Feds under pressure to open US skies to drones

[Oddball]

WASHINGTON – Unmanned aircraft have proved their usefulness and reliability in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Now the pressure's on to allow them in the skies over the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been asked to issue flying rights for a range of pilotless planes to carry out civilian and law-enforcement functions but has been hesitant to act. Officials are worried that they might plow into airliners, cargo planes and corporate jets that zoom around at high altitudes, or helicopters and hot air balloons that fly as low as a few hundred feet off the ground.

On top of that, these pilotless aircraft come in a variety of sizes. Some are as big as a small airliner, others the size of a backpack. The tiniest are small enough to fly through a house window.

The obvious risks have not deterred the civilian demand for pilotless planes. Tornado researchers want to send them into storms to gather data. Energy companies want to use them to monitor pipelines. State police hope to send them up to capture images of speeding cars' license plates. Local police envision using them to track fleeing suspects.

Feds under pressure to open US skies to drones - Yahoo! News

As a paraglider driver, who neither files flight plans, carries a transponder nor shows up on radar, I say no friggin' way!....This is a wreck just waiting to happen.

Discuss.

 

[Ravi]

Even a broken clock is right twice a day.

 

[Oddball]

So that's how you manage pull it off!

 

[WillowTree]

WASHINGTON – Unmanned aircraft have proved their usefulness and reliability in the war zones of Afghanistan and Iraq. Now the pressure's on to allow them in the skies over the United States.

The Federal Aviation Administration has been asked to issue flying rights for a range of pilotless planes to carry out civilian and law-enforcement functions but has been hesitant to act. Officials are worried that they might plow into airliners, cargo planes and corporate jets that zoom around at high altitudes, or helicopters and hot air balloons that fly as low as a few hundred feet off the ground.

On top of that, these pilotless aircraft come in a variety of sizes. Some are as big as a small airliner, others the size of a backpack. The tiniest are small enough to fly through a house window.

The obvious risks have not deterred the civilian demand for pilotless planes. Tornado researchers want to send them into storms to gather data. Energy companies want to use them to monitor pipelines. State police hope to send them up to capture images of speeding cars' license plates. Local police envision using them to track fleeing suspects.

Feds under pressure to open US skies to drones - Yahoo! News

As a paraglider driver, who neither files flight plans, carries a transponder nor shows up on radar, I say no friggin' way!....This is a wreck just waiting to happen.

Discuss.

not only that but the mexicans fly drugs in using drones,, next they add illegals.

 

[del]

if we don't let the govt watch us every second, the terrorists win.

if you're doing nothing wrong, then you have nothing to fear.

the check's in the mail.

that is all.

 

[Oddball]

Actually, my concerns are more of practicality than anything else.

An unpiloted aircraft just doesn't have the visual scanning ability and decision making powers of a live pilot. Then, you introduce that drone into an urban airspace, that has a lot of pilots taking all sorts of ad hoc flight paths (i.e Los Angeles), and you have a recipe for disaster.

 

[WillowTree]

Actually, my concerns are more of practicality than anything else.

An unpiloted aircraft just doesn't have the visual scanning ability and decision making powers of a live pilot. Then, you introduce that drone into an urban airspace, that has a lot of pilots taking all sorts of ad hoc flight paths (i.e Los Angeles), and you have a recipe for disaster.

I think you have to have an appointment to fly into LA..

 

[Oddball]

The traffic/police chase choppers don't....They're the ones with the most laissez-faire flight paths.

Not to mention that when summer rolls around, there a lots and lots of HGs and PGs going on X-country flights...They don't file flight plans or carry transponders.