UAS Sightings - Really?

[lookout]

But it makes a much better story, than saying, ' I think I saw something out there, probably a few hundred feet away, and I couldn't tell what it was, but I think I saw something ', the truth would be boring, and so they embellished on the story.

Where did UFO come from?

Carl Sagan explains.

 

[lookout]

Actually in real life, most pilots of planes, and helicopters, say above sea level. So do flight instructors, and air traffic controllers.

Above GROUND level yes
Above SEA level no

 

[Airmark1]

All of the stuff below is USA info that is yes, opinion sometimes.

I am a professional EDIT - Manned Aircraft - pilot of 20+ years of flying commercially. Pilots can and will use MSL and AGL altitudes all of the time.

Of course we almost always reference our altitude in terms of MSL. ATC and pilots would lose their minds if altitude was referenced as AGL on a normal bases. It's just not practical over varied terrain, So, nearly all ATC instructions and calls are given in MSL.

Yes, we say Above Ground Level and Above Sea Level. Maybe not as a love poem to each other, but we say those terms or similar often.

On a visual approach I will often say to the person next to me to "Altitude to 1,500 above, please". To us this means set the Altitude Selector (for warnings and flight directors etc) to 1,500 feet above the airport AGL but set as a MSL altitude. So yes, we as pilot can use both altitudes, both terms, within a few seconds.

The concept of a UAS pilot flying 400' above the mountain top near them making them higher than the valley next to them is of course possible. But this still is "low" compared to the safe altitude that a pilot would fly over that "mountain top" terrain. Normally the lowest AGL altitude that a pilot can fly in non congested areas is 500' (unless taking off and landing blah blah blah).

So....a drone at the wrong, higher than 400' AGL (or structure) is just plain dangerous, stupid and nearly always illegal.


In the past 2 or so years, I have had TWO close encounters with A-hole drone operators. Both in SoCal airspace. One was North of LAX...kinda like over SMO....I think that one was at 5,000' (MSL). It was only 500' below us and close enough to go OH CRAP!!! When it passed off of our wing.


The second one was a couple of weeks ago. We were on an ILS (instrument) approach into TOA. We were most definitely in controlled airspace. That encounter was at the same altitude as us, 2,000 MSL. It was 500 feet or so off of our wing. Horizontally.


BOTH of these were "CRAP, that was a F'ing Drone that passed us" after the fact as the eye picked up the peripheral movement VS head on visual, and yes it was close enough to turn a head and see it. We did not, probably COULD NOT have maneuvered around both of these. We are flying at high speeds, in already congested airspace, on approaches, etc. We don't always have the time and ability to look out for random drones.

It is a matter time that a drone takes down an aircraft. EDIT or severely damage and aircraft.
And yes, they totally and completely can even if they are just small toys (they are not really just toys, but you get what I mean).

Scary Poop