Backcountry Pilot • Today, In Drone News.....

Today, In Drone News.....

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Today, In Drone News.....

Lets start a new thread for drone news and articles relating to them.

I'll start.

What happens when Marine One is landing on the helipad and takes one to the tailrotor? I think that rubber buckshot is good enough to safely take down people. It should be good enough to take out a quadcopter!

http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/26/politics/white-house-device-secret-service/

Washington (CNN)The man operating the drone that crashed on the White House grounds called the U.S. Secret Service on Monday morning to "self-report" his involvement in the incident.

The drone's owner and operator is a government employee who said he was using the drone recreationally, a Secret Service source told CNN. He was interviewed by Secret Service agents and has been fully cooperative, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said in a statement Monday afternoon.

"Initial indications are that this incident occurred as a result of recreational use of the device," Leary said.

The Secret Service locked down the White House shortly after 3 a.m. after an officer on the south grounds of the White House spotted the drone, described as a two-foot wide "quad copter," flying above the White House grounds before crashing on the southeast side of the complex. The officer saw the drone flying at a very low altitude.

The drone was believed to have flown over the White House residence after taking off in a neighborhood east of the White House, a Secret Service source told CNN.

A second source said the flight path had not been fully confirmed by investigators.

The Secret Service will continue to investigate the incident through "corroborative interviews, forensic examinations and reviews of all other investigative leads," Leary said.


A Secret Service official said the owner of the drone called in after seeing reports of the drone on the news.

The Secret Service was sweeping the White House grounds on Monday morning looking for anything else that might be on the ground.

President Barack Obama and the first lady are both away, traveling in India.

RELATED: No, you can't fly drones over the White House

The executive director of the Small UAV Coalition, Michael Drobac, called the news of the drone crashing at the White House a "terrible incident" for the drone industry because it sends a message that drone users aren't using the technology responsibly.

But the vast majority of the at least half-million drone users in the U.S. are, Drobac said, citing a conservative estimate. The problem is "bad actors," he said, and the industry is working with the FAA to educate new users about the rules for operating drones.

And the industry is developing new technologies to prevent users from operating drones in unauthorized spaces. Some of the newest models of recreational drones won't turn on in unauthorized areas, like within 5 miles of an airport, Drobac said.

"Technology is going to help solve the problem and is already doing it. I trust technology over rogue operators," he said.

Flying drones is illegal in the District of Columbia, but that hasn't always kept them out of the capital's skies.

The Secret Service previously detained an individual operating a quadcopter drone on July 3 in President's Park, just a block from the South Lawn of the White House, according to a report filed with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Another person was detained by the U.S. Capitol Police for flying a drone on the Capitol Hill grounds. And in October, a drone was spotted above D.C.'s Bolling Air Force Base.

A surge in interest in drones and how they should be regulated even brought one to Capitol Hill -- inside a committee room, no less.

Congressmen watched in awe as robotics company executive flew a drone inside the committee room during a House Science, Space and Technology Committee hearing on integrating commercial drones.

The Secret Service patrolling the grounds of the White House has been in the national spotlight for the past year ever since a man managed to hop the fence and get inside the White House itself through an unlocked door. The incident led to the resignation of the Secret Service's director and reassignment of other top level officials.

An independent report commissioned by the Department of Homeland Security said in its executive summary said the department was stretched "beyond its limits" late last year.

RELATED: Report: Secret Service stretched 'beyond its limits'

CNN's Peter Morris and Pamela Brown contributed to this report.
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Since these things are software controlled, it makes sense that the 400ft AGL limit and other restrictions can be enforced by the software. Apparently, that's what DJI is doing now after the Whitehouse episode: http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Dr ... 493-1.html

People can certainly get around these restrictions if they really want to, but this will hopefully keep the average quadcopter-for-Christmas guy out of trouble.
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

In Ca we've had several fire fighting air operations halted in the last month due to drones being spotted above wildfires. Coupled with this video released, it's going to be interesting to see the impact on the public's response toward drones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_kfUVZdTkU
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Zenithguy wrote:In Ca we've had several fire fighting air operations halted in the last month due to drones being spotted above wildfires. Coupled with this video released, it's going to be interesting to see the impact on the public's response toward drones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_kfUVZdTkU


Getting closer!

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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Then again, I sent this to my buddy I grew up with and asked why didn't we have cool stuff like this to chase his then little brother and sister across the fields……...



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0GBeOnxA4M


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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

daedaluscan wrote:or this

https://youtu.be/xqHrTtvFFIs



Holy crap. I'm sure the Secret Service will love those...
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Once again drones are keeping first responders from doing there job. Again it's in California, this time on the Cajon Pass where a brush fire jumped the freeway and in the process caught numerous cars and trucks on fire. Fire fighting helicopters had to abandon the fight because of drone traffic
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Barnstormer wrote:Once again drones are keeping first responders from doing there job. Again it's in California, this time on the Cajon Pass where a brush fire jumped the freeway and in the process caught numerous cars and trucks on fire. Fire fighting helicopters had to abandon the fight because of drone traffic



saw that yesterday afternoon Great footage from TV station -Blow them out of the SKY -Deputy Sherriff sin loy CBS
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Drones: GA according to Amazon

From today's Wall Street Journal. The future for GA.

"...Amazon’s plan proposes a no-fly zone between 400 feet and 500 feet to create a buffer between unmanned and manned aviation. Airplanes would be restricted to above 500 feet, while the area below 400 feet would be split into two sections. Drones equipped with collision-avoidance technology and reliable links to the traffic-management system would be able to fly in the high-speed zone between 200 feet and 400 feet. Other drones, including $500 consumer drones and devices being used for surveying or video, would be restricted to the “low-speed localized traffic” zone below 200 feet."
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

.Amazon’s plan proposes a no-fly zone between 400 feet and 500 feet to create a buffer between unmanned and manned aviation.

What a plan!!!!! I've seen too many gliches with farm equipment that is using GPS to operate with supposed "precision" to be comfortable with this stuff. Wonder if a drone falls out of the sky and hits someone, does it hurt?
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Re: Drones: GA according to Amazon

Barnstormer wrote:From today's Wall Street Journal. The future for GA.

"...Amazon’s plan proposes a no-fly zone between 400 feet and 500 feet to create a buffer between unmanned and manned aviation. Airplanes would be restricted to above 500 feet, while the area below 400 feet would be split into two sections. Drones equipped with collision-avoidance technology and reliable links to the traffic-management system would be able to fly in the high-speed zone between 200 feet and 400 feet. Other drones, including $500 consumer drones and devices being used for surveying or video, would be restricted to the “low-speed localized traffic” zone below 200 feet."


It's frightening that Amazon, arguably one of the strongest players in our national retail economy, thinks they can design airspace and strongarm manned aircraft.
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

The thought of Amazon using their lobbying muscle to restrict our airspace makes me enter Hulk mode.
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Oregon180 wrote:The thought of Amazon using their lobbying muscle to restrict our airspace makes me enter Hulk mode.


That's a legitimate concern. Once big money wants something from the little guys that involves big profits for big money, the little guys always seem to lose.

It'll be interesting to sit back and watch how it all unfolds.

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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Almost every time I have been near a drone that is flying (even a few 100,000$$ big money ones)one of them has crashed .They are cool but I still put them in the sketchy catagory .Last summer I watched a company lose 3 really expensive ones in a 10 minute window from some glitch . Had a front row seat from the 206 while one after another fell out of the sky and started grass fires I had to report . It was one of those "when good times go bad" events . They were using them to long line150 ft long prayer flags with disco balls on the end for a wingsuit race through the gates .... Classic..
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Oh yea and all six drones were staggered between 1500ft agl and 4500ft agl ( yes 3 out of six dropped out of the sky )
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Where the fires and public safety are concerned, I would hope the military would get involved with electronic warfare. It would probably be good practice for them taking out drones. I expect the enemy is working on developing their own drones and defeating ours.
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

I can see a version of Amazon's proposal easily becoming law, and expect it will. The altitude restrictions will cover the entire US, it has to, "leveling the playing field for all" will require it. It's a no brainer for the FAA really. Amazon did their research and thought this through, gotta give them credit, and it's so simplistic.

First, we already aren't allowed to fly below 500 feet unless we are landing or taking off, I expect the FAA will enforce this so it applies to actual airports or legitimate turf strips. We fly below 500 feet anywhere else and we will be subject to fines, license suspension, and revocation. That will be easy to enforce thanks to ADS-B which will become a requirement for all aircraft (and drones) under all circumstances.
edited below to include the actual altitude regs

Airports with IFR approaches, there is how they'll determine where the drone airspace begins and ends around airports. Easy enough to extrapolate that to every other airport and strip.

Any opposition? Non that has any influence. The airlines and their unions will applaud this, GA will have no objection since no new GA rules will need be created, and most importantly it speaks to the drone threat. I think of the 125+ pilots at my airport, I'm the only one that will be affected, the others will have no objections, quite the contrary I'm sure.

And in case you missed the news, Google is launching a major drone initiative. Combine Google, Amazon, and the Drone Industry and I see no way to stop this, there simply aren't enough of us to matter.

I predict the rules go into affect by 2020, when ADS-B becomes required for most. By 2030 at the latest, probably 2025, the remaining aircraft will be required to be ADS-B compliant.

Sure wish I saw it differently. And I hope I'm wrong. But what are the odds.

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Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:
(a) Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
(b) Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
(d) Helicopters. Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph(b)or(c)of this section if the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface. In addition, each person operating a helicopter shall comply with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the Administrator
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Re: Today, In Drone News.....

Helicopters, crop dusting to surface, pipeline patrol 200,' military to surface, fire fighting to surface, police to surface, mountains 500' may not be possible, animal count, ranching, etc. There are a lot of guys down there.
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