|
Drones over NY and NJ
Mysterious SUV-sized drones may have blocked medical helicopter
Long article ref numerous drones over NY and NJ, several videos. |
Just watching this video about the drones.
|
Also recently ‘seen’ over the UK:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cly2j54g5j9o https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crk4g3zddexo.amp |
The daytime picture in the NBC article shows what looks more like a personal VTOL like a Jeston One. And is there any ADS-b data on these things?
|
This whole thing is getting blown way out of proportion and the media is creating a mass hysteria. All the footage I have seen so far was either an airplane or a helicopter flying at night. There are also a lot of blurry and grainy videos where it's impossible to tell what it is.
I live and fly here in the NJ/NY area and have lots of friends that do the same and no one has reported any unusual drone sightings. I also have a few friends that work the tower here at Newark and no unusual targets were reported on their watch either. It's almost like people want to see something that's not there. There is zero footage where an actual drone or other or other mysterious object flying object could actually be identified, yet the news makes it sound like all those reports from concerned citizens are confirmed drone sightings. |
If drones caused disruption to one or more medevac copters that is serious.
|
From the Boston Herald - a firecaptain thought he saw a drone and canceled a medevac request.
The only video is of a planes flying over, not drones. For most of this the oddity is that most drones don't need navigation lights at all. They can be bypassed or disconnected. If these are drones they are being operated beyond the line of sight of the pilot they will have a video feed to show the pilot what the drone is doing; no need for navigation lights. |
Originally Posted by ChrisJ800
(Post 11784622)
If drones caused disruption to one or more medevac copters that is serious.
|
For a bunch of folks with supposedly nefarious plans they certainly seem scrupulous about the “drones” being highly visible with proper navigation and position lights.
”Honey there is something in the sky I can’t identify! Quick, hand me the worst camera we have. I will now. take grainy, shaky, out of focus video of this mysterious phenomenon ….Call 911, the FAA, Inform the Press and other Social Media! Humorous clip … |
The latest hype now is that the drones are from Iran and the "mothership" is sitting off the coast launching them. I'm not even going to link the news outlet that has been reporting that because I'm sure we all know who it is.
|
Iranian mothership speculation originally reported here: https://www.insidernj.com/van-drew-p...ery-drones-on/
|
Leadership
With the same leadership team in place that managed the China Balloon fiasco, we shouldn’t be surprised at the current response. Besides, there is a Christmas Pardon List to work on, it seems.
|
|
Originally Posted by JohnDixson
(Post 11785515)
With the same leadership team in place that managed the China Balloon fiasco, we shouldn’t be surprised at the current response. Besides, there is a Christmas Pardon List to work on, it seems.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune....335779d03e.jpg |
They have flashing red, green, and yellow lights, so it must be Iran???
At least one “drone” was confirmed to be a small plane, but I’ve never seen a plane with flashing red and green lights… A flashing strobe yes, but if you want to fly a drone on a stealth mission, why bother with bright lights? |
Originally Posted by JohnDixson
(Post 11785515)
With the same leadership team in place that managed the China Balloon fiasco, we shouldn’t be surprised at the current response. Besides, there is a Christmas Pardon List to work on, it seems.
Your profile implies you have some expertise, what do you suggest the US should do about random sightings? |
Are you sure that they are random, vis?
|
Good point, LW. Let’s see-none of the private owned drone operators are volunteering one sentence worth of information, explanation, or defense. The airspace is federally controlled and our federal government has four groups with substantial low speed, maneuverable assets, two of them with armed machines* and crews who know how to use them. Only problem seems to be a leadership obsessed with making out a Pardon List.
*Actually all four have armed machines, but two have substantially more ships and crews. |
There are Federal laws about shooting aircraft out of American airspace, particularly when there is no sign of problems, particularly over residential neighborhoods. Not that it cannot be done, but it certainly should not be done lightly or without sign of an actual threat. Right now this would be like shooting up the place because an acorn hit the roof.
So far people keep saying there are drones and showing pictures of items that are clearly not drones, so it may be that there isn't anything to shoot down. As Ryan McBeth has pointed out, the dumbest part was the "mothership" off the coast, as if the USCG isn't 100% ready to go out and make a run at anything like that. It bears pointing out that the Remote ID system requirement that the FAA dumped on hobbyists is a 100% failure as it hasn't done anything to preclude this situation, the exact one that it is purported to preclude, from happening. If it was working every drone sighted would have been broadcasting its own position and the position of the operator on the ground and police could go arrest them. Instead, 100% silence about RID. What about all those drone operator licenses that the FAA demanded were required for safety? No confidence in them either, apparently. |
Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50
(Post 11785900)
Are you sure that they are random, vis?
|
Yes, of course, ME re the use of the weapons. The first order would be close up and tailing. Doesn’t sound like anyone has done that yet?
|
Originally Posted by MechEngr
(Post 11786067)
There are Federal laws about shooting aircraft out of American airspace, particularly when there is no sign of problems, particularly over residential neighborhoods.
... Beyond this, I am aware of no U.S. law pertaining to shooting down aircraft (excluding an armed incursion or act of war and the DOD). As far as a LE agency, the action would be generally covered under the agency's ‘use of force policy’. I'm not aware of a LEA UOF policy that explicitly addresses shooting down aircraft. The USCG may be an entity that incorporates such a policy. |
The Federal Government sure seems to have lost the abilty to tell a good lie.
Exactly why would the DOD, DHS, National Guard, NOT SHOOT DOWN any number of these Drones as they fly back out to sea? Why has the DOD not intercepted, tracked, and determined all there is to know about them.....already? Folks....the pungent and clearly recognizable odor of bull**** is wafting about and get stronger every time a government official makes any kknd of statement. If the drones pose no threat as is being said....and there is no reason to suspect that....then why is the public position that to shoot one down might cause some unknown problem due to some unknown payload on the drone? I wonder how the folks in my area would take to seeing one of these things hovering over the Seaside Convenience Store and Cafe on the Island. No question there Duck Hunters down here can deal with such airborne threats if the USMC, USAF,US Army and USCG cannot. I know for sure the Coyote Hunters with their night vision and thermal rifle scopes can handle the nocturnal events while the Duck Hunters take care of the daytime. On a serious note for those that are incapable of discerning jest from serious.......why is it at this point in time the answers have not been forthcoming? https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2024...go-out-to-sea/ |
Not quoted in their entirety - just the part regarding the aircraft. Other parts cover ramp workers and so forth.
(18 U.S.C.§ 32) See https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/32 (a)Whoever willfully— (1)sets fire to, damages, destroys, disables, or wrecks any aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States or any civil aircraft used, operated, or employed in interstate, overseas, or foreign air commerce; (2)places or causes to be placed a destructive device or substance in, upon, or in proximity to, or otherwise makes or causes to be made unworkable or unusable or hazardous to work or use, any such aircraft, or any part or other materials used or intended to be used in connection with the operation of such aircraft, if such placing or causing to be placed or such making or causing to be made is likely to endanger the safety of any such aircraft; (3)sets fire to, damages, destroys, or disables any air navigation facility, or interferes by force or violence with the operation of such facility, if such fire, damaging, destroying, disabling, or interfering is likely to endanger the safety of any such aircraft in flight; (4)with the intent to damage, destroy, or disable any such aircraft, sets fire to, damages, destroys, or disables or places a destructive device or substance in, upon, or in proximity to, any appliance or structure, ramp, landing area, property, machine, or apparatus, or any facility or other material used, or intended to be used, in connection with the operation, maintenance, loading, unloading or storage of any such aircraft or any cargo carried or intended to be carried on any such aircraft; https://www.justice.gov/archives/jm/...aft-18-usc-32a 1423. Destruction Of Aircraft -- 18 U.S.C. 32(a) Jurisdiction over acts relating to the destruction of aircraft or aircraft facilities extends to "any aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States." The term "special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States" is defined in 49 U.S.C. § 46501(2) (formerly section 101(38) of the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 (49 U.S.C.App. § 1301(38))). See this Manual at 1405. It is implicit in the kind of conduct prohibited by paragraph (1) of section 32(a) (setting fire to, damaging, destroying or disabling any aircraft in the special aircraft jurisdiction) that such acts are likely to endanger the safety of the aircraft. The acts described in paragraph (1) can have no other result. Because the acts prohibited by paragraphs (2) through (6) of § 32(a) might have other results, however, Congress believed it necessary to state explicitly that these paragraphs criminalize only that conduct that is likely to threaten the safety of the aircraft. Thus, paragraphs (2), (3), and (5) prohibit certain conduct that is "likely to endanger the safety of any such aircraft." Paragraph (4) requires that the defendant act "with the intent to damage, destroy, or disable" such aircraft. Paragraph (6), relating to the communication of false information, requires that the communication actually endanger the aircraft's safety. Paragraph (7) prohibits any attempt or conspiracy (as of April 24, 1996) to violate paragraphs (1) through (6). 1405. Special Aircraft Jurisdiction of the United States The special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States is a jurisdictional requirement for an aircraft piracy offense proscribed by 49 U.S.C. § 46502(a), as well as for interference with a flight crew member or attendant, in violation of 49 U.S.C. § 46504, the "enclave offenses" criminalized in that jurisdiction by 49 U.S.C. § 46506, and the destruction of aircraft and aircraft facilities offenses of 18 U.S.C. § 32(a). An aircraft is in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States only while the aircraft is "in flight." Included in the special aircraft jurisdiction of the United States, while "in flight," are the following: (a) any civil aircraft of the United States; (b) any aircraft of the United States armed forces; (c) any other aircraft in the United States; |
I'm not all that sure you can't shoot down a low drone over your property and escape prosecution.
Seems to me a county in Colorado a coupla years ago may have even offered a bounty for shooting down a a drone after numerous ones flew over and over a section of land near the Nebraska border. Meanwhile, I go with SAS about the govmint's statements and am losing faith in our air defense capability. Make no mistake, I feel 98% of the sightings are airplanes or helos. The clearest videos show airplanes! Complete with required lighting. So how come govmint can't say yeah we tracked that sucker and it landed at a private heliport near Teterboro. But nooooo, a lotta handwaving and such. SHeesh. Gums sends... |
For Jim Eli:
Thanks for your response. I was questioning Vis's use of the term random. I get the idea that the Coast Guard don't think it was random. I'll not comment further on who or what may be flying drones around. |
Originally Posted by gums
(Post 11786475)
I'm not all that sure you can't shoot down a low drone over your property and escape prosecution.
Seems to me a county in Colorado a coupla years ago may have even offered a bounty for shooting down a a drone after numerous ones flew over and over a section of land near the Nebraska border. Meanwhile, I go with SAS about the govmint's statements and am losing faith in our air defense capability. Make no mistake, I feel 98% of the sightings are airplanes or helos. The clearest videos show airplanes! Complete with required lighting. So how come govmint can't say yeah we tracked that sucker and it landed at a private heliport near Teterboro. But nooooo, a lotta handwaving and such. SHeesh. Gums sends... |
People who think they can shoot down those drones with a shotgun are idiots. Most of those flying lights are miles away. A shotgun shooting bird shot has a range of 50-60 yards before it loses too much energy. The shot spread is about 1 inch per yard.
|
I fly here in the NY and NJ area where all these drone reports are being made. There are zero credible sightings. It's all Billybobs and Karens making random reports and videoing airplanes and helicopters 99% of the time. No pilots and/or controllers have seen any of those drones that people are all of a sudden finding everywhere. I've been flying here for the past 3 years and have colleagues that work for similar major helicopter tour and charter companies and none of them have seen any increase in drone activity.
The media and the politicians are hyping this whole thing up. For what reason I have no idea. |
A hauntingly familiar theme.
Mass hysteria? Paranoia? Continue this behavior to a logical conclusion and you end up with a vision foreseen by Rod Serling over six decades ago! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mo...n_Maple_Street There may be some rouge drone operators about but some of these folks should at least try to get a grip on reality! |
Originally Posted by verticalspin
(Post 11786574)
I fly here in the NY and NJ area where all these drone reports are being made. There are zero credible sightings. It's all Billybobs and Karens making random reports and videoing airplanes and helicopters 99% of the time. No pilots and/or controllers have seen any of those drones that people are all of a sudden finding everywhere. I've been flying here for the past 3 years and have colleagues that work for similar major helicopter tour and charter companies and none of them have seen any increase in drone activity.
The media and the politicians are hyping this whole thing up. For what reason I have no idea. If you’ll excuse a foreigners POV Ref your last para I guess keeping this “hot” means money for the media/viewing figures/clicks/, as far as the politicians go I suspect it’s just an excuse to continue to bash the outgoing administration, or those connected with it such as some in the FBI. Good luck, and make sure you continue to avoid the drones that you’re not seeing …:E |
The drone hysteria is getting concerning as we had an increase in laser strikes here in NJ. EWR tower had reports of 9 strikes just last night.
The general public needs to be educated as there seems to be little to no knowledge about anything aviation related. This is causing some real issues for professional aviation. Next thing we'll find bullet holes in our aircraft if it continues down that path. |
2020 Colorado
|
Didn’t the 1938 radio broadcast of War of the Worlds create similar hysteria. Side note, that’s why we have station identification now on broadcasts.
https://nypost.com/2024/12/12/us-new...drone-mystery/ Fed-up NJ sheriff sends own drone to follow mystery flying objects — what happened left some ‘stunned’A fed-up New Jersey sheriff said he tried to track the mystery drones swarming the skies above his county — but they “easily” evaded the effort. The Ocean County Sheriff’s office sent its own “industrial grade” drone into the air Thursday in a bid to follow one of 50 unmanned aerial vehicles a local cop saw “coming off the ocean,” Sheriff Michael Mastronardy said The officer alerted the state police, the FBI and the US Coast Guard. Coast Guard officials then reported 13 drones, with wingspans of eight feet, following one of their vessels. The mysterious drones, which don’t give off heat like more typical versions, swiftly maneuvered out of their clutches, Mastronardy told News Nation reporter Rich McHugh. Do you have footage of drones over the skies of New Jersey or New York? Send it to The Post at [email protected]. “If this is not our military, then it’s even more scary,” McHugh said. “These things look like they are fixed-wing and they have multiple lights. I’m not really sure how to process what I saw last night. Both the photographer and I were kind of stunned.” Theories about where the drones come from vary, with some believing they may have been sent by foreign adversaries. On Friday, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said there was nothing to fear and that people may be imagining things. He said most reports were likely to be cases where manned aircraft were mistaken for drones. Since then drones have been sighted in at least 12 counties in New Jersey as well as parts of eastern Pennsylvania and upstate New York. |
Originally Posted by JimEli
(Post 11786110)
While officials dismissed the mothership claim, the Coast Guard on Wednesday confirmed that “multiple low-altitude aircraft were observed in the vicinity of one of our vessels near Island Beach State Park, New Jersey,” Lt. Luke Pinneo said in a statement. “While no immediate threats or disruptions to operations were identified, the Coast Guard is assisting the FBI and state agencies to understand the type, origin, and intent of these aircraft and address potential risks to safety and security. We take any and all aircraft activity near federal assets seriously and urge the public to report any suspicious activity to local authorities.”
The Coast Guard statement came in response to our questions about claims made by U.S. Rep. Chris Smith on Tuesday that a 47-foot Coast Guard ship “was followed by between 12 and 30 of these drones as they went through the water — followed, right behind them.” Following link for Island Beach State Park webcam. During night time the sky will filled with aviation lights many of which you could track on a flight tracker. https://friendsofibsp.org/live-cams/oba1-beach-cam/ From ADSBExchange playback from the evening onwards for 8th December. Speed set at approx 50x. If you were an observer on the beach or on a boat you would be seeing aviation lights constantly. These lights would be observed changing course due to the aviation patterns in the area. You can see how observers assigned on a watch could misinterpret aviation lights at night. https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?repl....819&zoom=10.1 |
Originally Posted by verticalspin
(Post 11786919)
The drone hysteria is getting concerning as we had an increase in laser strikes here in NJ. EWR tower had reports of 9 strikes just last night.
The general public needs to be educated as there seems to be little to no knowledge about anything aviation related. This is causing some real issues for professional aviation. Next thing we'll find bullet holes in our aircraft if it continues down that path. Sorry about this. Original post: That's exactly what I was thinking yesterday, after Trump posted "shoot them down". It didn't take long: |
I expect this news:
"Armed Drones Are Shooting At People And Houses. Bullets Rain From The Sky." |
Salute!
Re: getting shot at over U.S. Wouldn't be first time for a coupla my squadmates in two squads. One in North Dakota with a turkey rancher/farmer hitting one of our VooDoos' So we marked the sites and avoided them on our low level intercept practice. So 15 years later saw same thing in Utah, and our Vipers flew many more low level nav/attack profiles. Was funny when crew chief told the pilot had just taken groundfire! Heh heh. For now, the lasers are very serious because they don't have to "lead" you. Gum sends... |
Originally Posted by MechEngr
(Post 11787017)
I expect this news:
"Armed Drones Are Shooting At People And Houses. Bullets Rain From The Sky." The amount of nonsense in social media, and even regular media, is getting out of hand. And, of course, some politicians are also adding fuel to this fire. In the past I was hoping that the Internet will make everyone more informed. Unfortunately it seems to have the opposite effect, and it's getting worse by the year. |
Originally Posted by havoc
(Post 11786967)
“If this is not our military, then it’s even more scary,” McHugh said. “These things look like they are fixed-wing and they have multiple lights. I’m not really sure how to process what I saw last night. Both the photographer and I were kind of stunned.”
|
| All times are GMT. The time now is 18:10. |
Copyright © 2026 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.