Fly the Unfriendly Skies: #UAV Commercial Pilot's License #Drones #FAA #DroneDatabase

I love flying. I became fascinated with all manner of flying machines at a very young age. I dreamt of being a fighter pilot when I grew up and was very disappointed to learn that women were still being barred from such service at the time I graduated from high school. (This is the main reason I did not go to a military academy, though I was heavily recruited by all of them due to my ASVAB scores being off the charts.) I thought to get my pilot's license instead, but got sidetracked by life. I still may get it one day, but my interest in flying machines has recently migrated towards drones.

There are so many practical uses for a drone on an estate. For example, I plan to use drones to inspect fields and crops on my farm, to aid with safety and security (one can survey the property for damage after a storm, for instance), and to monitor areas that could be cumbersome to reach otherwise (rooftops, border fencing, etc.). While I'm a moderately proficient hobbyist, I want to become an expert (commercial level pilot) and have begun researching the FAA qualifications for obtaining a professional drone pilot's license and looking for educational & training opportunities.

To this end, I was pleased to discover last night that a local library will be offering a class on drones. (I think I might have found out too late to attend, I plan to call later today during business hours to see what's required.) Regardless whether this particular class works out for me, I hope to eventually figure out a regimen that will get me properly trained and licensed. Additionally, I also wish to acquire a small fleet of drones to employ upon my private property, automating a list of tasks that previously would have required several people to undertake.

To GMO or Non-GMO

What's that you're eating? What's in your food?

As a STEM+M (that's Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Music) girl, I am not blanket anti-GMO. I get the science and understand the potential benefits. On the other hand, I'm also not rah-rah pro-GMO.

GMOs may not be harmful if swallowed, but I believe I have a right to know, if I am eating them. I advocate choice & transparency, particularly where my food is concerned. Labels should tell you the actual ingredients in your food and disclose things like GMOs, Fat, Cholesterol, etc., so that consumers can make informed choices.

I believe in truth in advertising and product quantifiers. So if something says "vegetarian" on the label (or menu), then it should darn well be vegetarian. Do I eat GMOs? Yes, certainly, but it is my choice to do so.

If a company expects me to purchase its product/s, then that company shouldn't have any qualms disclosing exactly what said product is.

And that's my two cents on the issue. Way to go, Vermont!

NOTE: I tend to use STEM+M (my own creation), in place of the well-known acronym STEM, due to the fact that Music, like Science and Engineering, uses Mathematics as its language. Therefore, I submit that Music is a closely related discipline (activating similar regions of the brain), and so should get its due or honor of place. There's a simple reason that a good many engineers & scientists are also musicians and music aficionados. Birds of a feather....