Just how dangerous is a Drone

[Johnmcl7]

You are a lot more likely to get killed by a car or another large land vehicle than by a falling drone.

It's curious though how people just seem to accept that risk though and worry about very, very minor risks. Assessing risk is about both the probability of the risk occurring and the how hazardous the risk is. Although the number of drones is increasing there's still not that many of them out there and furthermore of the drone crashes there, failures where the drone falls dead out of the sky from a high height are very rare. A large number of accidents with drones are when they hit something like a tree or low down so they don't actually fall that much or the drone ends up out of range or battery power where it lands itself.

Cars on the other hand.... 2017 in the UK saw just under 1800 people killed which means averaging it out ten people could have been killed by cars just since this topic was started. On top of that 25,000 were seriously injured and 145,000 minor injuries and that's just our little country. If there were any fatalities or serious injuries caused by drones that year I can find any evidence of them so the drones have a long way to go to put it mildly.

 

[old man mavic]

It's curious though how people just seem to accept that risk though and worry about very, very minor risks. Assessing risk is about both the probability of the risk occurring and the how hazardous the risk is. Although the number of drones is increasing there's still not that many of them out there and furthermore of the drone crashes there, failures where the drone falls dead out of the sky from a high height are very rare. A large number of accidents with drones are when they hit something like a tree or low down so they don't actually fall that much or the drone ends up out of range or battery power where it lands itself.

Cars on the other hand.... 2017 in the UK saw just under 1800 people killed which means averaging it out ten people could have been killed by cars just since this topic was started. On top of that 25,000 were seriously injured and 145,000 minor injuries and that's just our little country. If there were any fatalities or serious injuries caused by drones that year I can find any evidence of them so the drones have a long way to go to put it mildly.

i think that this thread is really trying to show that in fact drones are not that dangerous which is not what the media would have us believe yes they could cause damage to an aircraft if they hit one and possibly cause trauma to a person if they fell from the sky for what ever reason but statistics show that the risk is very small

 

[Point Zero]

i think that this thread is really trying to show that in fact drones are not that dangerous which is not what the media would have us believe yes they could cause damage to an aircraft if they hit one and possibly cause trauma to a person if they fell from the sky for what ever reason but statistics show that the risk is very small

Well some people are trying to show and ask others to acknowledge that drones are statistically speaking very safe. Others would have you believe they are miniature death stars that will one day destroy everything! I mean they are even going to destroy the super bowl if you haven't already heard.

 

[Point Zero]

It's curious though how people just seem to accept that risk though and worry about very, very minor risks. Assessing risk is about both the probability of the risk occurring and the how hazardous the risk is. Although the number of drones is increasing there's still not that many of them out there and furthermore of the drone crashes there, failures where the drone falls dead out of the sky from a high height are very rare. A large number of accidents with drones are when they hit something like a tree or low down so they don't actually fall that much or the drone ends up out of range or battery power where it lands itself.

Cars on the other hand.... 2017 in the UK saw just under 1800 people killed which means averaging it out ten people could have been killed by cars just since this topic was started. On top of that 25,000 were seriously injured and 145,000 minor injuries and that's just our little country. If there were any fatalities or serious injuries caused by drones that year I can find any evidence of them so the drones have a long way to go to put it mildly.

Its not so curious why people do that if you look at what the media do. They find a subject that is very cheap for them to report but has a maximum effect of grabbing peoples attention. They roll with it until people get bored or workout it was pretty much all BS. In short people are told what they should worry about and what they shouldn't worry about.

 

[old man mavic]

Well some people are trying to show and ask others to acknowledge that drones are statistically speaking very safe. Others would have you believe they are miniature death stars that will one day destroy everything! I mean they are even going to destroy the super bowl if you haven't already heard.

as i said in my post #11 earlier in this thread its the PIC who is the real danger if they fly outside of the rules not the drone itself that is why all these negative reports are being put out by the media

 

[deleted member 877]

I think it's more about Risk - less about Statistics. The odds of getting attacked by a shark are infinitesimal but we minimise risk by not swimming in places where sharks are likely to be present.

Similarly with drones. We minimise the risk of our drones injuring people by not flying over or within a specified distance of those not directly involved in our drone operations.

Authorities such as FAA and CASA are not really interested in statistics - they typically formulate their regulations based on potential risk. Statistics and scientific studies may well indicate that a drone falling on someone likely won't kill them but it's that one in a million chance that someone gets killed is what the authorities seriously consider when drafting regulations.

 

[Point Zero]

I think it's more about Risk - less about Statistics. The odds of getting attacked by a shark are infinitesimal but we minimise risk by not swimming in places where sharks are likely to be present.

Or we could learn about the other incredible creatures we share this planet with choose not to fear them and do stuff like this with the knowledge gained?

 

[deleted member 877]

Or we could learn about the other incredible creatures we share this planet with choose not to fear them and do stuff like this with the knowledge gained?

How is that statement in any way relevant to this discussion?

 

[old man mavic]

Or we could learn about the other incredible creatures we share this planet with choose not to fear them and do stuff like this with the knowledge gained?
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ah the great white mavic very dangerous glad they dont fly

 

[Point Zero]

How is that statement in any way relevant to this discussion?

I just sense fear fear fear from all the people going on about rules and regulations and laws and this rubbish and that rubbish. You said we don't swim in shark infested waters, I showed you, real people with brains and heart and intelligence do. Please tell young kids about risk and life and death and lets just enjoy these drones for what they are, harmless fun devices.

 

[deleted member 877]

I just sense fear fear fear from all the people going on about rules and regulations and laws and this rubbish and that rubbish. You said we don't swim in shark infested waters, I showed you, real people with brains and heart and intelligence do. Please tell young kids about risk and life and death and lets just enjoy these drones for what they are, harmless fun devices.

So what exactly is your point? Are you suggesting that there should not be any rules or regulations governing Drone Flying operations? Are you suggesting that a drone cannot cause harm regardless of who is operating the drone or how and/or where that person is flying it?

And I don't get your thing about people swimming with sharks and how it gives them an advantage in terms of brains, heart or intelligence - just does not make any sense whatsoever.

 

[old man mavic]

I just sense fear fear fear from all the people going on about rules and regulations and laws and this rubbish and that rubbish. You said we don't swim in shark infested waters, I showed you, real people with brains and heart and intelligence do. Please tell young kids about risk and life and death and lets just enjoy these drones for what they are, harmless fun devices.

the multitude of UAV owners who fly just want to enjoy there harmless fun devices but it is the few irresponsible ones that have caused all the negative media attention because the media thrive on this sort of news it sells

 

[Drone on]

I love the physics of this thread, I copied it and will present it to my 8th grade science students asking them to evaluate it.

present it to my 8th grade science students asking them to evaluate it.

that hurt

 

[AMann]

present it to my 8th grade science students asking them to evaluate it.

that hurt

No, it’s a great problem! We also calculated the Newton forces required for the boosters on Curiosity Rover’s Skycrane maneuverers from when rhe shield seperated to when it lowered Curiosity to the surface of Mars.

 

[Drone on]

No, it’s a great problem! We also calculated the Newton forces required for the boosters on Curiosity Rover’s Skycrane maneuverers from when rhe shield seperated to when it lowered Curiosity to the surface of Mars.

I imagine so. I was simply saying that while the debate ranged on, I didn't sense we could solve the problem. Can you walk us through it in layman's terms

 

[Tim Santa Maria]

Hi Posters

Wow, as I a newbie this stuff applies to me as both a recreational and wanna-be commercial operator. Based on the 3 pages of posts I found both scientific and practical experience from a number of operators/pilots and will try to apply what I've learned. If I'm better informed and educated, I'm more aware of what is going on around me which hopefully makes me a better flyer and more safety conscious.

FYI for other Newbies. I've just got my CASA RePL (Remote Pilots License) and AROC (Aeronautical Radio Operators Certificate) because we intend to use my drone for paid professional/commercial purposes. In Australia CASA means the Civil Aviation Safety Authority so you need to follow a licencing process. These more stricter rules apply mainly to commercial operators so recreational pilots have a different set of operating rules, however, the basic safety rules apply across the board for everybody. Other countries also have a similar regulatory and air safety body. I also did my training, certification and licensing through an approved CASA Registered Training Organisation (RTO) where they helped me with all the administrative application processes and procedures. The exams are very practically based with a mixture of basic aeronautical theory, engineering and practical skills. You don't need any special academic qualifications or experience (except that CASA expects you to achieve a certain standard level or numeracy and literacy if you sit for the AROC). AROC is a CASA qualification that forms part of the commercial application. Night and flying by instrument ratings are more commercial endorsements to apply for.

The more commercially orientated you take your drone flying, the more of this kind of scientific technical and practical knowledge and experience you gain to enable you to fly safer and more confidently allows you to focus on actual airtime rather than getting too bogged down in bureaucratic red tape. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy your flying. What I get paid to have fun and fly drones as part of my professional job description? YEP.

This is one of the best post for newbies to read so take what you need and learn what you can from the experiences of the community. Happy flying.

Regards

Tim

 

[Meta4]

A 2 pound drone traveling at 30mph will impact an object with 60 foot pounds of energy keep in mind a baseball doesn't have sharp edges, extended legs, whirling props and so on. And that is controlled flight.
What about free fall terminal velocity is 122 MPH now I'm not saying the drone will reach those speeds at a free fall (dead stick) but let's say it can reach 75 mph on a dead stick free fall that means it will impact with over 350 foot pounds of energy (378 fpe)

There's data from a number of Phantoms that have fallen from the sky and their terminal velocity was nothing like that.
Their speed varied as they tumbled but was mostly in the high 30s mph.
They have a lot more wind resistance than a baseball.

 

[lmel2005]

Be careful when walking outside of your house, because the energy of a falling marble or a falling piece of glass, is lethal.

If someone wants to measure real danger of drone usage, he should take in account the POSSIBILITY of such an accident, and the results of real accidents that have happened.

Until now, drones are NOT a threat.

 

[Willie14228]

Be careful when walking outside of your house, because the energy of a falling marble or a falling piece of glass, is lethal.

If someone wants to measure real danger of drone usage, he should take in account the POSSIBILITY of such an accident, and the results of real accidents that have happened.

Until now, drones are NOT a threat.

The POSSIBILITY increases with every flier with this kind of mindset,
The drone isn't the danger it's the drone pilot who ignores the POSSIBILITY just because they want to make a name for themselves on YouTube. It's the drone pilot who ignores the no fly zones and regs because he or she doesn't think.

 

[Meta4]

The POSSIBILITY increases with every flier with this kind of mindset,
The drone isn't the danger it's the drone pilot who ignores the POSSIBILITY just because they want to make a name for themselves on YouTube. It's the drone pilot who ignores the no fly zones and regs because he or she doesn't think.

The fact remains, despite the number of drones out there in the wild, there are remarkably few reports of them causing damage to anyone/anything.