Atlas Air 767 down/Texas

[scallop]

Originally Posted by Toruk Macto

Is it too high for a drone ?

Technically, no. But unlikely for several reasons.

1. Vast majority of consumer drones technically capable of that altitude are factory geofenced to 400 ft AGL with some effort required to “jail break.”
2. Vast majority of consumer drones are 2-3 lbs, compared to an eagle weighing 6-14. Guaranteed to cause damage, but fairly unlikely to cause catastrophic damage.
3. Most people would not fly a drone around a line of storms, since most of them aren’t rain proof.
4. Bigger drones are more expensive and more likely owned and operated by licensed pros who could and would likely get a waiver, COA or 333 if they needed to be in that spot, meaning ATC would be in the loop and routing folks around them.

So it’s not impossible for a drone to be up there, but it’s unlikely. And it’s very unlikely for one big enough to cause catastrophic damage to be up there.