a couple questions about security.

[chapsrlz]

hi guys!

i have a couple questions, i've read a lot about the topic but cant find a direct answer (and please, dont send me to google or lmgtfy, i want to hear the opinion from people with experience with rc)

1 - compared to a helicopter or a plane we are flying tiny little birds, but due to their small size could they be seen in an airport/police radar?
2 - what would happen if one of our tiny little birds hit an airplane or a helicopter?
- im pretty sure that crashing our bird to a plane wouldnt cause any thing, but how if the bird is sucked by a motor?
- or our bird hits the prop in a helicopter?

im asking this because i have read a lot about the regulation in us/uk which kinda sucks, but at the same time is great that you know what you can/cant do with your quads. i live in méxico and there's no regulation about rc, anything, none, nada!... so technically i can fly wherever i want to and as high and far as my antennas allow me to. during my flying experience, nearly two months, i have had to types of encounters with police officers.

1 - the police officer asked me the 5 questions, took pictures and videos of the quad and we were all laughing.
2 - the police officer told me that they saw the quad in the radar (thats why im asking the first question) and that "drones" are prohibitted in méxico and are for the exclusive use of the army (once again, theres no regulation about flying rc in méxico) they tried confiscate the quad and arrest me :shock: i explained them that theres no regulation for flying rc and that drones aren't for the exclusive use of the army, so they said that i was flying in a restriced area due to the heavy traffic of helicopters (i've flown about ten times in the same spot and never say a chopper...) so after arguing/explaining them that im not flying in high altitude and theres no such thing as a "restricted area" they said that it was very dangerous to fly a quad and i could potentially cause a helicopter crash (second question). finally after a long discussion they let me go with my quad...

lesson learned and every time i see a cop approaching i hand catch my bird and move to a different location.

 

[QYV]

I'm not sure about radar, I have to imagine it's possible to detect but awfully small and it would have to be good radar.

What I am very sure about is if a Phantom were to crash into an airplane or helicopter it has serious potential to cause a crash which would lead to loss of life.

If a Phantom struck the propeller of a helicopter or prop plane the props would be damaged, that would cause immediate loss of lift. A helicopter would probably crash immediately depending on the exact location of the damage... how quickly a prop plane would crash depends on the size of the plane. If it struck a small single engine prop plane the plane would go right down. A 2-engine prop plane may be able to make an emergency landing. obviously if it struck a huge 4 prop military plane that plane would probably not crash but you would be in some serious trouble

If a Phantom were sucked into a jet engine that engine would definitely be immediately lost. There is absolutely a precedent here, very often birds are sucked into jet engines and sometimes the plane can emergency land, other times it will crash. I can refer to January 2009 in New York City when a goose was sucked into the engine of a plane taking off and the plane wound up crashing into the river. a Phantom made of metal and plastic would do more damage than a goose.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Airways_Flight_1549


granted the police probably weren't right about some of the legalities, but I would take every possible precaution to avoid any type of aircraft with the Phantom. I'm not talking about legal or not legal, I'm talking about right and wrong... doesn't matter how legal it is if you made a plane or helicopter crash and people were hurt or killed that would be terrible

 

[HarryT]

A Phantom striking the window of a helicopter or plane at high speed would go straight through it and possibly injure or kill the pilot. A flock of geese did precisely that to a US military helicopter on a low-level night-flying exercise in the UK last year. Went through the windshield knocking both the pilot and co-pilot out cold, causing the aircraft to crash, killing all the crew members.

 

[ProfessorStein]

I'm with QYV on this.

The only thing I would say would be he uses a lot of "immediately" and "definitely"... when it's not that clear cut. There are a fair number of bird and other projectile hits to aircraft that may cause varying degrees of damage, but don't bring the craft down by any means. Many can land just fine, and still others even go on to their original destination.

But there is most certainly a chance that, with the right hit, in the right circumstances, a collision between a UAV and a full-sized aircraft could absolutely be devastating. Probably moreso to helicopter rotors and jet engines.

So, as QYV said, since the malfunction of a full-sized aircraft invariably involves a risk to living, breathing souls onboard, it's just not worth it. The right common-sense thing to do is avoid the possibility as much as possible... regardless of restrictions or laws.

 

[chapsrlz]

thanks for your responses

...So, as QYV said, since the malfunction of a full-sized aircraft invariably involves a risk to living, breathing souls onboard, it's just not worth it. The right common-sense thing to do is avoid the possibility as much as possible... regardless of restrictions or laws.

i totally agree that common sense is the way to go. whenever im flying and hear a helicopter around i lower my quad (its not that i fly high) and i stay away of the airplane routes, but unfortunatelly, as discussed ad-nauseam, not all people use common sense when flying quads.

once again, thanks for your responses.