[HiTech RedNeck]

“Normal” aircraft could do that with telescopes, keep in mind.

[Mr. Douglas]

“Normal” aircraft could do that with telescopes, keep in mind.

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True, but it is more difficult and they have to want the images a lot worse. :-)

Drones have done for this sort of surveillance what Smart Phone cameras have done for photography. You “always” have a good camera with you so it’s much easier to take awesome pictures.

[ctdonath2]

But most aircraft short of low-income hovering helicopters aren’t being used for direct high-resolution observation.
Drones, in current colloquial terms, are primarily for that purpose.

[Secret Agent Man]

Of course. But these are blatant obvious ones. And the people are nearby. For all anyone knows they are scoping out a house to see if anyone’s home to burglarize it.