyone.
When I was first getting into what we now call drones, the emerging community hated the word 'Drone.' Hated it. There were connotations of the Predator and Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) which had dropped thousands of bombs in Iraq. Their use was, at best, unsporting in military terms. Very few enthusiastic hobbyists playing with electronics and software wanted the association.
