DIY drones a hobby that's taking flight

BERKELEY, Calif. -- Sharp-eyed dog walkers along the San Francisco Bay waterfront may have spotted a strange-looking plane zipping overhead recently that looked strikingly like the U.S. stealth drone captured by Iran in December.

A few key differences: The flying wing seen over Berkeley is a fraction of the size of the CIA's waylaid aircraft. And it's made of plastic foam. But in some ways it's just like a real spy plane.

The 4 1/2-foot-wide craft, built by software engineers Mark Harrison and Andreas Oesterer in their spare time, can fly to specified GPS coordinates and altitudes without any help from a pilot on the ground. A tiny video camera on the front can send a live video feed to a set of goggles for the drone's view of the world below.

Thousands of hobbyists are taking part in what has become a global do-it-yourself drone subculture as the Federal Aviation Administration seeks to make the skies friendlier to unmanned aircraft of all sizes.

The use of drones by law enforcement and other agencies has privacy advocates on edge. At the same time, some DIY drone flyers believe the ease of sending cheap pilotless planes and choppers airborne gives citizens a powerful tool for keeping public servants on the ground honest. -- AP