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Amazing How Fast the FAA Approves This

Yep, but you know some 20 year old kid will figure out a way to make it work.. Just a matter of time..
 
Eddie, You are looking at it with an obsolete electron tube mind, as do I. That's why we need an electronics wiz-kid to come up with an electronic multi-phased fly's eye. An electronic 360 degree Doppler effect signal.
 
What many in the industry are asking for is already in most of the drones. It is a modification to the nav database that limits its ability to be operated in certain airspace (lateral and vertical). Many/most of the 4 engine drones work and talk to a controller and gps is one of the inputs to the controller or aux input (IPhone) to navigate and for features like fly a preset path and return to launch site capabilities. The reprogramming is to override the flight capabilities if gps location is in regulated airspace and "geo-fence" off the area to drone flight. Our ask is that when the drone has this capability in its software that it is eligible to be registered and only then. We are aware that "jailbreaking" is possible as it lesser capable drone flight in these areas and we are asking for draconian (poaching like) punishments for these offenders (forfeit of property up to and including cars and trucks). The ability to put see and avoid software and equipment on a drone is pretty tough to envision at this point. A 250 KIAS jet is hard to see and avoid in a 3 dimensional real world. The technology may be out there but it isn't already on the drones like the gps chip. We need a yesterday solution and rules for these craft that are conflicting with aircraft in controlled airspace on a nearly daily basis.
 
1000s of drones in the air in this country already and United Drones plans to produce 7 drones a week by this time next year. Amazing how fast this is getting approved. How many mid-airs will there be?
http://uniteddrones.com/

A couple weeks ago I attended the "Drone World Expo" in San Jose CA.

The lead off keynote address was "Avoiding the Traffic Jam: A government and Industry UTM Update". Speakers were:

FAA - Hoot Gibson, Senior Advisor on UAS Integration.
NASA - Parimal "PK" Kopardekar, Manager, Safe Autonomous System Operations (SASO) Project
Google X - Dr Dave Vos, Project Wing Project Lead
Verizon Ventures - David Famolari, Director

The most interesting takeaways from the keynote for me was that the FAA wants to move slowly and cautiously in integrating drones into the airspace. Google was exactly the opposite, saying the concern for drones in the airspace was over blown and that it would all work out safely. But most importantly Google is not willing to wait decades or even years. They are willing to wait months. Google made it a point, over and over and over and over, and was quite emphatic that they ARE NOT willing to wait years or decades. I certainly understood Google's comments as they won't wait.

I made it a point to look over at Hoot Gibson every time Google said this, trying to get a sense as to what he thought about Google's position, but Hoot would make a good poker player.
 
When there are tombstones, the FAA will take more evasive action. When you are fighting a huge money enterprise(Google) with an agenda it is difficult. Young people who are more electronically adept think it's cool so there are no letters to law makers drafted by them. There was a drone shot down in my local area by an angry redneck last july. The drone owner claims he was not over the shooters property more than two seconds. The shooter lost in court over criminal charges. The drone owner just happend to fly over a back yard with two sixteen year old girls in bathing suits by the pool and hovered(according to the shooter). I know if I walked out on my back deck and saw a drone over my back yard it would take more than two seconds to go in the house, get my shotgun and take out a drone. The drone owner could not produce a sim card from that flight mysteriously. These drones will become just as annoying as people who text and drive soon. This is one facet of government where I think we do need strict regulation.
 
You sound like government material. Why have one person do a job when we can have four people do it worse?
Actually Stewart, I do what Governmental agencies don't do well and do it efficiently so I have no problem with being efficient, but net job losses are a real problem so I don't use the self-checkout lanes either.
 
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I wonder what the air space saturation level of these drones will eventually reach? How about the number of times Merrill ATC folks have informed pilots of traffic near Birchwood? Then not be able to find the traffic. There is an RC field in the area. Knowing this I've looked down trying to identify traffic. Can't see the damn things. Did see one after dark...it had a couple strobe lights...thought that was cool. But in high population density areas....what's that going to be like?

The issue of sharing airspace with drones.... I don't want to share. Use of airspace isn't much different than driving on roads and highways. Either require some sort of license. Then think about users airspace and ground traffic, who follows the rules more often than not? Now add in a bunch of adolescents with drones who in this day and age make decisions based on "how likely will I be caught breaking the rules"? Which becomes more dangerous? Playing on the freeway or the idiot who says let's see how close we can get to that airplane as it passes over?
Another factor is the young defiant nerd one. Any drone with a geo fence, altitude limit or any other operational flight restriction will be seen as something that needs to be defeated simply because it exsists. Same as jail breaking an iPhone to work like a fully manipulatable PC.

The reality is, we'll be sharing airspace with these things if we like it or not. Some day we'll be sitting around the hanger say things like, remember when we didn't have to have the wiz banger drone identification equipment? Those were the good ole days.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
I don't spend a lot of my flight time at or below 400' over densely populated areas so I'm not worried about the organizations like Amazon and Google. It's the hoddy guys that we have to worry about and they'll be the most difficult for regulators and enforcement.

I recently was at Volcano National Park in Hawaii and saw lots of Drones Prohibited signage in the crater area. It never occurred to me but that would be a seriously cool place to fly a camera drone and it's already closed airspace for aircraft.
 
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Just approved for South Central Colorado: Alamosa County is the now the holder of two approved COAs (five more pending) that allow testing of UAVs from the surface to 15k MSL in a +8000 square mile area. UAV's will be chased by manned aircraft as they test autonomous operations. Issues: No radar coverage below 15K MSL in the entire area. COAs state no required two way ATC communication. No transponders required. All operations will be announced by Distant Notams and identified by radial/distance from the ALS VOR, no SUA. Approved to operate across Victor Airways. All done under the Public Use Aircraft Statutes. My concern is that this precedent now allows ANY Gov't agency to get a UAV testing area.
Public Use=airworthiness determined by COA holding Agency and ALL liaibilty assumed by same: FAA can set back and watch it all unfold.
 
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