Drones on NBC news tonight...

[jwmcgrath]

More bad press. Several close calls by drones at airports in the US today, some 100-800 feet AGL, visible by pilots.

One was spotted by the pilot of a small, private prop plane, but another by an airliner as large as an A380 Airbus.

It was a quick broadcast so I missed some of the stats, but there were several just yesterday. There were 1800 signings in airport airspace last year. At least one in Houston (I can't remember the rest)...

So sad because this news reaches millions instantly, but it takes people like us forever to reach a few.

Feels like the climb to bring positivity to the sport starts all over again, as of 6:45 this evening.


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[Mr. Salty]

Can you narrow down what you mean by "on the news" as far as network, etc.? I'd like to try to find the piece on their website.

 

[jwmcgrath]

It was the NBC broadcast with Lester Holt, the bit was by Tom Costello, during the 6:30 broadcast tonight, Feb 10.


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[daveisim]

Here ya go.
A Look at the Dangerously Close Encounters Between Drones and Planes

 

[jwmcgrath]

That's the one.

Makes me sick. I just don't know if it's enthusiastic operators that are just too stupid to realize how devastating their actions are to the sport...

Or idiots...

Or risk takers that think they'll get away with it...

Very discouraging.


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[Ohiowoodsman]

So sad because this news reaches millions instantly, but it takes people like us forever to reach a few

So true!

 

[jakobe75]

Just a matter of time before flight records are synced to the manufacturer and then synced to the faa to record everyones flight and identify everyone.

 

[jwmcgrath]

Just a matter of time before flight records are synced to the manufacturer and then synced to the faa to record everyones flight and identify everyone.

Not too hard to believe that.

Regardless... whatever happens, and something will, isn't going to be good.

Whether it's an in flight incident or more regulations, the inconsiderate few once again ruin it for the many.


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[normr]

Just a matter of time before flight records are synced to the manufacturer and then synced to the faa to record everyones flight and identify everyone.

Exactly, but there are plenty of people here on this site who also thumb their noses at established recommended procedures, and post that they're a hobbyist and don't need to stay below 400 feet, if it's a rule for part 107 people then in my opinion, the rest of us here in the US should be following that too, and they'll be the ones bitching the loudest when all the records get synced to the FAA.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

While I am against anyone flying near airports in this manner, keep in mind that these reports are just that. They are told to report anything they see. Before drones they were UFO's, now they are always drones since they have something to blame it on. Some of these "drone" sitings in the past turned out to be birds, plastic bags, etc. I am sure some were actually rogue drones but many were not.

I hope everyone here follows the guidelines so that more knee-jerk regulations are not created out of fear & greed.

 

[jwmcgrath]

I am sure some were actually rogue drones but many were not.

I'm sure you may be right... but what's most sad is that everyone now THINKS they were drones. Because Tom said so.


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[LuvMyTJ]

I'm sure you may be right... but what's most sad is that everyone now THINKS they were drones. Because Tom said so.


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I forgot to mention, the video never played for me so I didn't get to see it.

 

[aermale]

722,000 registered drones.
That's alot more than I imagined.
5 close calls a day is a scary number too.

p3s- fishing
p4 Black- Inspections

 

[Teamfour]

While I am against anyone flying near airports in this manner, keep in mind that these reports are just that. They are told to report anything they see. Before drones they were UFO's, now they are always drones since they have something to blame it on. Some of these "drone" sitings in the past turned out to be birds, plastic bags, etc. I am sure some were actually rogue drones but many were not.

I hope everyone here follows the guidelines so that more knee-jerk regulations are not created out of fear & greed.

Supposedly there was an encounter at Dulles yesterday with a pilot reporting a drone during landing at 700' AGL. Regardless if it is true or not, it certainly doesn't help my application for a COW near that same airport.

 

[jwmcgrath]

722,000 registered drones.
That's alot more than I imagined.
5 close calls a day is a scary number too.

p3s- fishing
p4 Black- Inspections

Me too.

...and he approximated 10's of thousands of unregistered. That number may actually be significantly "assumed" wrongly as well.


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[jwmcgrath]

I forgot to mention, the video never played for me so I didn't get to see it.

You didn't miss a whole lot, other than they didn't allow for the possibility that it was anything other than drones. They never mentioned the possibility of anything else, so that's all people are left to think.


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[sky cooter]

Maybe the time is nigh to have any UAV capable of altitudes OVER 400-feet be registered at the time of purchase. All my life I have dutifully abided by "rules." I take personal pride that for the better part of that time I did everything right and "by the book." I'm proud that I have pledged to follow the FAA rules when it pertains to this new-found flying hobby. We all know jerks and we see the same sorry human characteristics exhibited on our roads. The same mental midget who believes he has morphed into a NASCAR ace in traffic also thinks he is above the rules in our air space when he/she transforms their imbalanced brain into thinking they are an astronaut once they get a drone aloft.

 

[CCrew]

722,000 registered drones.
.

Interesting since reports have DJI selling a million up to Xmas. That's a LOT of unregistered drones!

 

[jakobe75]

Maybe the time is nigh to have any UAV capable of altitudes OVER 400-feet be registered at the time of purchase. All my life I have dutifully abided by "rules." I take personal pride that for the better part of that time I did everything right and "by the book." I'm proud that I have pledged to follow the FAA rules when it pertains to this new-found flying hobby. We all know jerks and we see the same sorry human characteristics exhibited on our roads. The same mental midget who believes he has morphed into a NASCAR ace in traffic also thinks he is above the rules in our air space when he/she transforms their imbalanced brain into thinking they are an astronaut once they get a drone aloft.

How would this prevent a person from flying into a restricted airspace?
People do what people want to do.

 

[anotherlab]

Interesting since reports have DJI selling a million up to Xmas. That's a LOT of unregistered drones!

I think we can make a few assumptions:

DJI has the lions share of the market, other drones that require registration are probably less than 25% of DJI's numbers. So lets call it 1.25 million. FAA is only responsible for the US. We don't have a breakdown of DJI sales by region, but since we are already making up numbers, let's 1/5 of the drone sales are outside of the US. So we're back to 1 million.

How many of you have more than one drone that's required to be registered? As a hobbyist, you only register once. Many of you have multiple Phantoms. Unless you have a 107 license, you only registered once and that covers all of them. If you look at YouTube movie maker Casey Neistat, if he doesn't have a 107 license, then his hobbyist license (assuming he has one) would cover at least 7 drones. You also have to consider the replacement or upgrade drones. Someone who has a Phantom 3 gets a Phantom 4 and retires the P2. Same hobbyist license covers both.

And of course, you have the people who haven't registered for one reason or another. By I think that's a smaller percentage than would appear by comparing new sales with FAA registrations.