Unfortunate News Article

[jay2020]

Here’s an unfortunate event and article that made the “front page” of the news online:

Rhode Island pilot describes moment a drone nearly struck his small plane

A Quonset State Airport-based private pilot says he experienced a mid-air scare with a drone on Monday night. "It was literally 20 to 50 feet right above my head -- right there," Bill Weedon told NBC 10 News. "Didn't have time to be scared. Just reacted. "According to Weedon, it happened while...

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[BSauce955]

Here’s an unfortunate event and article that made the “front page” of the news online:

Rhode Island pilot describes moment a drone nearly struck his small plane

A Quonset State Airport-based private pilot says he experienced a mid-air scare with a drone on Monday night. "It was literally 20 to 50 feet right above my head -- right there," Bill Weedon told NBC 10 News. "Didn't have time to be scared. Just reacted. "According to Weedon, it happened while...

turnto10.com

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I hate airheads like these that make the FAA tighten its grip on this hobby. I know some of these fines seem harsh, but when you really look at it, it's really just what they deserve. Maybe something like a stop that forces purchasers of drones to watch an instructional video before taking off would be helpful. However, those of us that actually know the rules and follow them would also be affected but I mean, it's better than the hobby rules becoming more stringent than they already are.

 

[sar104]

Hard to gauge the likelihood of that report being accurate. The described position above the aircraft would certainly have made a drone easy for the pilot to spot. The altitude of 3000 ft is obviously achievable, but makes the event much lower probability than an encounter on approach or departure, since it would have to be either non-DJI or hacked and the volumetric traffic density is much lower up there.

 

[BSauce955]

...since it would have to be either non-DJI...

The picture does show a Parrot Anafi...

 

[Jagerbomb52]

That report is full of garbage. For one the Anafi shown in that photo will never reach the speeds he claims and for it to go that high will pretty hard for that little bird. Probably a high flying crow.
Used to be 150 meters for max height but I have not checked lately.

 

[sar104]

That report is full of garbage. For one the Anafi shown in that photo will never reach the speeds he claims and for it to go that high will pretty hard for that little bird. Probably a high flying crow

No - you cannot conclude that the report is full of garbage just based on that.

1. The pilot did not say that the drone was flying at 100 mph - he said, correctly, that sUAS are permitted to fly up to that speed.
2. The photo is obviously just added to the news report for context since he doesn't appear to have claimed to identify the make/model involved - just that it had that kind of appearance. That would include the Mavic Pro and the Autel quads, for example, which can easily reach 3000 ft.
3. It should be pretty easy to distinguish a crow from a UAV, and very few birds fly at that altitude except, sometimes, in migratory flocks. Most bird activity is < 500 ft AGL.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

No - you cannot conclude that the report is full of garbage just based on that.

1. The pilot did not say that the drone was flying at 100 mph - he said, correctly, that sUAS are permitted to fly up to that speed.
2. The photo is obviously just added to the news report for context since he doesn't appear to have claimed to identify the make/model involved - just that it had that kind of appearance. That would include the Mavic Pro and the Autel quads, for example, which can easily reach 3000 ft.
3. It should be pretty easy to distinguish a crow from a UAV, and very few birds fly at that altitude except, sometimes, in migratory flocks. Most bird activity is < 500 ft AGL.

He still is just guessing on what he saw. Seems pretty worried about his covering on his plane. Birds will do some pretty good damage to it also so if he is that worried then he should stay on the ground.

 

[sar104]

He still is just guessing on what he saw. Seems pretty worried about his covering on his plane. Birds will do some pretty good damage to it also so if he is that worried then he should stay on the ground.

I really don't understand your position here. Why do you think he is guessing? What do you even mean by that? And then you proceed to argue that if he is worried about colliding with a UAV he simply shouldn't fly? What kind of message does that send about the attitude of the sUAS community to aviation safety?

 

[Jagerbomb52]

I really don't understand your position here. Why do you think he is guessing? What do you even mean by that? And then you proceed to argue that if he is worried about colliding with a UAV he simply shouldn't fly? What kind of message does that send about the attitude of the sUAS community to aviation safety?

Did you watch his video. The man was over reacting to something he thinks he saw. No proof at all.
I'm done. Have your way. All pilots that report drones know for sure what they saw according to you.

 

[sar104]

Did you watch his video. The man was over reacting to something he thinks he saw. No proof at all.

Yes - I watched his video. He reported a near miss with a drone. Whether or not he was correct, how is that overreacting? What kind of proof would you like to have seen before he should have reported it? Video? Some smoking wreckage, perhaps?

I'm done. Have your way.

You are done because in the absence of anything reasonable to say, you have resorted to logical fallacies, deflections and whataboutisms.

All pilots that report drones know for sure what they saw according to you.

How do you square that assertion with post #3?

 

[eEridani]

As a GA pilot myself, what the pilot who they interviewed said is accurate. You tend to think worst case when something scares you in flight. So saying 100MPH for a drone versus and whatever his airspeed was is worst case, but also it isn't wrong.

Unless you've met another flying object at altitude, you really can't understand the experience. My first incident with such was a hawk or eagle at 6000 feet. Yes, I could see his yellow talons as he went full stop as I passed by him on my left.

Do I want to outlaw raptors from the air? Not really, but I do wish they obey the flight rules.

 

[sar104]

As a GA pilot myself, what the pilot who they interviewed said is accurate. You tend to think worst case when something scares you in flight. So saying 100MPH for a drone versus and whatever his airspeed was is worst case, but also it isn't wrong.

Unless you've met another flying object at altitude, you really can't understand the experience. My first incident with such was a hawk or eagle at 6000 feet. Yes, I could see his yellow talons as he went full stop as I passed by him on my left.

Do I want to outlaw raptors from the air? Not really, but I do wish they obey the flight rules.

They really should be limited to 400 ft AGL...

 

[MARK (LI)]

There are all kinds of possibilities here....it could have happened just as he describes....it could have been something else that he thought was a drone....he could have made the whole thing up....the only thing we all can do is remain a part of the majority of drone operators who fly according to the regulations, doing our best to keep the skies as safe as we can...without drawing negative attention to the hobby ......and realize that this is an instance where RID would be a valuable tool to track down the offender.....although anyone flying at that height, disregarding the regs, would probably figure out how to disable it...or build his own drone without it

 

[spsphotos]

OR....it could have been a flyaway drone...one that lost signal and just kept going up. No indication that it was actually moving toward him. 3000' is pretty high for a small UAV given the wind, thinner air, etc. Not impossible but still.

 

[tlswift58]

Here’s an unfortunate event and article that made the “front page” of the news online:

Rhode Island pilot describes moment a drone nearly struck his small plane

A Quonset State Airport-based private pilot says he experienced a mid-air scare with a drone on Monday night. "It was literally 20 to 50 feet right above my head -- right there," Bill Weedon told NBC 10 News. "Didn't have time to be scared. Just reacted. "According to Weedon, it happened while...

turnto10.com

View attachment 136498

Someone flying a 100 mph drone at 3,000 feet? C'mon man! Sensational media theatrics for sure. Yes, the drone could have been at 3,000 ft, but a baseball sized drone flying 100 mph causing an impact at 200 mph is ludicris.

Yet, there are rogues / cowboys who FLY the way they want and that does cause all of us grief! We read some of their posts here in this forum!

 

[tlswift58]

The picture does show a Parrot Anafi...

Stock photo I'm sure. The aircraft pilot had no time to get his cell phone / camera to take a picture - at least what I read.

 

[tlswift58]

He still is just guessing on what he saw. Seems pretty worried about his covering on his plane. Birds will do some pretty good damage to it also so if he is that worried then he should stay on the ground.

No doubt. Saw what a turkey buzzard can do to the leading edge of an A-10 on too many occasions. Guess who gets to clean that mess up - not the pilot?

 

[maven4336]

What an idiot if I could only catch one of these punks I’ll take his controller and throw it on the ground and stomp it to 1 million pieces with my cowboy boot

 

[Droniac]

Here’s an unfortunate event and article that made the “front page” of the news online:

Rhode Island pilot describes moment a drone nearly struck his small plane

A Quonset State Airport-based private pilot says he experienced a mid-air scare with a drone on Monday night. "It was literally 20 to 50 feet right above my head -- right there," Bill Weedon told NBC 10 News. "Didn't have time to be scared. Just reacted. "According to Weedon, it happened while...

turnto10.com

View attachment 136498

That sucks on numerous levels. Dang. Fly very safe following regulations so there won’t be more of them. So people don’t get hurt? People, birds, everything else. Godspeed and safe flights to all. Droniac.

 

[Droniac]

That report is full of garbage. For one the Anafi shown in that photo will never reach the speeds he claims and for it to go that high will pretty hard for that little bird. Probably a high flying crow.
Used to be 150 meters for max height but I have not checked lately.

100 mph? Hmmm. Dual Turbo charger ? Fly safely. Avoiding bad press. And inaccurate press. They make news not just report it as we are all aware. Safety first & Godspeed Droniac