At most SEP speeds, VFR, birds have superior “detect and avoid” technology compared to current drones.
Slight thread drift, very puzzling drone report, ANN this week:
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=31bcf098-fb00-4418-a4a9-c89226439eee
IO390 wrote:
There is a fringe of users of ready to fly drones (such as DJI
I had a DJI Phantom 4 and made some great videos from a sailing week with some friends. I did not encounter any altitude limitation on that drone. And it climbs real fast. I also had a Parrot Disco, flying 80 kph, and it was not limited. I heard of that newer drones are said to have an altitude limit. But e.g. a Phantom 4 still is quite capable and not too old, there are plenty available, so there should still be a lot of drones which are in principal capable to fly up high…without any need to manipulate software or the like.
There is no excuse for the carelessness of the police operating the drone where they did, there’ll be some internal discussions about this. I know one of their pilots, who is a former inspector for Transport Canada, so I’m sure he’ll have some observations, as this is the same airport the same police base their helicopter.
I flew in and out of there yesterday. It is a fairly busy training and private operations airport, which had been threatened with closure a number of years ago, for alternate land use. It has hung on by a thread since then, though is deteriorating, for lack if care. It is no longer controlled, only a mandatory frequency, so a little more difficult for the drone police to make their presence known through ATC, while they’re probably trying to be a little stealthy anyway. The area all around the airport is now quite built up, so lots of activity which the police could want to watch. This also makes it difficult for a pilot to pick out an object in front of them, as there is a lot of “ground clutter” in view. It’s also one of my more worrisome airports now, as if the engine quits in the circuit, there is nowhere to go, other than the airport itself. I was uneasy with my departure yesterday, as an engine failure in the first 500 feet would have put me at best into a small parking lot. When I first flew from there in the mid ’70’s, there were plenty of fields all the way around. Sadly, though I hate to loose airports, Buttonville’s days are numbered.
But that does not excuse careless drone operations, this will not go un noticed, though being the police, we may not hear how they improve their operations either…
Unfortunately most people in aviation sharpen their pitchforks at the first mention of a drone.
Any drone that’s really able to fly above 400ft is either a higher end one that’s restricted by software or a homemade one.
Homemade ones are extremely few and far between, and the owners are enthusiasts who are generally quite protective of their hobby and fly within the rules.
There is a fringe of users of ready to fly drones (such as DJI) who hack them to remove the altitude and distance limits. This is extremely rare however, and I know that for a fact as my business repairs 50-100 of these things a week, so the chances of meeting one in flight are miniscule.
My first thought on seeing the pictures was ‘good job it had a metal prop’. I agree that there are more birds than drones, but most of them are lighter and I suspect all of them are less solid than brushless motors!
Or stated in a different way – lightning kills dozens people every year. But if you build a massive Tesla coil on your house, the argument “I killed only one!” does not count – other than nature (lightning or birds), humans endanger others by choice.
IO390 wrote:
Given the types of drones operated by most Police forces, this one was likely around 5KG.
Directly from the linked article: “It hasn’t identified the type of drone involved but there was media coverage when the department acquired its first drone in 2016. That was an Aeryon Ranger which, with payload, weighs 10-12 pounds.”
IO390 wrote:
In fact, I’d say that midair collisions with other aircraft are a bigger threat, given the statistics.
The problem is that the risks are additive. We cannot do anything about birds, the collision risk with other aircraft is already too high and there are at least some electronic conspicuity options now. But the drone risk is new and comes on top, and isn’t being mitigated enough in my view.
Given the types of drones operated by most Police forces, this one was likely around 5KG. I work in the drone industry and people within the industry love to say that a plane will simply shrug off a drone strike (this is obviously bollocks and anyone who thinks this has never been near an aircraft) but I do feel that the risk is minimal compared to bird strikes. In fact, I’d say that midair collisions with other aircraft are a bigger threat, given the statistics.
Yes, the lower altitudes are just not for GA any more, thanks to drones, its better to be above 2500 AGL.
