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Can Drones Really Get National Airspace Access?

Posted by Soulskill on from the hard-to-conquer-the-world-otherwise dept.

coondoggie writes "There is a push by a variety of proponents to give unmanned aircraft more free rein in US airspace, but safety is a major hitch in that effort. The Federal Aviation Administration said this week that data from the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency, which flies unmanned systems on border patrols, shows a total of 5,688 flight hours from Fiscal Year 2006 to July 13, 2010. The CBP accident rate is 52.7 accidents per 100,000 flight hours. This accident rate is more than seven times the general aviation accident rate (7.11 accidents/100,000 flight hours) and 353 times the commercial aviation accident rate (0.149 accidents/100,000 flight hours)." An FAA executive noted that an "accident" refers to a situation in which "the aircraft has done something unplanned or unexpected and violates an airspace regulation."

7 of 107 comments (clear)

  1. I wonder... by thewise1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...is firing a hellfire missile a airspace regulation violation?

    1. Re:I wonder... by pushing-robot · · Score: 2, Funny

      Well, the FAA is notoriously biased against missiles. And you don't want to know how much flak you get just for building a small AA battery in your backyard.

      --
      How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
  2. Re:Uh, yeah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    I was under the impression that violating military airspace is very bad, and the FAA may not be the prosecuting agency.

    Indeed. Violating military airspace will not involve the FAA to get you out. Fighters will intercept you, and if you do not willingly land with them, they will simply shoot you down. All important questions can be dealt with later.

  3. Re:Caveat by Zerth · · Score: 3, Funny

    Only one survivor (thanks to nearby boaters).

    Wow, where was this?

    I definitely wouldn't want to go boating there, if they're that territorial...

  4. Re:I'm impressed, they are worse than GA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    Wanna improve your odds when flying private?

    ... Can you say preflight briefing?!?! It's a TOLL FREE CALL!!! (that I generally make, often while on the way to the airport)

    So do you make the call on your cellphone while you are driving to the airport?

    :->

  5. Re:Uh, yeah by mysidia · · Score: 2, Funny

    Hm... so if the DMV were more like the FAA.......

    On your way travelling to your vacation spot, you take a small course deviation from your plan, and stop to get something to eat and do some extra touring. Oops! Accident

    The road's closed, so you backtrack and take a different path. Oops! Accident

    You get behind a slow car, so you decide to pass them, using the vacant left lane. Oops! That's an accident

    The whether gets really nasty so you slow down, causing your arrival time to be wrong.. Oops! Accident

    Some jerk pulls out in front of you, so you slam on your breaks, and barely manage to avoid hitting them. Oops! Accident

    You get to a road where the speed limit is 45 due to an unannounced change from 65, according to your travel plan, you will travel at 65... oops Accident no matter what speed you travel. (You travel 45, it's an accident because you failed to follow your plan; you travel 65, then it's an accident because you disobeyed the road space regulations)

  6. Re:Caveat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    What I worry about is the UAV pilot who doesn't have his own life at stake and won't worry about a few little fuck-ups that would kill him if he was flying IRL.

    You mean if he was airborne. We're talking about pilots who are flying "IRL", albeit from the ground. If it was other-than-IRL, we wouldn't care. In fact, we don't care if somebody crashes in a flight sim. It happens every day.