Flight radar 24 for newbies, and maybe some oldbies.

[787steve]

I have seen several posts on Youtube , as well as this and other boards where people felt it was safe for them to fly higher, than recommended, or simply beyond VLOS because they had checked the Flightradar 24 app and found no traffic in their area. With all the new drone operators at this time of year, I just want to remind all that Flightradar 24 is an interesting app to use for enjoyment, but is NOT anything you should rely on for safety purposes. If you check out this site: "How it works - Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!", you will find that it does not display a very large portion of the traffic we are tasked to avoid. Be safe, and be sure any references you use for winds, or areas to avoid are valid. FR24 is not, and does not claim to be.

 

[CactusJackSlade]

Thanks for posting - people need to know

 

[787steve]

Lots of newbies right now. And, probably a few lessons to be learned the hard way.

 

[DanMan32]

I found flightaware to be somewhat better.

 

[Meta4]

I found flightaware to be somewhat better.

Neither can show you the large number of small aircraft that aren't using ADSB.
Those are the aircraft that are most likely to be in airspace that a drone can get to.

 

[Simmo]

Then realistically, those aircraft are a danger unto themselves no?

 

[Meta4]

How?
General aviation has been flying without transponders since Wilbur & Orville had their first lessons.

 

[Devlin]

Everything You Need to Know about Mode C Transponders

 

[787steve]

Then realistically, those aircraft are a danger unto themselves no?

Like MOST drone operators....no, even MORE than most drone operators, they tend to fly by the rules which do a pretty good job of keeping them from hitting each other.

 

[Drbobk]

And their heads “are on a swivel”, and they are always looking for traffic. Especially if you are beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) with your drone, you have nowhere near the same situational awareness of a pilot in a manned aircraft. And remember, the pilot’s life depends on doing a good job of this. He’s not just going to lose his drone if there’s a collision. ( I am a private pilot and Part 107 certified, and the rules are there for very good reasons.)