PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — While some college students may feel their professors drone on in class, one NMCC instructor captured the attention of both students and colleagues alike during a talk Wednesday about recreational drones.
Dick Duplessis, a longtime mathematics instructor, shared information about his new hobby, which is becoming the new recreational phenomenon.
“The first time I heard the word ‘drone’ it was in reference to a male honeybee,” he said. “Today we think of military types of unmanned aerial vehicles that can do fairly destructive things, but we’re looking at recreational drones, or quadcopters.”
Duplessis’ talk was based on a collection of visits to Amazon.com where he discussed various models and prices, and he also showed several YouTube videos.
“There’s a little drone that costs about $20. It has a lithium battery and is 1.5 inches by 1.5 inches — it’s what they call a ‘quad,’” he said. “There’s a little controller, or joystick, that comes with it, and it flies just like the bigger drones. If you want to get into the hobby, that’s a good place to start. It’s a toy; there’s no camera or GPS on it … it’s just something you can go out and play with and pester the cat or the dog.”
The device Duplessis flies is a Parrot Bebop drone.
“This model just came out. It’s brand new and it’s a $500 drone; it’s not cheap, but it has really strong electronics — it’s got a GPS,” he said. “It knows exactly where it is, it has maps that you can tell where it is, you can do wait points and send it somewhere and have it come back, and the big thing is that it has a high-definition camera on the front end, and it’s really, really stable.
“The software to drive this thing is free software that you get over the Internet, and you can load onto your iPhone, your Android phone, Kindle, or iPad, and it flies this device,” said Duplessis, noting that you can even fly a drone inside by putting bumper pads on it. “That way it can bop against walls and it’s not going to scratch the walls.”
With the Parrot Bebop drone only weighing 3 pounds, Duplessis said regulations are currently being developed for commercial drones, which weigh 55 pounds or more.
“That’s something you don’t want to drop on your head,” he said. “If I fly my drone with my cell phone, or with my Kindle or other electronic device, the range is about 300 meters, which is more than three football fields.”
Duplessis agrees that drones can be an invasion of privacy.
“It’s the responsibility of the user to be aware of that. You can say the same thing about cell phones that have cameras. Are cell phones that have cameras inappropriate?” he said. “It’s kind of self-regulating at this point. The government is going to get in on the act, and will have some policy that’s going to restrict that.
“Just like any technology can be used for good or bad, I think because of the quality of these devices, now we’re seeing more artistic use of a drone in terms of the images and putting presentations together,” said Duplessis. “When I’m out flying in a park or a baseball field, people will come out and watch. That usually starts a conversation. I tell them it’s an expensive toy that allows you to see a different perspective of things. You can also use it for work. If I want to check my roof or chimney, I don’t have to climb ladders. I can just send up the drone, fly it around, and take video. They’re thinking of buying a drone for the campus to be able to check windows, mortar and things like that.”
After showing some tutorial videos on YouTube, as well as demonstrating the picture quality the drones can record, Duplessis accompanied those who attended the talk to the gymnasium where he gave them the opportunity to fly his device.
“I had never seen a drone, held one, or gotten this close to one before,” said Chuck Kelley, electrical/electronics instructor at NMCC. “Now that I have, I thought it was very easy to use; very user-friendly. I’m certainly no expert, but it seemed easy to work with. I’m thinking I might be interested in getting one, but I might wait for the fourth-generation to come out with the crash avoidance feature. I’m going to spend a little time researching on my own and take a closer look at it, but I’m very interested.”
Andrew Smith, a sophomore, said he enjoyed having the chance to fly the drone.
“This was a first for me,” he said. “I’ve always had an interest in photography, and I’ve known that these drones can take amazing videos and pictures, so it seemed like something I’d really be interested in.
“It was pretty fun,” said Smith. “The videos that he showed in his presentation were great. The idea of marking out such beauty from the sky is amazing. It’s mind-blowing. I might have to get one sometime. If I do, I’d like to get one that’s jet black.”
Duplessis said he flew his first drone in 2013.
“In 2012 I went to the Dieppe International Kite Festival in Canada, and I saw working kites and one that had a camera on it and I thought, ‘Boy, this is kind of neat and something I might be interested in getting into,’” he said. “Then recreational drones came out, and I got one and it worked right out of the box. It was great.
“When I was in college I took photography, I’m interested in flight, and I’m interested in kiting, and this kind of mixes up all those interests together for me,” said Duplessis, who flies several times a week. “I think it’s amazing that any one of us can spend this type of money and have the perspective that you can’t have any other way unless you’re up in an airplane.”
About 30 people attended Duplessis’ presentation.
