Whilst twiddling my thumbs on a luvly sunny afternoon (cause they always are here in the sandpit), I was distracted by a target entering the airspace at FL640, on the airway, westbound to points unknown. After a little rub of the eyes and a check with Indian Air Trafffic, my interest and suspicions were confirmed. It was callsign ##### an RQ4A Global Hawk enroute from RAAF Edinburgh in Australia to Abu Dhabi Military airfield in the UAE, Middle East. At the boundary, a radio call from the "unmannned" aircraft and subsequent identification....saw him on his way and in my mind started a chapter (or at least added to chapter 1) of an amazing aviation development.
The pilot was talking and flying from the other side of the planet, conducting pucker ATC procedures through civil airspace, and all this time no human form was physically present at the control column of this modern marvel.
Engineering issues caused the crash of the first frame, quite basic ones it might be noted. Remember these little puppies were prototypes and considering what was achieved....you have got to be impressed,I know I am. Especially when the second one came through with an on-board radio failure and we recieved a telephone call from ....well somewhere...giving us a position report, intentions and a request for an airways clearance!!!
This is the start, we aint seen nuffin yet!!!
