Bruce talking anti military whilst simultaneously sporting those absolute guns he calls arms.

Every FPV and drone pilot, if war came to your country, if your homes were being attacked by an enemy country, would you just grab your rifle and run to the front lines & leave your drones & FPV equipment at home? Personally, I'd grab my rifle, but I'd grab every piece of drone building & flying equipment I owned & try to help the war effort by building & piloting whatever kind of drones the war effort needed. Basic training can be done in a matter of weeks for infantry. You're not going to learn to pilot a drone in a matter of weeks. Not pilot it well anyway. Bruce is right. Everything that is practical & useful gets used in war. From wrist watches, to paragliders, to radios, to rubber tires. Everything. Hell, Tom Hanks used a knife, a mirror and bubble gum to help take out a German gun position.

While the optics could be such that people will manipulate the situation to the detriment of the FPV hobby and manufacturers of FPV equipment a quick check shows that Ford, General Motors, Hyundai, General Electric, Boeing and pretty much any mega corporation you can think of market to governments for their military as well as the civilian market. We simply need to highlight this.

I think the problem for me is a company on one hand being all about the "hobby and the community" and then with the other hand making weapons of war and literally publicizing it to everyone. sends two very conflicting messages to the public. also good luck with the comments on this vid. people went a bit bananas on this topic on my last vid. sad to see such a divided community.

I can only speak for france, but money is tight here at the moment, and all toy planes and multirotors have so many laws of where you can or can't fly it coupled with the disappearance of toy shops, the sport is dying a slow death, so changing Multirotors into death drones as you say at 10x the price with the military stamp on it is where the money is.

Rotor riot is done, what a slap in the face to the community that supported them for so may years.

We need peace on this planet. Not more killing. Fpv has helped my metal heath. Wars don’t help anything. Except the mongers.

I don't think boots are a good analogy, as the boots aren't being weaponised. A better comparison would be to vehicles: just like they mount explosives onto quadcopters and use those to attack the enemy, the military also mounts weapons onto cars, boats, planes for the same purpose. When you make the boots analogy, you'll be righfully laughed out of the room because "it's not the same". No such issue when you compare it to cars, recreational boats and Cessnas. And if anyone says "yeah, but a Cessna isn't comparable to an F-18", you can always respond "but it _is_ comparable to a Sopwith Camel, and in fact, comes out favourably. And those _were_ used in warfare. Yet nobody ever objected to civilian flight because the military used planes too."

This is the most level-headed take on the situation I have seen yet. Please keep up the work. I wouldn't be where I am in the hobby without you!

The militarization has begun a few years ago. In early 2023 I saw a docu about some UKR drone units. The 1080p video allowed me to pause and identify most of the parts used in the drone. Strange feeling to have most of the parts on my desk, too.

Greatly respect what u do for our hobby. U pull no punches!! 1 of the few out there that did not sell out! Again thank u!

The fabled bridge dive was pretty controversial all those years ago. But I think we can safely say now that rotor riot is ruining the hobby after this one 😂

I built my drones about 2 years ago with f7 hardware and have no reason to change it as of yet. It's been flying great

Very well said Bruce, the US government is very, very, very thick and has no clue.

Xjet did a work out before this video to buff up a tad 💪

First person I would want an interview with is Drew. Since he is now a COO for unusual machines, i'd be asking for answers to try and clear up this shit.

I fitted military grade 300 amp esc to my xclass 2 years ago. Their bulletproof

The Mattel toy company made parts for the M16. The military industrial complex is massive

Doing a great job Bruce. 💪

It's not what we make that's bad, it's who and how they use it.

Bruce, I understand your logical explanation, when it comes to saying that a lot (and if not most) tools and objects are not inherently bad. Humans, by using them, decide whether they want to act in a good or evil way. My philosophy teacher said back when I was in high school "A piece of paper can help express the most powerful ideas in the world but when folded a certain way, can cut you and hurt you very much". So no, FPV drones aren't inherently bad or good, just like a piece of paper isn't bad or good. Then there is the point of "businesses need to make money and there is demand in research and development for war purposes", and the fact that someone will eventually do it "anyway". Well that's where I dislike how Rotor Riot is involved now. As a company, you can decide which way you are going to make money. And it's not that hard to say that you will not give time, resources and expertise to a cause you don't want to support. RR time, resources and expertise could have been applied in other scientific sectors who would benefit from FPV drones - and I disagree with saying that because FPV is "plateauing" then the alternative is "military". Sorry, if you don't want the alternative to be military, - I'm using a generic you, not you as Bruce - then you literally can make your own alternative. You can get out and seek sectors who would benefit for the better from FPV drones. Sectors you agree with. So that's what my problem is! It clearly shows that people - aka. RR - who used to motivate thousands of pilots with values like "innovation", "camaraderie", "friendly competition", "inspiring the community" don't hold these beautiful values anymore. And that's exactly when, as a viewer on social media, a FPV product consumer and a pilot, it's time to say No and do whatever is in our power to distance ourselves from RR and any of their actions. Not a rant btw, just wanted to share my opinion 🙂 take care Bruce!

Looking forward to seeing the ADS-B alarm Bruce 🎉

It's Aviation. End of discussion, in my opinion. Every aviation industry ever spawned gets involved in the military because flying things make good tools of war, and defense, and peacekeeping. RC pilots build homages to tools of war with glee every, single, day. I'm sure you've flown a few yourself. And what private pilot doesn't like being buzzed by a military jet? Do they see it as an imminent threat to their hobby? Do they boycott every other aviation company? Helicopters, rockets, satellites, you name it. If it flies, it finds a use on the battlefield. That is the world. It may not be preferable. But it is inevitable.

oldguyFPV; Weaponizing a quad makes shooting any gap easier. Just blast your way through! No problem! Fly safe, fly free!

FPV is no longer just a hobby, it is a rapidly growing massive industry and the shift to remote aerial transport is already here, military and government are developing these systems now, they aren't going away anytime soon, denial or acceptance up to you there is a lot at stake and a lot to lose...that is why professionalization is so important.

Thanks for keeping us updated Bruce. - I wear Cowboy boots. At 71 I can't remember not wearing them. It's either boots or running shoes.

I think we should be happy about this. Maybe not short term, but in the long term, itll result in much more advanced technology for the consumer. War is the mother of invention.

Force projection Bruce. It was explained 2014 to you before 8 years latter combate was shown. Good to see you observing through your headset.

A judge in UK proposed confiscating pointed kitchen knives and only allowing rounded end ones. I don't think it's much of a stretch hobby drones are recategorised and suddenly may become contraband.

Well said, Thumbs up

If you sit on the fence you'll get splinters?

Great video man.

DJI actually has as track record of severing ties with third parties that were found to be modifying their drones with military payloads though...

you know....the best way I found to educate the public, is by ripping my local gas station with a 5inch late at night. ive never had any bad experance. most people seem to either be amazed, yeeeessss the edb alarm!!!! wooo! cant wait to make one!

Well said Bruce. The whole thing is disappointing, but was inevitable. Until peace is profitable there will always be war…

Anyone know anything about the low flying area around Mapua (Nelson) - now I can only fly 30 meters distance and height instead of 120 meters height and plenty of distance

Public companies are obligated to do what is in the best interest of the investors, that's not always necessarily maximizing short-term profits.

Yeah... As I commented there, Bruce, my surprise is that it took this long, actually... Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

Well, it was fun while it lasted.

Bruce you are so right in what you say.

Wonder what Drew will say about all this assuming he will be allowed to talk about it. I remember meeting Drew many years ago when he was a local Detroit guy flying bandos and having a good time. He seemed pretty cool and down to earth. I am not sure how he may have changed once he took over RR and moved to Florida. I cannot speak to his opinion about any of this, but I would love to hear from him. I have purchased some stuff from RR and have had good experiences with all of the purchases. I am taking all this with a grain of salt. Until I see a military drone on the RR site this isn't a huge deal. There are many companies that are (or have been) involved in warfare. Hell, GM and Ford made tanks during WW2 and nearly everyone has owned a GM or Ford product. Research nearly anything to own and I bet you will find at least one thing you own that has some form of military backing within the company. Currently RR is NOT selling anything for warfare use. Some company within the RR "family" is. Again, there are many companies that make and support military equipment within the company's "family".

Bambu labs 3d printer company was started by 5 of the guys from DJI

Well said Bruce. I for one have been a subscriber of Rotor Riot for many years when it was the original team producing great content from hobbyist for hobbyists. I have found I recent years the content has changed and went in a different direction but I still continued to support them. Today I have stopped that support and unsubscribed from their channel and informed them to the reason why. Very disappointing decision from Rotor Riot and as a consequence they have lost a faithful supporter and probably many more. Keep up the great work Bruce, a real hobbyist for the hobbyist!…….Rotorflex👍

Much love my brother, I am with you. 009

Seems to me our hobby was in its prime right before DJI started making its way into fpv. There were tons of people into it and as dji went on fpv slowly died off. While people were getting great video it was impacting the hobby 💯

In the 80s or early 90s as a hobby we lost all the futaba technology when it was sold to the US military for drone development. It was very noticeable. I personally went to JR after that happened.

one good thing that may come from the military's adoption of rotor riot is the advancement in the techs capability and that may make it to the hobby one day.

Good one Bruce. I also am not a fan of killing but military experience shows it is sometimes part of the job. Alas, dying is the big thing to avoid while still doing the job, so whatever helps avoid this undesired side effect is welcomed, be it a piece of equipment or a better battle plan. Of course, if these, prepared to be killers, all come home there is is a more likely chance we can all share in the early dying when the opportunists spot the soft touch. When Roosevelt said "speak softly and carry a big stick" he did not mean hide it behind your back. The world arsenal of nuclear weapons is far more intimidating as a whole than half a dozen weapons but pose less of a threat because of that. Remember the Avro Vulcan? It did not go on active service until it was in the process of being decommissioned and then it was the surprise opening warm up act for the main event. When it was part of the big stand off it was a much better peace keeper than wishful thinking with a black and white flag. Oops! I think I have taken your point out of the proportion you gave it which is a way to start unintended trouble ; not stop it.

not gonna lie it's what made me jump in the river I've all ways seen fpv as cool. even got a dji controller for the pc sim, even tho I never wanted to go dji. More in to the DIY since I felt like I was gonna brake some shxt. but I'm also Australian, Western to be specific. And once I started getting recommended D.I.Y kamikaze drone videos and channel 4 uk story on Ukraine drone fighter. I thought it's probably time to get some while I still can. wouldn't be too long till I won't be able to.

Oh i have friends in russia. They told me a coworker from a hospital did make an pretty expensive (at least for him) "hobby" course with multicopters. The government paid it. Maybe obvious where this was heading but afterwards its always clearer. So they came to him but he had the choice and than pay the course. Considering average payment it was 8 to 16 complete salaries. I think they said he's around 50 yrs. For where iam i would see they do will license fpv gear in the direction of guns.

I told you this FPV thing started on my highly modded BF2142 futuristic gunship FPS server as an uber vio lent video game... my way of coping from being tortured in a st atist con centration camp trying to rewin a battle I had lost. where do you think it would go...? aerial combat is in it's very DNA from day 1 :-) FPV is just FPS without the guns. That's why it why it spun off as FPV, not RC only on my sim server, nobody got hurt, and it was free to play for everyone, you didn't have to buy a load of fiddly solder parts and carbon crrrrp The Goddess of Air War and Grandmother of FPV has spoken. Back to rocking in my rocking chair and knitting like Madam Defarge... A Tale of Two First Person Somethings No, you know what, stick with the myth that some joker had an epiphany and in a garage built a tricopter and put a babycamera on it and it blossomed from there... I don't need the headaches any more. I've moved on to playing with AI which is more fun.

If they were donating things to the victims it would be much more acceptable. Profiting from war comes with serious complications due to potential conflict of interests (conflicts of interest don't always manifest as malicious actions, but it does make everything require a lot more scrutiny). Tons of horrible things have happened due to companies being in the business of war; and I'm not talking about just simply the use of their products/services, but artificial continuation/creation of the wars themselves. It's a very complicated matter, since sometimes there are uses of warring products that protect the innocent and shorten/end wars, and companies do need at least some level of income to be able to produce anything at all.

Looking goo Bruce.

We’ve all seen the photos of the thousands of I flgiht drones over there. Everyone is doing it. RR shouldn’t be singled out!

The Ukrainians have the right (and actually duty) to defend their country by any mean possible. FPV drones are part of that and will be a part of warfare for a time going forward. To me it's better than autonomous killer drones. That will come too and will make FPV obsolete. Anyway, companies getting into this area is unavoidable. The manufacturers are there already but the weaponisation is on a grassroots level in Ukraine and companies will take the opportunity to supply this further up the value chain. It's needed for most militaries who want to prepare while still not in a war cause they not gonna let soldiers start soldering things together and put in the air. Those are desperate measures for a desperate time specifically in Ukraine. Western militaries will spend billions to buy polished solutions, both offensive and defensive in the FPV realm. The only thing we can ask for I think is some separation between hobby brands and military industry brands. But as I said before the veneer is already thin on the GEPRCs and iFlights of the world.

Imagine 1000 smart drones flying through a city, knowing exactly where people will be being able to look at cell phone signals to verify that it’s heading towards the right person. There really isn’t much stopping a regular individual from buying the data and being able to do the exact same bang. No matter how you look at this it’s extremely dangerous.

Drones were military long before it was a hobby.

Usually the military will use a more militarized company to build there equipment. If they really wanted something built they would go to DARPA. There up to something.

How long til I’m imprisoned for possession of a weapon of war because I was flying a Whoop in the park?

If you think any of the regulations and restrictions forced on the hobby have anything to do with safety you are a bonkers . It is and has Always been because those in charge are and have always been fully aware someone could strap something nasty to a quad and ram it right down their throats. I was buying parts from china about 12 years ago and building drones and flogging them on Ebay, and had several whack jobs contact me asking. "How much can it carry and how far will it go" Im frankly amazed there has never been a terrorist attack using them already. Far easier than lobbing home made mortars out the roof of a Transit Van like the old I.R.A days .. As for RR flogging to the military. why wouldnt they . They probably flog 50 quads a month these days if lucky, and a miltary contract could be 1000's or Tens of 1000s and as we all know if its Military its many times the price. Call it the Sting Twatter Strike Force Z1000 Hyper Long Range Kybosh System and your bog standard 10 inch quad went from $500 to $20k a Pop. Lets be honest although its fun, flying flippy floppy around an old bando is about the least inteligent thing you can do with Drone tech , Its like having a cream that cures Cancer and using it to polish ya Boots.. If you can take out a $20 million tank with a $500 quad , thats a lot of bang for your buck. Its hardly rocket science . Dont think the RR boys can build rockets anyway.

Chevron Deference Doctrine got completely thrown out, so now courts aren't required to side with government agencies when interpreting ambiguous laws. The FAA is going to have problems with how strict their interpretation of commercial use is. Also the RID rule could have a better chance of failing without Chevron.

I remember the first time DJI drones were used in the war in Ukraine. Then I told my friends that this was the beginning of the end of the hobby and apparently, I was right. Moreover, the first use of consumer drones in this war came as a generous act of solidarity with the people of Ukraine and nobody asked how a company that does not produce weapons can be used to arm armies. Today the US government is worried that DJI could spy on US officials but has nothing against using the technology for the war in Ukraine. Based on this approach we can predict how AI will be used when the technology becomes mature enough.

Interesting...

I don't really have a problem with it. In an ideal world there would be no war, disputes and we'd all live in peace and harmony. But that is not how the world works, and attack/defence is a fact of life. A large amount of our technical development is prompted/funded by military needs, and always has been. So, if that is what Rotor Riot need to do to survive, so be it. However, the boots analogy is a good one. Some are just plain stupid, some hear what they want to hear.

Wow who knew RR was selling military threads with the skull in their logo!

Ive been warning about this for years. That Russian guy on YT who mounted an AK-47 on a quad and flew it around blasting stuff was a bad image. It looked fun but should not have happened. Even the guys at FlightTest keep wanting to drop bomb (inert) on targets. Again, looks fun but its a bad image as well. Over a year ago in the Ukraine they were using DJI camera drones to drop ordnance onto the enemy. The GPS aspect needs to go

I’m retired Air Force. I ran for president in 2020 and both political parties cheated or I would be sitting in the office right now because I was the one that told the world about COVID-19 had a government.. I ran for president because I know humanity should be doing a lot better than what it is. There’s no logical reason why we don’t write a universal constitution, and we become a single government, which means there’s no reason to fight wars anymore, and we can now put all of our effort into fixing the environment and taking care of each other.. In the meantime, the Ukraine war starts and I owned my first DJI, before the FAA required them to be registered. I’ve been talking about all of their uses for years to something extent. Because I am military, and I have been venting things in the past, I’ve come up with a bunch of ideas of how to Weaponized drones. I’ve also thought about ways of drawing people in to the military system.. This sucks because this is not where we need to go, but on the other hand if we’re going to fight, I’m gonna put up the best ideas. There’s still a bunch of things that I have not seen developed yet that could be done both good and bad with drones.. We need to all act like our responsible adults and use the tools that we invent for the good of humanity. You add AI and drones together and you’re not going to want to see what happens.. it is very possible before this is all over with, And by this I mean World War III, which is what this appears to be, you could have swarms of drones, wiping out entire cities autonomously. People need to start acting like smiles adults for each other, no matter where you live in this world. We need a unified government before we kill each other and we are quite capable as responsible adults of doing exactly that so anyone looking at this needs to start working in that direction or contacting your politicians to work in that direction

What's with the DJI Chinese mic instead of a Rode wireless go or go 2? You sound southern hemisphere - support local, if you can.

Drones have been used as a military unit long before they became widely known to the public. Same as every technology LOL.

This has been happening for years before Ukraine. We used to call them quadcopters and radio control toys and planes. Now they're "drones" and "UAVs", with the obvious implication. Scare words used to associate a toy with something you'd sling a missile underneath.

Peter Sripol did a good job of militarizing the RC hobby

Yeah, I said my piece in the comments on Ian's video. I don't have a problem with it. I think boycotting Rotor Riot over this, yet still flying on Boeing or Airbus planes (B-52, Eurofighter), or driving Mitsubishi cars (Patriot surface to air, AAM-5 air-to-air missile), or any host of other products is just being hypocritical. Our adversaries are using FPV drones so we absolutely should be developing not only our own capabilities but also our defenses against them. Our allies are already literally using hobby grade quads for war and have been for over 2 years. The genie is out of the bottle and you're not putting it back in no matter how hard you want to boycott Fat Shark.

crop dusters for all

The military industrial complex grows...

Hobby drones will be obsolete soon. Big militaries will build countermeasures. We are working on a few here in the US.

on the fence is about right, the gear has not made a quantum leap and money is getting tighter to justify new builds but also the over regulation is now having a visible effect that no significant new blood is entering the hobby to keep the status quo so these companies are doing what they can to keep their books/stake holders happy and there is nothing inherently good or evil about that just a sign of the times canary in the coal mine as it where. while education is key and a person is smart enough learn, people are dumb and panicky creatures and make irrational choices at the most inappropriate time even to the detriment of there own kind also never underestimate the power of stupid people in groups. the old saying is "[Insert tool name] don't kill people, people kill people" with the point being any thing can be co-opted from good to bad with ill intention does not make the tool Good or Evil as it is just a tool and the person with the ill intention is the embodiment of that evil and should be treated as such and not the tool.

It's like an airplane, it needs regulation etc, as the skies fill up with more and more drones. Personally I think it should be like RC-planes, fly them at your designated areas where you're allowed to, and keep them out of the normal living spaces of people, quite simple.

I compare todays drone hobbyists to the post World War 1 German and American rocket enthusiasts and clubs that sprouted up in the 1920's and 30's which would obviously have major military applications too.

Not sure about the price point bit. But yeah, RR stocks may go up a tad. time to buy up??

Bruce - I have been trying to contact you as a member to get an image for the ADSB alarm...... Just left a message on your Pateron Thanks

💪

for me its the increasing rules that has stunted my interest in fpv

hahah Video paused right in the middle for no reason, I had to check my task manager :D

So depressing. But pretty spot on.

The biggest problem I have with it isn't necessarily their choice to use fpv in this way. It was bound to happen. My issue is how it's being posted all over KZfaq and X, in a lot of cases to virtue signal and grift off of people's emotions. Which means that the first interaction a lot of people are having with fpv is how they're being used on kill people. And yet.. all of us who spent years and endless amounts of money and time to move this tech forward are just kind of being thrown to the side and regulated out of the hobby. So we get demonized in the media and by the karens over the stupid shit that mavic flyers do. I think we have done our due diligence to keep our community in check and call out stupidity, and in general try to keep the average non fpv person viewing us in a positive light. There are always outliers, of course. If all of that tech that we spent years developing is going to be used on the battlefield, at least back the fvck off of us (

Well thank F'n gawd we gots Mads Tech to step up and speak out some moral qualm nobody else had the balls to say earlier Choppergirl 3 months ago: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jqxmm5Wmxp7Ddnk.html Bardwell 6 months ago: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qbyTmdWWzs2xZ5c.html *rolls eyes*

Is this the same redcat that does RC cars?

They are not doing any of us any favours and puts another nail in the Hobby’s Coffin.

We have seen how effective FPV Drones have been on the battlefield in Ukraine. Governments in the West should provide grants to people to hone their FPV skills to build, prepare, and race drones. These are required military skills now. Maybe here in the UK, we need to bring back an amended version of the Unlawful Games Act of 1541 which required equired every Englishman between the ages of 17 and 60 to keep a longbow and regularly practise archery. Replace longbow with FPV Drone.

The IDF is first reported to have used "drones" for military reconnaissance back during the 1973 Yom Kippur war - long before any commercial hobby ever existed. In today's military conflicts (and moving forward into the future), the use of drone technologies for military purposes is unavoidable - at the same time as the hobby has been all but shutdown here in the states with overdone and absurd regulations. So like it or not, independent of when our beloved hobby is shutdown for good - military drone use is here to stay.

In hindsight we were just testers for the military and now we gave them enough data to work with so its time to end the research glad I have more then just the drome hobby to keep me entertained...

I too am conflicted here........ Perhaps the use of fpv in warfare will actually save the lives of many soldiers?!? I dont know tbh. I hate war, and conflict of any kind. It feels wrong on multiple levels but yeah as Bruce says money and profit and shareholders etc complicate it. But as Ian said sometimes the right thing to do is walk away from the money. If Drew is unhappy with this current situation then im guessing it wont be long until he resigns. But im leaning more towards Ians opinion on this.......

A boot is not a means of warhead delivery or is it? 🤨 Nevertheless I'm totally with you on this one Bruce.

Scary shit.

I been finding the KZfaq algorithm is making it hard to find good fpv videos. Only way I see this vid is I’ve been watching you for years. I’m even finding the search engine is even only show vids with real bad results to make you watch more advertisements. All going to crap thanks to Ai and the not nice humans that programmed it.

MIxed feelings here. I personally only FPV helicopters at 250 grams, 200 class, and kids and their parents like it when I do it in the park because it can do steady vertical dives and the single rotor direct drive fan is quiet and pleasant to listen to. But, I also hope that militarization can improve quads to have variable pitch (maybe bionic) and not swirling and rolling down in building dives, as Joshua Bardwell recommended kzfaq.info/get/bejne/gt-RhZSWvtGylo0.html . Militarization will bring FPV to a different level of professionalism, engineering level airfoil simulations, fuel endurance calculations, stealth, noise reduction, etc, instead of pa and ma shops making small money selling aged technology, and neighbors bear and tolerate the noise.

All drones makers are now going military huge cash none in the hobby. Look at us Aussies we are going all in on military drone development. Not many know that Australia has had a huge impact on the hobby with Inav, Ardupilot along with ELRS. Perfect place to become global leaders. Remember when war kicks off we'll be flying more then we ever have. Bruce remember your Anzac pride.

It's another branch of the same narrative. My club has just put in a rule no flying any RC aircraft on your own. So, something I've enjoyed and done freely (mainly on my own) for the last 24 years is now too dangerous because an insurance company. MAAA rules or some other governing authority deems it's dangerous. A ruling probably designed from someone driving a spreadsheet working from home.

To be fair, I'm pretty sure military drones came first. So essentially everyone kind of just made a hobby out of military applications and forgot about it.

😮