what do ya'll think about RC aircraft. I've got 25 or so, mostly large airplanes. I hate to call them drones because of the connotation. we try to stay away from property lines. we fly over our own property. I realize idiots fly anywhere. I know something has to be done. What's the answer?
I don't know but they scare the crap out of me regarding Chemical and other sensitive facilities. Not to mention I am a little worried about a big one getting sucked into a jet engine. It's not like we can just shoot them out of the sky, although I am sure some genus will do it in a populated area.
Hught, I kind of agree, some bad stuff can be done intentionally. However, hobbyist don't fly at altitudes that can interfere with real aircraft. I'm skeptical of many of the reports of seeing them at 1000 ft or so. You get one 500 ft high and a 1/4 mile from you and a big plane gets tiny. I know theys fpv but most don't work at that distance
The commercial quality drones have GPS and direct video feed which allows them to be operated outside of line of sight. Some have an AI to allow them to operate completely without human control and more have an auto return function if they are out of contact for a certain amount of time too. The problem with either is that a plane may be using the airspace the drone is and may not be seen by the controller or considered by the return function. The longer range jobs are more like your planes powered by liquid or hydrogen fuel than the little electric drones you see in the videos and some of those are supposedly being designed with solar panels to extend the range. One of the models used for monitoring ground water is supposed to have been used to follow a water source for 25 Km or about 15 miles using its onboard control. That is generally not a concern unless one is in a more urban environment and then there could be interference with aircraft. Just like the number of fools who shine the laser pointers at aircraft even though it is a Federal crime and puts lives at risk, they never think they will cause any harm or get caught ..... until they do.
They can use them to deliver guns to inmates, or strap explosives on them and fly them into a nuclear power plant. It's a huge security risk. But I don't know what the answer is.
10.5 km = 6.5 miles. the transmitter is 2.4 ghz. fpv is through wi fi. that video is not a stock dji phantom.
The first video I found was of a new drone just purchased going 5.2 km, but when I clicked on the link it had just changed so I had to find another.
Because of a few bad apples I'm afraid they are going to end up having to be regulated. I understand the avid recreational user in a wide open space like Johnston County doesn't present a problem. But put the untrained user in a place like NYC or LA and very bad things can happen very fast. I can see some type of licensing classes eventually being required. Obviously not as stringent as commercial pilots training but, still some type of formal training. I also see them eventually being required to have some type of transponder being required for ID purposes. The problem is that the crooks and bad guys will always get around being regulated.
Bucky, that's what I'm trying to get to with my post. I'm an avid hobbyist of 25 years. I got 2500 square feet of "shop" that I build planes in. One of my rc flying buddies has a real pilots license. We don't bother the neighbors. We fly within regulations. Problem is, they are getting too cheap and too easy. I've got 7 or 8 that could can carry a 20 pound payload. I don't know nothing about bombs, but how hard would it be to land one in a crowd? that is where the problem is!
20 pounds of semtex could put a large hole in a large dam, or cause massive damage to a nuclear power plant. Let alone what it would do to a large crowd, such as in times square. 3 pounds of it is enough to destroy completely a 2 story building. The possibility to carry it almost undetected for over a mile to a target, makes drones petty scary.
