“Flying drones started with my mom getting a drone for Christmas several years ago. It’s when the DJI fad had just begun and I was super excited to see her Phantom fly. I read the manual after she opened it up and was able to learn the basics on how to fly. I set it up and took the maiden flight (she was afraid of damaging it) and showed her how it works. From then, I’ve flown that drone more than her. She’ll only ever fly in a wide open area with limited risk. The next year my parents bought me a Spark, my first drone. I’ve taken that drone on many trips and put in many hours flying it. I started to get small toy drones to practice flying LOS without risking the Spark. Then I moved to FPV toy drones, following recommendations for gear that I found on YouTube. After owning a Mobula 7 for a while I decided to build my own 5 inch quad. I practiced with a simulator, bought all of the parts and learned how to assemble the electronics. I also flashed the hardware and tuned the drone. In short, I’ve learned so many things about electronics, soldering, batteries, aeronautics, remote control signals, etc. I’ve spent hours learning safety and regulations. I’ve now taken the FAA test to become a commercial drone pilot. I’m in the process of setting up a small business flying drones for hire. I would not have been able to go this route with my life if the regulations that are proposed will go through. Having to pay a subscription to fly anything would have been too restrictive, and that’s just one example of how restricting this hobby would have detrimental impacts to advancing in this industry.”