Winston
Lorenzo von Matterhorn
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Considering the likely density of consumer-operated "drones" above 400 feet AGL in the huge US airspace, I was wondering about all of these so-called "close calls.":
Drones Are the New UFOs
14 Sep 2015
https://motherboard.vice.com/read/drones-are-the-new-ufos
Excerpt:
Few news organizations truly delved into the FAA's actual data (our own report noted that the FAA has been prone to exaggeration in the past), partially because, often, there's little to follow up on in terms of local news reports or finalized findings on any given incident. (Much more importantly I think, a follow-up might require some degree of technical literacy and would definitely require more WORK than just spouting government agency supplied conclusions; plus, a message of "this is much ado about not much" doesn't lead to more site hits, does it? - W) This leads to large numbers of "sightings" being miscategorized and drone sightings being construed as truly close calls, according to a new analysis of the data by the Academy of Model Aeronautics. By releasing raw, preliminary information with no follow up or analysis, the FAA’s report is flawed at best, misleading at worst.
The AMA is a hobbyist group with 140,000 members. It has the interests of drone pilots in mind, but has traditionally worked very closely with the FAA and is generally considered to be a fair and reasonable entity—in fact, many drone pilots believe that the AMA sides with the FAA too often.
According to the AMA’s analysis, since November 2014, there have been only 10 incidents in which airplanes had to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a drone, which is just 1.3 percent of all incidents reported by the FAA. The mere fact that a pilot sees a drone does not mean the drone operator was doing anything wrong or that the manned aircraft is automatically put at risk; the AMA notes that many drones could have been flying with FAA permission or within the FAA guidelines.
These numbers are significant, but without further information, it’s impossible to say how outside the norm this actually is. We don’t know how often, for instance, pilots attempt to evade birds, but we can guess that it’s probably much more often than with drones: In 2013, there were 11,399 reported plane-bird collisions.
Most importantly, in more than a dozen of the sightings, pilots said they weren't sure what they saw: One pilot said he saw what looked like a "large vulture;" others saw a "fast moving gray object," a "mini blimp," a "red UAS or balloon," and, in one case, a pilot saw "a UFO." These objects were all classified as drones in the FAA's report.
"It seems the term 'drone' has become the new UFO, applying to everything from balloons and birds to model rockets and mini blimps," the AMA wrote.
Drone hobbyists find flaws in "close call" reports to FAA from other aircraft
14 Sep 2015
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ear-miss-academy-model-aeronautics-/72064388/
Excerpt:
The reports to FAA sometimes contained vague descriptions. A Qantas pilot reported a “mini blimp” near Los Angeles airport on May 31. An American Airlines pilot near New York’s LaGuardia airport reported a “model rocket” on July 5. Someone landing at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., reported seeing something that resembled a “large vulture” on Nov. 30, 2014.
A half-dozen cases involved sightings that sounded too high for off-the-shelf drones, at heights ranging from 19,000 feet near Beaumont, Texas, to 51,000 feet near Washington. (Ah, yes, the infamous "U2 can own a U2" drone by Skunky Works of Shanghai - W) The report called that highest sighting July 24 – above where airliners typically fly – a UFO, although the planet of origin remained uncertain.
Some sightings involved permitted flights. For example, a “low flying” drone was spotted 5 miles south of the airport in Allentown, Pa., on July 24. A 911 caller reported a “not high” drone 13 miles from Chicago’s Midway airport on April 28.
The Los Angeles Police Department asked the Inglewood Police Department to remove its drone flying over a crime scene Aug. 18 because it was 2 miles from the end of a runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
More than a dozen incidents – including two crashes into the ground – involved military drones rather than the commercial or local-government drones that the FAA grants permits to fly.
Drones Are the New UFOs
14 Sep 2015
https://motherboard.vice.com/read/drones-are-the-new-ufos
Excerpt:
Few news organizations truly delved into the FAA's actual data (our own report noted that the FAA has been prone to exaggeration in the past), partially because, often, there's little to follow up on in terms of local news reports or finalized findings on any given incident. (Much more importantly I think, a follow-up might require some degree of technical literacy and would definitely require more WORK than just spouting government agency supplied conclusions; plus, a message of "this is much ado about not much" doesn't lead to more site hits, does it? - W) This leads to large numbers of "sightings" being miscategorized and drone sightings being construed as truly close calls, according to a new analysis of the data by the Academy of Model Aeronautics. By releasing raw, preliminary information with no follow up or analysis, the FAA’s report is flawed at best, misleading at worst.
The AMA is a hobbyist group with 140,000 members. It has the interests of drone pilots in mind, but has traditionally worked very closely with the FAA and is generally considered to be a fair and reasonable entity—in fact, many drone pilots believe that the AMA sides with the FAA too often.
According to the AMA’s analysis, since November 2014, there have been only 10 incidents in which airplanes had to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a drone, which is just 1.3 percent of all incidents reported by the FAA. The mere fact that a pilot sees a drone does not mean the drone operator was doing anything wrong or that the manned aircraft is automatically put at risk; the AMA notes that many drones could have been flying with FAA permission or within the FAA guidelines.
These numbers are significant, but without further information, it’s impossible to say how outside the norm this actually is. We don’t know how often, for instance, pilots attempt to evade birds, but we can guess that it’s probably much more often than with drones: In 2013, there were 11,399 reported plane-bird collisions.
Most importantly, in more than a dozen of the sightings, pilots said they weren't sure what they saw: One pilot said he saw what looked like a "large vulture;" others saw a "fast moving gray object," a "mini blimp," a "red UAS or balloon," and, in one case, a pilot saw "a UFO." These objects were all classified as drones in the FAA's report.
"It seems the term 'drone' has become the new UFO, applying to everything from balloons and birds to model rockets and mini blimps," the AMA wrote.
Drone hobbyists find flaws in "close call" reports to FAA from other aircraft
14 Sep 2015
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...ear-miss-academy-model-aeronautics-/72064388/
Excerpt:
The reports to FAA sometimes contained vague descriptions. A Qantas pilot reported a “mini blimp” near Los Angeles airport on May 31. An American Airlines pilot near New York’s LaGuardia airport reported a “model rocket” on July 5. Someone landing at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., reported seeing something that resembled a “large vulture” on Nov. 30, 2014.
A half-dozen cases involved sightings that sounded too high for off-the-shelf drones, at heights ranging from 19,000 feet near Beaumont, Texas, to 51,000 feet near Washington. (Ah, yes, the infamous "U2 can own a U2" drone by Skunky Works of Shanghai - W) The report called that highest sighting July 24 – above where airliners typically fly – a UFO, although the planet of origin remained uncertain.
Some sightings involved permitted flights. For example, a “low flying” drone was spotted 5 miles south of the airport in Allentown, Pa., on July 24. A 911 caller reported a “not high” drone 13 miles from Chicago’s Midway airport on April 28.
The Los Angeles Police Department asked the Inglewood Police Department to remove its drone flying over a crime scene Aug. 18 because it was 2 miles from the end of a runway at Los Angeles International Airport.
More than a dozen incidents – including two crashes into the ground – involved military drones rather than the commercial or local-government drones that the FAA grants permits to fly.
