Drones threatening commercial a/c?
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Drones prevented from flying near airports
So what happens if you take-off and then fly towards/into the safety zone? Does it fall out of the sky?
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Istanbul drone pilot
Indeed you will always find people who find ways to bypass restrictions.
However, radio-controlled aircraft capable of doing these things have been around for decades. Modern drone manufacturers are adding a level of safety that did not exist before.
However, radio-controlled aircraft capable of doing these things have been around for decades. Modern drone manufacturers are adding a level of safety that did not exist before.
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Radio control aircraft require more talent to fly, and in order to get to that point, the "pilot" will probably have come in contact with people who've told them that it's not legal to fly "just anywhere".
I have not heard of or seen a radio-controlled aircraft (other than the "drone" style of helicopter) that has inertial stabilisation systems on board, and therefore RC aircraft require a steady hand and lots of practice.
Drones are extremely simple to operate, and can in fact be operated with no input whatsoever, just program in the coordinates to fly to/from and away it goes.
That's the issue, to my way of thinking.
It's easy to mount a la*er pointer on the drone, and fly to where it would be in the take-off path, and shine the thing in the windscreen of departing aircraft.
Or just fly it into an engine.
I have not heard of or seen a radio-controlled aircraft (other than the "drone" style of helicopter) that has inertial stabilisation systems on board, and therefore RC aircraft require a steady hand and lots of practice.
Drones are extremely simple to operate, and can in fact be operated with no input whatsoever, just program in the coordinates to fly to/from and away it goes.
That's the issue, to my way of thinking.
It's easy to mount a la*er pointer on the drone, and fly to where it would be in the take-off path, and shine the thing in the windscreen of departing aircraft.
Or just fly it into an engine.
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@msjh I don't blame you but it does still beg the question! I can't see how or what safe mechanism can possibly be put in place. You launch your drone and set in on a course for an airport. It reaches the 'invisible wall'. And what then? Keeps bumping forward then retreating?
I'm afraid that I put hobby type drones in the same category as social networks... a technology that should never have been invented!!
I'm afraid that I put hobby type drones in the same category as social networks... a technology that should never have been invented!!
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@darkroom ... as noted above, at least some modern drones will not fly in restricted zones around airports. This should limit the ability of stupid people to endanger airliners.
For the malicious ones : they will always find a way and could have used RC aircraft in the past.
For the malicious ones : they will always find a way and could have used RC aircraft in the past.
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Drone flown into IST airspace
I found this piece of news today: Complete Retard Flies Drone Over Istanbul Airport
How do we report him to the authorities? This is outrageous.
How do we report him to the authorities? This is outrageous.
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French no fly zones
Well the French seem to have taken the time to at least inform people where they can and cannot fly their drones. Here is an interactive map showing where you can, and within what limits, fly yer drone...
Cartographie spécifique aux Drones en France
Cartographie spécifique aux Drones en France
Last edited by R04stb33f; 22nd Jan 2015 at 21:34. Reason: too much wine and couldn't type properly
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Quote:
So what happens if you take-off and then fly towards/into the safety zone? Does it fall out of the sky?
I don't know and I have no plans to test it! However I expect that the drone will ignore input from the controller that might cause it to break these limits. Kind of like an invisible wall ..."
There is a stepped perimeter that stops the DJI drones from entering airspace near airports.
At certain distance out you can fly but restricted to height.
Then if that distance is crossed it will auto land.
So what happens if you take-off and then fly towards/into the safety zone? Does it fall out of the sky?
I don't know and I have no plans to test it! However I expect that the drone will ignore input from the controller that might cause it to break these limits. Kind of like an invisible wall ..."
There is a stepped perimeter that stops the DJI drones from entering airspace near airports.
At certain distance out you can fly but restricted to height.
Then if that distance is crossed it will auto land.
DJI video explaining how the "no-fly" zones are implemented:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoXAMRQoIAA
Category A (large) airports have a 5 mile/8 km zone defined around them in the drone's firmware (but only if you have downloaded a firmware update). The drone is height-restricted between 1.5 and 5 miles from the centre of the zone and will not fly at all closer than 1.5 miles.
For Category B (smaller) airfields it's a 0.6 miles radius no-fly zone.
A downloadable list on the DJI website shows 175 Category A airports worldwide and 513 Category B.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoXAMRQoIAA
Category A (large) airports have a 5 mile/8 km zone defined around them in the drone's firmware (but only if you have downloaded a firmware update). The drone is height-restricted between 1.5 and 5 miles from the centre of the zone and will not fly at all closer than 1.5 miles.
For Category B (smaller) airfields it's a 0.6 miles radius no-fly zone.
A downloadable list on the DJI website shows 175 Category A airports worldwide and 513 Category B.
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This NY Times article includes the photo of the drone that crashed on the White House lawn released by the Secret Service.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/us...ne.html?ref=us
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/27/us...ne.html?ref=us
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Giving Drone Industry Leeway to Innovate -- NY Times
Rather than highlighting the actual dangers of drone flight, the White House crash-landing is a better illustration of the hodgepodge, almost backward set of rules governing the drone industry in the United States.
Commercial operators — people who are making money from their flights and therefore have an incentive to improve their training and the technology on their drones — are now barred from flying in most circumstances. And the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to release new draft rules in the next month that will allow for commercial drone operation in only a limited way. The rules are likely to prohibit drones from flying above 400 feet and require that they be used within sight of the operator.
Untrained hobbyists like the one who crashed the drone in Washington, however, are allowed to fly their devices with relative freedom.
Commercial operators — people who are making money from their flights and therefore have an incentive to improve their training and the technology on their drones — are now barred from flying in most circumstances. And the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to release new draft rules in the next month that will allow for commercial drone operation in only a limited way. The rules are likely to prohibit drones from flying above 400 feet and require that they be used within sight of the operator.
Untrained hobbyists like the one who crashed the drone in Washington, however, are allowed to fly their devices with relative freedom.
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I’m surprised that no one has brought up “see and be seen” in this thread. Legitimate drone users, whether hobbyist or professional, shouldn’t object to the factory installing a bright flashing strobe light and/or a transponder squawking a drone-specific code. It’s true that nut-jobs and/or criminals wouldn’t buy such a drone. The criminals are beyond redemption (unless caught), but nut-jobs probably wouldn’t make the effort to build their own drone having no “see and be seen” capability. Combine this with the on-going factory effort to build in limits on where their drones can fly and I think it would make drone use much safer than it is now.
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SoaringXc -- I think the issue with strobes and/or transponders may be power drain, as most of the commercial/consumer devices already seems to be short on staying power, as well as cost.
Had my first close encounter with a drone last week as one zoomed around over the ski slopes while I was having some fun in Italy. This was in addition to at least two low-flying real helicopters that appeared to be involved in some kind of practice or observational exercises.
Had my first close encounter with a drone last week as one zoomed around over the ski slopes while I was having some fun in Italy. This was in addition to at least two low-flying real helicopters that appeared to be involved in some kind of practice or observational exercises.
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Mark, the power issue really isn’t a big deal. An LED strobe draws 120 mAh, while a modern Mode S transponder only needs 220 mAh. This is peanuts compared to a drone’s motor draw! I concede cost might be an issue right now, but if demand goes up the cost will drop rapidly.
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FAA to Regulate commercial drones