Pros And Cons Of Civilian Drones

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Drones were previously a preserve of professionals and military personnel until they were introduced for use by civilians. Military drones were powerful drones with special features and were used for different purposes including surveillance and spying. However, civilian drones are much less advanced and are used for various purposes but most importantly for fun. Civilian drones have several advantages and disadvantages in equal measure. Below are some of the pros and cons.

Advantages of civilian drones

They can save lives: Civilian drones can be used to save lives in cases where there is a natural disaster such as floods and search and rescue operations are necessary.
They can support law enforcement: Civilian drones can be used by law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order by using them for surveillance.
They can contribute to infrastructure maintenance: Civilian drones have been used by contractors to maintain infrastructure such as bridges in places where humans may not access.
They can streamline agriculture management: Civilian drones have been used by experts in the agricultural sector for purposes of monitoring crop growth and management in vast land areas.
They are cheap: Civilian drones are cheaper to obtain as compared to the military drones. This is because they are made of cheaper materials and have less advanced features.
They allow for precision: Drones are computer operated which means they are more precise and allow for better targeting and precision than humans.
They are easily deployable: Civilian drones are easy to deploy because they are light weight and small in size.
They are low risk: Civilian drones pose a much lower risk to the population and to the environment because they can fly lower than planes.
They can work long hours: Drones are machines that can be operated for as long as they are powered and this means that they can work for extremely long hours without fatigue.
They are more accurate: Drones are more accurate when it comes to targeting and they are also unmanned.
Easy to learn and pilot: Civilian drones do not require complex understanding of the machines to pilot them. They are easy to learn and have easier interfaces for piloting.
They can fly in controlled environments: Civilian drones are smaller in size and do not require complex operational modes. They can therefore be flown in smaller controlled environments.

Disadvantages of civilian drones

Some are costly: Some civilian drones are more costly although they do not come with highly advance features.
They have limited features and capabilities: Civilian drones were not designed with advanced features like military drones hence have very limited capabilities.
They a small in size: Civilian drones are usually small in size hence can handle only limited tasks.
They have limited flight times: Civilian drones are designed with limited battery powers because they do not need extremely powerful batteries.
They have limited flight range: The flight range for civilian drones is capped and limited because of fear of interference with other manned aircrafts.
They are controlled by strict rules and regulations: Civilian drones have strict operational guidelines which govern their operations and this may limit their operations in the air.
Some are noisy hence causing interference: Some bigger civilian drones are very noisy which may cause discomfort in the environment.
They are made of substandard materials that can easily break: Civilian drones are cheaper because they are made of cheap materials that can easily break in case of an accident.
They may be a threat to the population: Civilian drones fly lower than military drones meaning they pose a greater risk to the population as opposed to high flying drones.
Some require special skill and experience to fly: Civilian drones that are bigger and used for special purposes may require the pilot to have special flying skills in order to fly them.
They cannot be used for special operations: Civilian drones are meant for use by civilians in local operations and cannot be used for special military operations such as combat.
They have less advanced cameras: Some civilian drones come with attached cameras but these cameras have limited powers and capabilities.