[Shipping up to Boston]

Originally Posted by garrykolb

OK - I have to weigh in here on the whole "pilot" thing. First off, I am a pilot. I don't fly anymore, but I am licensed by the FAA as a private pilot for single-engine, land-based aircraft. I have a complex endorsement as well as an instrument rating.

Getting all that BS out of the way, here is what Miriam-Webster says about the term, "pilot".

a person who flies or is qualified to fly an aircraft or spacecraft

And here is what it says about the term, "aircraft".

a vehicle (such as an airplane or balloon) for traveling through the air

And finally, what they define as a "drone".

an uncrewed aircraft or vessel guided by remote control or onboard computers

So, a drone is an aircraft, and someone controlling a drone is by definition, a pilot. Period.

And yes, I also pilot a drone.

To all those "holier than thou" folks complaining about the use of "pilot", lighten up. Seriously, get a hobby other than being snarky on TOTV. I hear there are several available in The Villages.

I’m not a pilot...I don’t fly drones. So as a lay person, not giving a s**t about what the FAA determines, a pilot is in my world a professional. Professionally trained and educated. Not a hobbyist. You can call yourself Maverick for all I care but the majority on here honor the profession in using that title. Im sure the majority of recreational drone ‘pilots’ wouldn’t be protesting if the agency identified them as ‘operators’. Btw, by questioning the title doesn’t mean we are all acting ‘holier than thou’! That may be your issue.