Plane avoids "drone".....AGAIN!

[Motopreserve]

MSNBC just reported that a plane on approach to LaGuardia had to avoid a drone by climbing 200 feet.

Come on people! Let's be smart. If you are flying anywhere NEAR LaGuardia, you're not only foolish and outside the law, but really are proving that you have no common sense. If you've ever landed at LaGuardia, you know there is no need to ADD difficulty for the pilot.

 

[econfly]

This is going to be an issue for the duration. No amount of law will stop a dedicated fool.

I'm a gun owner and pay close attention to second amendment politics. This is so similar. Every once in a while there is a tragedy / act of evil / or just stupidity, and the political knee jerks for more rules while the citizenry polarizes into "those things are evil" vs. "don't take away my things". Generally nothing happens apart from panic buying. Nothing sells product like fear that it might go away.

We will have to get accustomed to periodic panics in the drone/sUAS/RC/whatever world, and ultimately we would be better off with a coordinated and well funded political machine on our side. I'm not a big fan of the NRA (my views are more radical...), but they get things done.

 

[Motopreserve]

I know it's not going to stop - but it seems to me that there needs to be a concerted effort to let idiots know they're being idiots. If they knew already, we wouldn't need to remind them.

Someone who has decided to shirk responsibility, and knows what they're doing is wrong, but decide to go ahead and do it anyway....not going to stop them. But I think some of these people are just a little slow on the uptake, and a gentle nudge (or whack upside the head with a 2x4!) might be the prodding they need to think before they act.

Pipe dream? Most likely. But it never hurts to try (except for the kid who gets the 2x4)

 

[JoeBob]

At 2700 feet?

There are so many of these sightings that I'm starting to wonder if they are real. No photo (both hands on the yoke!), nothing on radar (too small), just blip in the corner of the pilot's eye as he goes by at high speed.

 

[econfly]

I know it's not going to stop - but it seems to me that there needs to be a concerted effort to let idiots know they're being idiots. If they knew already, we wouldn't need to remind them.

Someone who has decided to shirk responsibility, and knows what they're doing is wrong, but decide to go ahead and do it anyway....not going to stop them. But I think some of these people are just a little slow on the uptake, and a gentle nudge (or whack upside the head with a 2x4!) might be the prodding they need to think before they act.

Pipe dream? Most likely. But it never hurts to try (except for the kid who gets the 2x4)

Completely agree. But there is only so much you can do. For a long while now I've had this dystopian view of the future where technological advance implies reduction in liberty to the point of some Orwellian police state. The more technology allows one man to be a threat to many, the more the many will demand control of that one man. The easier it is to monitor and control the greater the desire to monitor and control will be. It's happening right now. My view is we do all we can to keep the fools from being foolish through education and brow-beating (your point) but also that we do all we can to push back against fear turning to tyranny. That is hard to do. Fear is a tremendous motivator that brings out the worst in people.

 

[Motopreserve]

I get it. And I agree, it's a balance between regulating and not fearing so much that the innovation gets squashed. I'd say this same issue has arisen for the printing press, cars, guns etc etc. Of course the government could go too far. But then again, people could give them less of a reason to go to far.

Just have to keep at the education and prodding toward responsible use of the technology - and hope it at least helps avoid some major catastrophe.

JoeBob: I think the concept of it being mistaken identity has been mentioned here before (if not here, I read it somewhere a while back). Not out of the question. But probably not 100% wrong either.

 

[econfly]

Much of this is aligning the fear with reality. Planes hit birds, sometimes with tragic results. I can't see how a Phantom is going to be more damaging than a goose. But people fear the unknown and the novel.

What worries me is that there is real evil out there, and often baked into some fairly limited minds. For example, Drudge is relating the drone story with green lasers being pointed at planes during takeoff/landing. Now I can imagine some fool with his new Phantom wanting to film airplanes and not thinking about the risk (or perceived risk) of doing it. What I can't imagine is pointing a laser at a plane when the only possible results apart from nothing are pilot impairment, flight path change, or disaster. Doing that takes evil -- not necessarily TV/movie "evil" but just the dark place in small minds where amusement is associated with the misery of others. That never goes away.

 

[Motopreserve]

All the news outlets are talking about the two incidents together at this point. At least they were at lunchtime. By now they're on to some other topic that they really haven't researched either.

I think the only difference between a bird and Phantom is the fact that one we can control. Not the first, and certainly not the last time people will grasp onto the small things they can control

 

[MombasaFlash]

If I were God for a day the bleeding Phantom would be abolished. A curse on the poxy damn thing and the great ignorant unwashed that are able to afford it.

 

[jfro]

I haven't heard what kind of MR it is. Did I miss it being a Phantom?

I'm wondering if it's some dummy or is it / was it a fly away. Can't imagine anyone going up that high in a major metropolitan aread on purpose. Kind of beyond dumb.

There is a certain company that has been having more than a few unexplained fly aways and in one documented case this past week, it went straight up out of sight........

 

[Motopreserve]

There was no mention of the type. Can't imagine they'd be able to ID it at that speed. But the news was sure to use Phantoms when reporting the story

 

[Mattmesa]

At 2700 feet?

There are so many of these sightings that I'm starting to wonder if they are real. No photo (both hands on the yoke!), nothing on radar (too small), just blip in the corner of the pilot's eye as he goes by at high speed.

Real or not, the public is eating up the drama, also it could even be someone trying to keep Multirotors out of the sky. Most people think that if we are flying in the general area we are taking video of them and invading their privacy even if it is a public place, last time I checked, I'm not a popparazzi and pretty sure they aren't famous. Regardless of why it happens and how much the news uses, it is a problem for those of us that respect the law, other people's privacy and property, and would like to continue to have fun with our great hobby

 

[Mattmesa]

Another thing about the report I heard was quickly passed over, at JFK airport people keep aiming Green Lasers at the Jets, apparently this can be as far away as 50 miles and still be a problem. But for now the "Drones" win in the News.

 

[Old Man]

This is going to be an issue for the duration. No amount of law will stop a dedicated fool.

I'm a gun owner and pay close attention to second amendment politics. This is so similar. Every once in a while there is a tragedy / act of evil / or just stupidity, and the political knee jerks for more rules while the citizenry polarizes into "those things are evil" vs. "don't take away my things". Generally nothing happens apart from panic buying. Nothing sells product like fear that it might go away.

We will have to get accustomed to periodic panics in the drone/sUAS/RC/whatever world, and ultimately we would be better off with a coordinated and well funded political machine on our side. I'm not a big fan of the NRA (my views are more radical...), but they get things done.

Although I completely agree with the need for a political group the problem is in paying for it. Many people will join an organization and have good intentions with supporting it, right up to the moment they find out there's a need for them to send money to support it.

People that organize such a group have to devote immense time and effort to put it together, make political contacts, attend meetings, establish rapport with manufacturers and users, and somehow find time to work a day job. They can be the most dedicated and altruistic people that have ever lived but the still have to support their families and pay the bills.

Putting in 16-18 hour days 7 days a week when you can only make money 8 hours a day for 5 days takes a heavy toll on people. Worse, their day to day expenses increase dramatically because of phone and travel expenses. It does not take long before they are forced to review what is happening to their family life and personal funds before they have to make a choice; give up all they have for others to benefit or cease the political activity to focus on survival.

Think about this when stating a need for organized representation. Any organization needs not just the moral support of the members, they need financial support too, and not just on a one time only contribution basis. You either have a lot of members periodically contributing a little at a time or a few members kicking in a lot.

Ultimately the consequences of not having a group that represents our needs and professions will bring massive over regulation. The big outfits are looking out for their long term financial interests, not ours.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mattmesa]

On the side of political protection, we can all write our Senators and Congressmen as well as our local law makers at little to no cost.

 

[MombasaFlash]

... Did I miss it being a Phantom?... was it a fly away ... beyond dumb ... a certain company........

We gave up being diplomatic years ago when talking about DJI. There is little doubt that it would have been a Phantom, not because the Phantom itself is bad, but because it is really affordable, sold everywhere and the glossy DJI marketing blares in your face that it does everything by itself. PERFECT for the hordes of Brainless Ignorant Cocks that infest the world. Like the type who would not think twice about flying in front of a landing plane to get a really dope shot, dude.

Whether the La Guardia incident even happened or not is irrelevant because time rolls on and sooner or later a BIC will succeed.

 

[dazzab]

I really think that hobby multi rotors should be firmware limited to a very low altitude and distance from the Tx. If you want to extend these limits perhaps registration or licensing would be appropriate. At the very least require insurance coverage.

 

[MombasaFlash]

Yup!
I have long advocated a two tiered FC system whereby experienced/professional operators have wider access to parameter adjustment and less experienced/dickheads are much more restricted. Evaluation procedures with registration and the issue of a certificate of some nature would precede access to wider FC parameters and unlock height and distance limits. This would have to apply to ALL operators, even hobby fliers.

The problem is, how is that sort of thing ever organised and implemented?

The whole aero-modelling game changed with the emergence of the camera toting multi-rotor. It attracts the sort of creatures that have no interest in aero-modelling who either think they are going to be a movie director or are looking for sensational YouTube hits.

 

[Motopreserve]

I really think that hobby multi rotors should be firmware limited to a very low altitude and distance from the Tx. If you want to extend these limits perhaps registration or licensing would be appropriate. At the very least require insurance coverage.

This seems like a reasonable approach to me. I personally have had no issue remaining below the 400 foot mark or staying a safe distance from airports, and if I get to a point where I really need to film that giant Sequoia, then I would accept the responsibility to prove my pilot-worthiness.

As Jfro pointed out, there is a video circulating of an Inspire ascending during a flyaway above the height limit set in the app. So it's not out of the question that this could have been the case here. Still incredibly stupid to be flying within miles of a major airport. But as far as I know, that is supposed to be limited in firmware as well. So events like this need to be addressed and scrutinized by the manufacturers, so the efficacy of the firmware limits can be improved.

Sadly, the DJI owner/founder clearly didn't find these incidents to be a paramount concern in his Forbes interview.

 

[Mattmesa]

If gps flyways keep occurring, just eliminate the gps completely, the FAA already is proposing a 200ft recreational use ceiling, manual control and line of sight. Sometimes, simpler can be better! I do agree with a software limit to altitudes, but some Flight controllers like my kk2.1.5 doesn't have the ability, for FCs like mine I think an inline barometric module that limited the throttle would be appropriate.