Slashdot Mirror


Drone Comes Within 200 Feet of Airliner Over New York

New submitter FoolishBluntman sends this quote from CNN: "An unmanned drone came within 200 feet of a commercial jet over New York, triggering an FBI appeal to the public for any information about the unusual and potentially dangerous incident. The crew of Alitalia Flight 608 approaching John F. Kennedy airport on Monday reported the sighting. 'We saw a drone, a drone aircraft,' the pilot can be heard telling air traffic controllers on radio calls captured by the website LiveATC.net. ... The unmanned aircraft, described by the FBI as black and no more than three feet wide with four propellers, came within 200 feet of the Boeing jetliner. The FBI said it was looking to identify and locate the aircraft and its operator. A source with knowledge of the incident says investigators interviewed the pilot and others on the Alitalia plane."

339 comments

  1. That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's not a drone. That's an R/C model plane.

    1. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      It's a UFO until classified as otherwise.

    2. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It was less than 3 miles from the airport and at 1750 ft altitude. Your average R/C aircraft pilot wouldn't be that stupid unless he/she is intent on getting in trouble.... Most R/C hobbyists are surprisingly aware of the laws related to their hobby. This sounds more like a daredevil intentionally getting near the flightpath... Maybe even using FPV with one of the newfangled quadcopters, 'cause at 1750 ft your 3ft aircraft is going to look more like a spec in the sky than something you can easily control.

    3. Re:That's not a drone by cyn1c77 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's not a drone. That's an R/C model plane.

      It's amusing that you think there's a difference between the two.

    4. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      An object that is unidentified, and flying, is a UFO.

    5. Re:That's not a drone by icebike · · Score: 2

      That's not a drone. That's an R/C model plane.

      Probably one of these, or similar model. Probably trying to get a photo. Or a plausibly deniable dry run.

      But sounds like something that could easily be blown out of proportion. TSA getting funds sequestered? Not any more.

      http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2009/12/091217-drone-03.jpg

      --
      Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
    6. Re:That's not a drone by lxs · · Score: 1

      And it's a black helicopter, so it's probably NSA. No word about it being equipped with mind control lasers though.

    7. Re:That's not a drone by Fri13 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Shh..... UFO is suppose to be sci-fi!

    8. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And it was identified as man less flaying machine, one similar to drone.

    9. Re:That's not a drone by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 2

      New York City is the headquarters of the United Nations. And the United Nations denied that they have plans to invade Texas: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/24/us-un-texas-duel-idUSBRE87N14A20120824

      So if they are denying it, that means that it has already started.

      Black invasion helicopters seen flying out of the UN headquarters in New York City in the direction of Texas?

      Probably.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
    10. Re:That's not a drone by stephanruby · · Score: 1

      It was less than 3 miles from the airport and at 1750 ft altitude. Your average R/C aircraft pilot wouldn't be that stupid unless he/she is intent on getting in trouble.... Most R/C hobbyists are surprisingly aware of the laws related to their hobby.

      The only clearly marked R/C hobbyist field in my area is about 200 feet from an international airport. I kid you not.

      Not that my drone could even climb up to 1750 ft, I'm just saying.

    11. Re:That's not a drone by peragrin · · Score: 4, Insightful

      one simple one.

      a drone is flown by camera's and a video downlink.

      an RC plane is flown from the ground by the pilot's eyes.

      RC plane's rarely get more than a 1000' feet away as they become very hard to control.

      --
      i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
    12. Re:That's not a drone by durrr · · Score: 1

      That's called FPV, If you want it to be a drone you need autonomous flight system.

    13. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's no drone. That's a space station.

    14. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are restricted, designated areas for RC model planes. Somebody has screwed up by flying into the commercial airspace, if that is the case.

    15. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a UFO until classified as otherwise.

      You mean it's a drone until unclassified as otherwise?

    16. Re:That's not a drone by mabhatter654 · · Score: 2

      I don't think somthing that's a "toy" like an AR.Drone even has enough wireless range for that height. Standard RC equipment might let you fly that far, but bectoo small to see.... Clearly this is somebody that knows where they were flying to cause trouble.

    17. Re:That's not a drone by BlueStrat · · Score: 4, Funny

      And it was identified as man less flaying machine...

      How in the world did someone manage to launch a lesbian sadist to that altitude?

      I think I now understand Janet Napolitano's intense personal interest in the incident, however.

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    18. Re:That's not a drone by mabhatter654 · · Score: 4, Informative

      There's no legal power/ frequency bands that RC hobbyists can use to view cameras and steer that far away. There are plenty of items you CAN use, but not without modification. As soon as you boost the power on a 2.4ghz antenna you are outside FCC specs... Which means its automatically outside FAA specs using "illegal" controls.

      The other direction is that somebody who DOES have licensed FCC equipment to send audio/video at that distance (like a TV station) cannot mount that equipment in a non-licensed (toy) aircraft because its commercially licensed by the FCC.

      THAT is what makes it a Drone in the FAA/FCC rules. Somebody has modified equipment to break at least one set of rules just to put the craft in that spot.

    19. Re:That's not a drone by Robert+Zenz · · Score: 2

      Here in Vienna there was an incident were a man flew kites in the approach line of the Vienna Airport (in German)...at 2200 ft (700m). No need to mention, the flight controllers were not happy. I think it is safe to assume that there are people stupid enough to do that.

    20. Re:That's not a drone by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      I don't think somthing that's a "toy" like an AR.Drone even has enough wireless range for that height. Standard RC equipment might let you fly that far, but bectoo small to see.... Clearly this is somebody that knows where they were flying to cause trouble.

      You can program the onboard computer for a set flight path very easily. Could have been what this is. Also, replacing the control mechanism and flying using the cameras is becoming more common.

    21. Re:That's not a drone by JWSmythe · · Score: 2

      You could do it with high gain directional antenna on the base station.

      I've set up wifi connections with a high gain antenna on one end, and omnidirectional on the other. 2k feet was a piece of cake. You can fit an awful lot down a wifi connection like that. Video and telemetry down the link and controls on the uplink would be easy. Keeping line of sight, and having the base antenna track it are the hard parts. If it was fully autonomous flying between waypoints, that breaks FAA rules.

      Really, if they want to find out who it was, they should have just waited for the video to be posted to YouTube.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    22. Re:That's not a drone by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      That's called FPV, If you want it to be a drone you need autonomous flight system.

      The ar.drone has an onboard mips processor running linux. It comes out of the box with autonomous capability, which can easily be extended for longer programmed flights.

    23. Re:That's not a drone by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      And it's a black helicopter, so it's probably NSA. No word about it being equipped with mind control lasers though.

      Small black quadcopters are available to the public for next to nothing. The multi million dollar NSA units are probably the size of a bug, and armed with missiles in case they encounter a subversive type.

    24. Re:That's not a drone by citizenr · · Score: 1

      You can easily use a cellphone with >=2G connection (320x240, H.264, 15 frames/s for 2G) as a (somewhat laggy) video link

      --
      Who logs in to gdm? Not I, said the duck.
    25. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm a licensed ham, and it wouldn't be hard at all to set up a reverse FSTV (fast-scan television) link with a small amp to get considerable distance. As far as station ID goes, it'd be easy enough to attach a small transparency to the camera lens so my license number is sent along with the video.

      Depending on the band used, I can use any "reasonable" power up to 1500W for both ends of the communication.

    26. Re:That's not a drone by firex726 · · Score: 2

      They don't... standard RF one would get say 500ft, and this thing was around 1750ft.

      Worst case for a hobbyist, it was flying and got out of range and just kept going and was sheer luck it got so close to this plane.

    27. Re:That's not a drone by macson_g · · Score: 1

      So this one is steampunk :)

    28. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was not an RC model plane. That was a quadcopter or "multirotor" if you would rather a slightly more generic term.
      Plane implies it has a fixed wing, which it had not, so it is not.

    29. Re:That's not a drone by watermark · · Score: 0

      That's no moon, that's a starship

    30. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      About $5,000,000 differences.

    31. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      The technical difference between the two has already been mentioned by others as a response to your post. Most sheeple (such as yourself) think of drones as something from the military. So now calling all R/C model planes/copters as drones is going to push more restrictions into a great hobby. It's typical, assuming this was just an R/C quadcopter then one idiot is going to ruin it for the thousands of others. The retarded media doesn't help either. Check out the pictures CNN linked to the article. So the average sheeple (did I mention that's you) will have no problem accepting new laws banning any R/C flying model.

    32. Re:That's not a drone by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      Now that you mention it, it probably was a quadcopter...it would be extremely unusual and silly for such a small RC to have 4 props otherwise.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    33. Re:That's not a drone by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      True it could have been a runaway AR.Drone. Those are about 2ft wide, the bodies have bright colors on them but they're black with the body removed.

      Maybe Parrot will start taking the the runaway problems more seriously if that's the case.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    34. Re:That's not a drone by morgauxo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No, I think you can get some higher powers legally using ham bands if you are licensed. I think that is limited to specific frequencies and still lower power than hams normally use to talk to one another but I'm not up on the exact rules for that. I bet it's a whole lot more than you can do by part 15 though!

    35. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "RC plane's rarely get more than a 1000' feet away as they become very hard to control" ...says someone who obviously doesn't fly RC planes. RC planes often get more than 1000 feet away... you don't start to get "rare" until you get to 2000 or so feet depending on the size of the model.

    36. Re:That's not a drone by Bitsy+Boffin · · Score: 2
      "Your average R/C aircraft pilot wouldn't be that stupid unless he/she is intent on getting in trouble"

      5 years ago, maybe. But with the rapid increase in availability, affordability and desirability of easy to fly aircraft (quadcopters especially), more and more, well, idiots, are playing with them. Even FPV with extreme long distance is well within the reach of amateurs now (legal or not).

      These "new" people playing, are doing just that, playing, they don't realise that they are operating aircraft, piloting, and are subject to aviation rules, airspace, and other restrictions on where, when and how they can operate their aircraft.

      --
      NZ Electronics Enthusiasts: Check out my Trade Me Listings
    37. Re:That's not a drone by thelexx · · Score: 1

      It's also amusing that you don't, are wrong, and are so smug about it.

      --
      "Gold still represents the ultimate form of payment in the world." - Alan Greenspan, 1999
    38. Re:That's not a drone by Rob+the+Bold · · Score: 1

      You could do it with high gain directional antenna on the base station . . . Keeping line of sight, and having the base antenna track it are the hard parts.

      Yes. "Hard parts" is even a bit of an understatement.

      --
      I am not a crackpot.
    39. Re:That's not a drone by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      True it could have been a runaway AR.Drone. Those are about 2ft wide, the bodies have bright colors on them but they're black with the body removed.

      Maybe Parrot will start taking the the runaway problems more seriously if that's the case.

      We can only hope.

    40. Re:That's not a drone by drerwk · · Score: 2

      I had a 6ft wingspan sailplane up at about 1500 ft out in the AZ desert one time - no problem with the radio signal - lots of problem keeping the plan oriented and trying to get out of the thermal. If the spectrum is fairly clear even my cheap radio was good to a few thousand ft.

    41. Re:That's not a drone by jamstar7 · · Score: 1

      Hobbyist RC planes will be easier to ban than handguns. There's no 2nd Amendment provisions for that kind of tech. I'm just wondering how many incidents of model rockets going into unauthorised airspace it will take to get those outlawed too.

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    42. Re:That's not a drone by hlavac · · Score: 1

      Maybe Parrot will start taking the the runaway problems more seriously if that's the case.

      That's not a bug, that's a feature. Now go and buy a new one!

    43. Re:That's not a drone by poofmeisterp · · Score: 1

      It was less than 3 miles from the airport and at 1750 ft altitude. Your average R/C aircraft pilot wouldn't be that stupid unless he/she is intent on getting in trouble.... Most R/C hobbyists are surprisingly aware of the laws related to their hobby.

      This sounds more like a daredevil intentionally getting near the flightpath... Maybe even using FPV with one of the newfangled quadcopters, 'cause at 1750 ft your 3ft aircraft is going to look more like a spec in the sky than something you can easily control.

      Hey, they made the news. Success from his/her perspective.

    44. Re:That's not a drone by drerwk · · Score: 1

      Have a look at this - http://www.persistentsystems.com/products_5a.php - this kind of thing is pretty easy for a decent EE.

    45. Re:That's not a drone by drerwk · · Score: 1

      RC plane's rarely get more than a 1000' feet away as they become very hard to control.

      Totally depends on noise in the spectrum where you are flying - I had a cheap Futaba 72 MHZ system and flew my 6' sailplane up to about 1500' once - control was not my issue it was being able to see my plane and get it out of the thermal.

    46. Re:That's not a drone by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      At those frequencies you're pretty much golden if you have line of sight, for a considerable distance.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    47. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really? An Unidentified Flying Object is an object that is unidentified, and flying? Thanks for the info, we were all so confused!!!

    48. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And it's a black helicopter, so it's probably NSA. No word about it being equipped with mind control lasers though.

      Small black quadcopters are available to the public for next to nothing. The multi million dollar NSA units are probably the size of a bug, and armed with missiles in case they encounter a subversive beatle.

      FTFY...

    49. Re:That's not a drone by X0563511 · · Score: 1

      Not really.

      1. Base station in an open area or on the roof, and now you have a very clear view of the sky.
      2. We make devices for steering antennas already. Usually used for ASAT work. Stick a GPS chip in your UAV and have it return it's coordinates, do the same with the base station, and now your antenna system knows exactly where it needs to point.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    50. Re:That's not a drone by X0563511 · · Score: 2

      The allocations do restrict phone use (voice) and data in a few places, but other than that... the bandplan is voluntary. We may not like you for doing it, but nothing really stops you from doing fast-scan television and data for telemetry on 70cm or the like.

      --
      For large sets, this will be our guide even unto death, for the LORD will work for each type of data it is applied to...
    51. Re:That's not a drone by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      The only difference is autonomy, and there's already many autonomous civilian UAVs and have been for years. You used to be able to buy a 1/4 scale predator that out of the box would fly waypoints and shoot... photos. Stock, anyway. You're splitting hairs.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    52. Re:That's not a drone by Rob+the+Bold · · Score: 1

      . . . this kind of thing is pretty easy for a decent EE.

      If, by "decent EE" you mean one with a sufficient budget, then sure. But anything's, possible with a big enough budget.

      --
      I am not a crackpot.
    53. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're a moron. It wasn't unidentified. The controller of the craft might be unidentified, but the pilot recognized what it was. It wasn't alien to him. Everyone who modded this idiot up informative are also complete asshats.

    54. Re:That's not a drone by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 4, Informative

      Absolutely wrong, mabhatter.

      All you need is a technician's class amateur radio license to transmit video remotely from a model aircraft back to you. There is plenty of hardware made specifically to do just that as well - without modification.

    55. Re:That's not a drone by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 1

      Maybe if we tow slogan banners we can get the out under the First Amendment?

    56. Re:That's not a drone by geekoid · · Score: 1

      It was less than 3 miles from the airport and at 1750 ft altitude. Your average R/C aircraft pilot wouldn't be that stupid unless he/she is intent on getting in trouble....

      for crying out load. The Nobodies that stupid fallacy?

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    57. Re:That's not a drone by jamiesan · · Score: 1

      There was no mention of the mind control lasers because they were used to erase the memory of the people that saw them.

    58. Re:That's not a drone by operagost · · Score: 1

      Of course, the 10th amendment insists that the _federal_ government doesn't have the right to ban anything unless it crosses state lines, but we know that FDR and his handpicked Supreme Court dismantled that.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    59. Re:That's not a drone by geekoid · · Score: 1

      False.
      "An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without a human pilot on board. Its flight is controlled either autonomously by computers in the vehicle, or under the remote control of a pilot on the ground or in another vehicle"

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    60. Re:That's not a drone by drerwk · · Score: 1

      Dude. Full retail is $4K for something that looks pretty good - http://www.marcusuav.com/pricelist.htm.
      By decent EE I mean someone like this - DIY http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1337608
      I am guessing this cost well less than $4K - though depends on what the guy's time is worth. So if by "big budget" you mean more than a few hundred bucks then yes.

    61. Re:That's not a drone by DutchUncle · · Score: 1

      What's the difference?

    62. Re:That's not a drone by CKW · · Score: 2

      These days - I could see someone mounting a smartphone on their craft and viewing the video that way. And your range with that would be ... unlimited assuming you also put the control signals through it as well ... although your call gets dropped you'll probably loose your bird.

      I'm not certain this would work, I'm not sure what types of latency there are in a phone to phone network connection, nor how seamless the handoff is between towers.

      But I'm certain lots of people would be willing to try this. And certainly if they did this, they might be dumb enough to fly near an airport, or worse put software on the bird that attempts to fly itself autonomously should the signal be lost.

    63. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      English might not have been the first language of the pilot given that it was an Alitalia flight, so the use of the term "drone" might just be because it was the best word the pilot thought of in the moment, and not a description of what is typically described as a "drone" in the US.

    64. Re:That's not a drone by History's+Coming+To · · Score: 1

      Your average RC pilot is no longer all that aware of the CAA/FAA etc regs, when the toys are just a few hundred dollars it no longer takes a prolonged period of building up your experience and saving up for the next toy, you can just buy and fly. We're seeing the same problem in kitesurfing at the moment, people who buy the kit (usually unsuitable for a newbie) from eBay and just decide they're going to be a kitesurfer - no training, no experience, no hanging around with people and learning the basics. They can't keep themselves safe while launching the kite, let alone have an awareness of the basics of flight regulations and flying kites near airports.

      --
      Please consider this account deleted, I just can't be bothered with the spam anymore.
    65. Re:That's not a drone by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1

      And as a Ham you'd know that non-licensed hardware has much lower limits. Not to mention that certain uses become "commercial" and you cannot legally mix the two purposes. Again, as a Ham, you would be operating LICENSED FCC electronics on an UNLICENSED FAA platform which isn't legal.

      Almost every suggestion here while using "off the shelf" parts is bending distance or power outside the "sold as" parameters. As soon as you put that out-of-license electronics on an out-of-license flying platform, you better not be using it for any commercial purpose or the fines are steep.

      That's why TV News reporters can't just send up an AR.Drone to watch traffic in the afternoon, even though its right outside their studio.

    66. Re:That's not a drone by noh8rz10 · · Score: 1

      in my experience the parrot can rise at a rate of 1 foot every 3 seconds. At that rate it would take 1.5 hours to reach that height under full 100% load, which is far beyond the battery capacity.

    67. Re:That's not a drone by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1

      The difference is between YOU CAN, and somebody running a business can. Once you take money for doing something, you have to follow a lot more laws.

      The FAA/FCC aren't really guys you want investigating... They dole out COMMERCIAL fines and don't really "get out of bed" for anything less than $10k bills. YOU can get away with YouTube videos, but your TV station isn't going to take those chances.

    68. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for the info, we were all so confused!!!

      You jest, but if taken at face value, at least one person was confused.

    69. Re:That's not a drone by LoRdTAW · · Score: 2

      I would be curious as to where the drone aircraft was operating from. I lived in Ozone Park for most of my life and Howard beach as well as the northern half of broad channel are in the flight path of JFK and within 3 miles. Since there was a lot of damage done by hurricane sandy in those areas, I could imagine a private company or researcher operating such an craft for surveying purposes. But at 1700+ feet? I looked up Runway 31R and I think it serves aircraft landing from the east. That puts the airplane approach over the Woodmere or Cedarhurst areas.

      I somehow think it may be related to surveying the areas affected by Sandy (by an untrained operator) or just someone fooling around with a new toy they built/bought.

    70. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't think it is legal to use cell phones at altitude. The phone moving in the 3rd D screws up the algorithms base stations use.

    71. Re:That's not a drone by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 1

      I think you are incorrect to classify those who would try that as dumb and then say they would be the ones who might fly near an airport.

      Did you know that a model airplane has successfully crossed the Atlantic ocean? It flew from Maine (IIRC) to England. It was flown manually for takeoff, aimed basically northeast, and was landed manually in England when it flew over the landing field. In between it used GPS to fly waypoints and a satellite phone to uplink flight data, coordinates, and other status information.

      Many people are flying model airplanes and multicopters with cameras like the GoPro Hero line on the nose, either with or without a separate video camera to give an "in the cockpit" view. There are boards available for about $100 that will superimpose a heads-up display over the video signal that shows altitude, airspeed, heading, vector back to home, battery and motor status, etc. The data section also records GPS location which can easily be overlaid on Google Maps to draw not only a real time flight path in 3D but also to allow flying with synthetic terrain. In other words, you can fly in total darkness and even in weather if your model is able to take the winds, rain, snow, etc.

      The software that attempts to fly itself should signal be lost is built in to a number of different flight controller boards. Losing the control signal can be dangerous as there are whirling props that can slice and dice tissue nicely. You can also have a few pound hunk of metal, plastic, and wood fall out of the sky and lose a substantial investment. The auto return software merely levels the craft, takes it to a preset altitude, and brings it back to where it took off from. It is the pilot's responsibility to make sure that their operation of the multi (or even regular planes) does not put it in the flight path of real aircraft and that any return home maneuvers don't either.

      But there are much better ways of getting video back from a model craft than using a smart phone - though that is how some of the people launching balloons to try to set altitude records both document and track their flights.

    72. Re:That's not a drone by Teancum · · Score: 1

      That's why TV News reporters can't just send up an AR.Drone to watch traffic in the afternoon, even though its right outside their studio.

      That is why news reporters can't head to COSCO or Wal-Mart and buy a plane 30 minutes before their news broadcast in order to do a traffic watch update.

      Still, they can do this if it is licensed, and of any organization that could get through the legal morass that is both the FAA and the FCC to get something like that accomplished, it would be the legal department of even a small town television station. Then again, they would want to stay legal for something like this because their broadcast license as a television station could be yanked for *any* radio frequency violations. Traffic helicopters are very common in larger cities already, so making that a bit cheaper to run by making them unmanned may even make some economic sense.

      Those kind of commercial drone operators would be smart enough to stay away from airports though, unless they also got clearance from the control towers and followed FAA flight rules.

    73. Re:That's not a drone by barc0001 · · Score: 1

      All of these violations make the assumption that the drone/RC craft was actually under remote control at the time. In the last couple of months I've purchased one of the cheapo AR Drone quadcopters and in the course of enjoying it have been doing a lot of looking at other peoples' adventures and mods with both the AR Drone and other quad/hex/octocopters. I've seen no shortage of videos where someone's sent an AR Drone up to the limit of its normal radio range and the drone loses connection to the controller then wanders off with the prevailing wind pushing it, still at 100+ meters altitude until it runs out of juice. In a couple of cases those drones ended up miles away from their launch point and took days to find. The AR drones can record video locally onto a USB stick so there's no need for them to transmit back to record video. And I've also seen other copter drones that have internal GPS and fly a preset course, also eliminating the need for remote control.

    74. Re:That's not a drone by kwbauer · · Score: 1

      So maybe "gun enthusiasts" will start getting some help and more liberals will start to figure out what "original intent" really means when it comes to the US Constitution and how it should be interpreted by the courts. That would eliminate a bunch of other problems as well: email and documents stored on third party servers, etc.

    75. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Unfortunately because of the law of averages, within every binomial distribution exists two extremes. I have heard a hobby shop owner tell of him turning away a would-be customer who came in bragging and showing off his POV video taken 200ft above a major international airport runway.

      Some people just are that stupid.

    76. Re:That's not a drone by EngnrFrmrlyKnownAsAC · · Score: 1

      This is true: in the US, a ham license opens up spectrum to an R/C vehicle operator. Interestingly, there is a narrow exception to the rules which permit encryption to be used when controlling R/C craft. (Very no-no otherwise)

      --
      Howdy howdy howdy
    77. Re:That's not a drone by Agripa · · Score: 1

      If you have an amateur radio license, then you could modify commercial part 15 equipment to operate under part 97 rules. In the past, many radio control hobbyist earned their licenses and operated under part 97 for improved reliability.

    78. Re:That's not a drone by dcollins117 · · Score: 1

      What are the possiblilities then?

      1. A clueless hobbyist who lost track of his drone or simply wasn't aware of interfering of the possiblility of interfering with a real aircraft. I think we've esablished that some very unusual circumstances would have to come into play for this type of scenerio.

      2. A dumb-ass thrill-seeking hobbyist who wanted to see what he could get away with. Possibly we'll see his video footage on YouTube any day now.

      3. Some really bad actors out there who are testing their capabilities in preparation for who-knows-what terrorist act.

      Did I leave anything out? How would you go about protecting against this sort of attack?

    79. Re:That's not a drone by dcollins117 · · Score: 1

      Maybe if we tow slogan banners we can get the out under the First Amendment?

      Hell, put "Shop at Wally-Mart" on the banner and someone will pay you to do it

    80. Re:That's not a drone by casehardened · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure about the video link, but standard RC range is 1 mile. I've flown ~ 1/2 mile away with no radio issues.

    81. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Channel 1 of 802.11 is in the Amateur Radio bands. Amateur Radio operators can run more power and bigger antenna that an unlicensed devices.

    82. Re:That's not a drone by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      I was merely saying that I hope parrot addresses the problem GP mentioned...

    83. Re:That's not a drone by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      How would you go about protecting against this sort of attack?

      To answer you though, I don't think you can. A shooter with a .50 cal rifle and maybe some explosive ammo could definitely hit an airplane at that distance. I think I read an article about some serviceman in iraq shooting a much smaller target (person) over a mile away once. I'm sure in 10 or 15 minutes time you could think of 10 things of greater concern.

      If I were a gambling man, I'd wager on your second choice.

    84. Re:That's not a drone by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

      On item 2, that works great, if you maintain the connection. If it's lost for some reason (like a pesky building or airliner getting in the way, you're left to either predictive aiming, or blind scanning.

      On item 1, a tall building would always be preferred. That gives better distance, to see over the curvature of the Earth.

      I wanted to build my own UAV. It was a while back when I was planning, so the only cell network systems were PC cards (like the Nextel i1000). Of course, just like now, it's only good for when you're somewhere that has service. I've bounced the plans off lots of people, and we all came to the same conclusion. You either need gov't equipment to bounce off their satellites, or something like a mobile Iridium uplink. Globalstar could have been in budget, but the limited availability for service was a deal breaker.

      We figured that it could use GPS when available, and back it up with good old dead reckoning. Airspeed, compass, and accelerometers. At the time, that would have been expensive. Now you can get more than half your avionics from a used Android phone. The majority of a cross-country flight would have to be all on it's own, and when it hits cities, it can update ground control. A little "I'm still flying" message is always nice to hear. :)

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
    85. Re:That's not a drone by DirtyLiar · · Score: 1

      I thought you only had to turn off your phones during takeoff and landing, but it's been a while since I've flown, so I don't know for sure.

      --

      THINK! It's patriotic

    86. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, you've got that wrong. It was a man less flaying machine, not a manless flaying machine. That means it was a man who had been stripped of his flaying machine. In other words, just a man.

    87. Re:That's not a drone by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yours is a dead and humorless world, sir.

  2. Jetwash? by splitsevin · · Score: 1

    If it came within 200ft of a Boeing jumbojet I think we can assume it found itself a watery grave in Jamaica Bay.

    --
    The enemy of my enemy is quite possibly also my enemy. I've made a lot of enemies.
    1. Re:Jetwash? by Starmac · · Score: 1

      Why? If it was above and not inline with the wingtip vortices it should be fine. Even if it tumbled, 1800' is plenty for recovery.

    2. Re:Jetwash? by queBurro · · Score: 1

      the recovery is probably automated too

      --
      sag
    3. Re:Jetwash? by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      Why? If it was above and not inline with the wingtip vortices it should be fine. Even if it tumbled, 1800' is plenty for recovery.

      Yep, and if it is an ar.drone the onboard AI will automatically handle the recovery for you.

    4. Re:Jetwash? by JWSmythe · · Score: 1

      1800 feet may have a good chance of recovery for an airplane (but probably not). 1800 feet for a RC airplane where the "pilot" is just watching a video feet and wondering why he keeps seeing sky-ground-sky-water-sky-water-nothing, isn't.

      --
      Serious? Seriousness is well above my pay grade.
  3. Why who would ever do that? by frovingslosh · · Score: 0

    Do you really think anyone in the government flying these things around will admit to this?

    --
    I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
    1. Re:Why who would ever do that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Ooooh so scary! Would your neighbor admit that his dog sh*t in your yard? Nope. Just like any ordinary guy won't admit to this either.

    2. Re:Why who would ever do that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Probably the Airport Security company.
      Benefits: Stepped up security patrols, extra overtime, contract renewal.
      OTOH it could be a realtor initiative to get a birds eye view of some nearby property for sale.

  4. It's a drone dammit by Press2ToContinue · · Score: 5, Insightful

    R/C model planes are much harder to legislate against.

    So it's drone, dammit!

    --
    Sent from my ENIAC
    1. Re:It's a drone dammit by girlintraining · · Score: 5, Funny

      R/C model planes are much harder to legislate against. So it's drone, dammit!

      As long as it didn't have more than 3.4 ounces of liquid, or nail clippers mounted to it, I don't see the problem.

      --
      #fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
    2. Re:It's a drone dammit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      In other news, the drone had muted yellow/orange and black color markings, and moving wings. When the co-pilot saw it, he said, "if THAT's just a 'drone', I don't WANT to see the Queen!"

      Planes attempting to track the drone to its origin were met by many more airplane-sized flying intruders that were similar to the "drone" except that their tails sported "stinger" missiles. This put a real buzz-kill on things.

      We now return you to our regularly scheduled double-feature: "T.H.E.M." / "MANT". And tonight at 8pm, we have our in-depth investigative report: "Giant Mutated Hyper-Intelligent Man-Eating Cockroaches: Threat or Menace?"

    3. Re:It's a drone dammit by Karl+Cocknozzle · · Score: 1

      R/C model planes are much harder to legislate against. So it's drone, dammit!

      As long as it didn't have more than 3.4 ounces of liquid, or nail clippers mounted to it, I don't see the problem.

      I think this misses the bigger point which is, obviously:

      • Was he subjected to a metal detector/nude body scan/nutsack stroking "patdown"/backroom snuggle-time by TSA prior to operating said R/C Aircraft?
      • Do you know if he's doing flights to Raleigh-Durham yet? I have to go and I'd sooner die than fly commercial.
      --
      Who did what now?
    4. Re:It's a drone dammit by Culture20 · · Score: 5, Funny

      It was a scary color and had a bayonet mount.

    5. Re:It's a drone dammit by mschaffer · · Score: 1

      Why isn't it a UFO? I guess Project Bluebook isn't under DHS's umbrella?

    6. Re:It's a drone dammit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why isn't it a UFO? I guess Project Bluebook isn't under DHS's umbrella?

      As we evolve, we can identify things much better. The conspiracy theorists of Area 51 just can't admit they were uneducated at the time they viewed the junk in the air. They also can't admit they were wrong and further education has shown that there were weather balloons and test spy aircraft in the area.

    7. Re:It's a drone dammit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      LOL, well modded. But I'll respond seriously -- do you have any idea how much damage that thing would have done if the aircraft had hit it at over 200mph? I saw a bird strike once in the Air Force, what a mess! A duck went through the windshield and decapitated the copilot. Granted, an RC plane isn't as massive as a duck and probably would have just smashed when it hit the wondow, but if it had been sucked into an engine, well, that would indeed have been dangerous. Especially if it had already lost the other engine (from, say, a sparrow or another RC plane).

    8. Re:It's a drone dammit by swillden · · Score: 1

      It was a scary color and had a bayonet mount.

      And a barrel shroud. You know, the shoulder thing that goes up.

      --
      Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
    9. Re:It's a drone dammit by Beeftopia · · Score: 1

      With a small cube of C-4 on it, and a detonator, it could be a problem.

    10. Re:It's a drone dammit by g0bshiTe · · Score: 1

      No actually they aren't. Some jurisdictions it's now illegal to fly an rc across a roadway.

      --
      I am Bennett Haselton! I am Bennett Haselton!
    11. Re:It's a drone dammit by cheater512 · · Score: 1

      You'd have to be very good with your timing.

      To far away and the C4 doesn't hurt the plane.
      To close and your drone is just a smudge on the 747's windscreen.

      Generally detonator circuits don't work once they've been flattened.

    12. Re:It's a drone dammit by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      If the detonator acts on contact within about 100 microseconds, and the explosion is well established within about a millisecond, it should be effective.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
    13. Re:It's a drone dammit by DirtyLiar · · Score: 1

      I heard it had a pocket knife AND a box-cutter!

      --

      THINK! It's patriotic

    14. Re:It's a drone dammit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And, it COULD HAVE been packed tight with C4! (An argument the FBI has used. "So and so COULD have had explosives".) O_o

      It also could have been packed tight with Fuzzy Bunnies, but you never hear THAT from the prosecution.

    15. Re:It's a drone dammit by DirtyLiar · · Score: 1

      R/C model planes are much harder to legislate against.

      So it's drone, dammit!

      And there will be many more incidents like this one because drones are getting popular. Ref: http://diydrones.com/

      --

      THINK! It's patriotic

    16. Re:It's a drone dammit by dl_sledding · · Score: 1

      Nice...

  5. A Parrot AR Drone? by a_hanso · · Score: 1

    described by the FBI as black and no more than three feet wide with four propellers

    Sounds like a Parrot AR Drone with the indoor frame attached.

    1. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      ...or any number of other manufacturers/models. There's hundreds of them these days.

      --
      No sig today...
    2. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by Dahamma · · Score: 2

      No way it's a Parrot at 1750 ft above ground. Standard RF won't work much beyond 400-500 ft (which amateur quadrotor RC pilots consider seriously high altitude), and even at that it's so small it's very hard to control...

    3. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      who said anything about it being in control... once out of range of the transmitter it'll keep on flying (especially if a self stabilised quad copter type). Most hobby/toy ones don't have auto gps return to base capability.

    4. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by loufoque · · Score: 1

      A Parrot AR drone always stays within wifi range of its operator, and has an altimeter to ensure it never goes higher than 350 feet.

    5. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by kelemvor4 · · Score: 1

      ...or any number of other manufacturers/models. There's hundreds of them these days.

      The parrot has some software glitches that sometimes cause the thing to just take off and disappear into the sky when flying. The only reason I think it's unlikely to be a parrot is that the battery life on them is far to short to get up that high.

    6. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by kelemvor4 · · Score: 2

      A Parrot AR drone always stays within wifi range of its operator, and has an altimeter to ensure it never goes higher than 350 feet.

      Nah, go check their forums. There's more than a few reports there of users whose' drones mysteriously took off and disappeared into the sky. I don't think anyone really knows what happened because they don't end up recovering the device afterward. Also, you can turn off that altitude limit right in the standard software.

    7. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by T-Bone-T · · Score: 1

      It probably has some kind of automated landing sequence. Even the tiny indoor helicopters will automatically land or at least shut down if they lose the remote's signal for more than a few seconds.

    8. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by Bomazi · · Score: 1

      It is trivial to add this capability to any RC aircraft. Just stick an ArduPilot in and you are done.

    9. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by Dahamma · · Score: 1

      Not sure why this is modded informative since it's totally incorrect.

      The Parrot AR has autoland and will automatically land when it loses signal. Doesn't have to be a GPS-based return; landing, even if it's just straight down from where it loses connection to the controller, is better than crashing an out of control $300 quadrotor.

      And it's not just a "transmitter", it's controlled by WiFi via an iOS or Android app...

    10. Re:A Parrot AR Drone? by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      My thought was similar. Model plane gets caught in a strong updraft, rushes upwards regardless of control signals.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  6. Iran by detritus. · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Well, Iran is the proud new owner of an RQ-170, maybe they decided to take it for a joyride over US airspace?

    1. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I just hope that it isn't Muslims practising to bring down another aircraft

      Wtf? You are an idiot.

    2. Re:Iran by petman · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I just hope that it isn't Muslims practising to bring down another aircraft

      So you're saying that if it were Christians practising to bring down an aircraft, it would be okay?

    3. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just hope that it isn't Muslims practising to bring down another aircraft

      So you're saying that if it were Christians practising to bring down an aircraft, it would be okay?

      I think there's plenty of Christians around who already know how to do that.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_air_force

    4. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      Deliberately sending a plane full of passengers to their deaths is definitely in the Muslim sphere of operations. Christians would be more inclined to ask them to repent and accept Jesus as their savior. Muslims just want to kill the nonbelievers.

    5. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I just hope that it isn't Muslims practising to bring down another aircraft

      So you're saying that if it were Christians practising to bring down an aircraft, it would be okay?

      I think he's saying that Muslims have a recent history of trying to kill civilians on airplanes. It seems like a plausible theory to me.

    6. Re:Iran by quenda · · Score: 2

      I just hope that it isn't Muslims practising to bring down another aircraft

      It was actually a Christian Arab who invented hijacking as terrorism. The Islamist groups like Hamas are more recent.

      http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1707366,00.html
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_Front_for_the_Liberation_of_Palestine

    7. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At least it wouldn't be 'another' in that case.

    8. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Don't bother. Chrisq is a sad little faggot that cannot be reasoned with.

    9. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You are dumb if you think that's what he said...

      Please take a philosophy course to learn about your logical inconstancy...
      Read what he said not what you want to think he said...

    10. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your point being?
       
      Oh, that's right. In this new world of libratards we have to see what the Christians did if Islam is ever mentioned in a negative way. Easy auto up-modding and it helps perpetuate a kind of false dichotomy of world history. Got it.
       
      It's akin to someone mentioning something the Khmer Rouge did and someone else always having to back it up with some kind of fact about the Nazis in an attempt to make the Khmer Rouge look somehow justified. Makes perfect sense. If nothing else, it helps bigots be bigots. It also helps keep people at each other throats while their common enemy laughs at their schism. Two party politics use this as a popular tactic and morons (like yourself) eat it up, spew it back out and beg for more.

    11. Re:Iran by Chrisq · · Score: 1

      I just hope that it isn't Muslims practising to bring down another aircraft

      So you're saying that if it were Christians practising to bring down an aircraft, it would be okay?

      Of course not, as it wouldn't be if a flying pink elephant brought it down. But I'm dealing with reality:

      • Swissair Flight 330 On February 21, 1970,
      • Pan Am Flight 830 On August 11, 1982
      • Gulf Air Flight 771 On 23 September 1983
      • TWA Flight 840 (1986) April 2, 1986
      • Pan Am Flight 103/Lockerbie
      • 19 September 1989, UTA Flight 772
      • Philippine Airlines Flight 434 1994
      • Bojinka plot al-Queda plot
      • American Airlines Flight 63, 2001
      • 2004 Russian aircraft bombings
      • 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot
      • Northwest Airlines Flight 253, 2009
      • 2010 cargo plane bomb plot, 2010
      • and the four aircraft of the 9/11 attacks

      I know that it is PC to say that the womens institute or buddhist monks are as likely to bomb a plane as Muslims, but it's just not true.

    12. Re:Iran by quenda · · Score: 1

      Your point being?

      ... completely missed by ACs, apparently. I'm saying that the common factor amongst stereotypical hijacking terrorists is not religion. It is ethnicity.

      The PFLP and PLO were secular of course, not Christian groups. But not Muslim either.

      And on the subject, it was the United States who blew up an Iranian Airbus A300, killing 290 people. No apology has ever been made.
      Not saying the US government is quite as bad as some of the middle eastern ones, just that they are lying, evil hypocrites.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iran_Air_Flight_655

    13. Re:Iran by petman · · Score: 1

      I'm a Muslim, but I've never planned to bomb a plane. Am I doing something wrong?

    14. Re:Iran by Chrisq · · Score: 1

      I'm a Muslim, but I've never planned to bomb a plane. Am I doing something wrong?

      That depends how you define wrong. If you mean as a decent human being then no. If you mean by not following your scriptures as interpreted by many Imams and practiced by tousands then yes.

    15. Re:Iran by nightfury · · Score: 1

      So clearly you should be clad in armor, riding a horse through cities, slicing non-christian heathens to the ground with your broadsword while on the search for the holy grail of Christ.

      Interpretations of scripture change. Compassion as a basis for morality does not. Your religion is no better than his.

    16. Re:Iran by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah. Someone's gotta sort out those ungodly flying machines.

  7. Will they get banned? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder when there'll start to be some sort of crackdown on personal UAVs or RCVs. I've still not heard of any incidents of these being used to harm people*, but maybe this is the first incident. It's bound to happen at some point though, and I certainly expect a wave of copycats, accompanied some panic and backlash. The technology's probably not at that stage yet - would need larger payloads or much better automatic guidance for anyone to do much. I can't see it far off someone sticking a grenade on the front of one though for a cheap guided missile, or a ricin tipped spike and just fly one into someone. Might seem a bit far fetched, but there's certainly people out there with a will to do so.

    Of course, what can be actually be done about them isn't clear. It'd be like trying to stop pirate radio, but potentially even more difficult - fully automated devices wouldn't need any radio link, so the only thing you could really do it stopping purchase or having some form of traceable identifiers.

    * With the huge exception of military drones of course. Crime using RCVs is certainly not new, see http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1112673/Remote-control-toy-helicopter-used-fly-drugs-prison.html

    1. Re:Will they get banned? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is the first false flag. Yeah they will be banned except for government usage.

    2. Re:Will they get banned? by weegiekev · · Score: 2

      Don't worry, the NRA will start defending citizens rights to drones as soon as that happens.

      Drones don't kill people, RC operators do.

    3. Re:Will they get banned? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Only if you mount a magazine full of bullets on it - that would get full NRA endorsement.

    4. Re:Will they get banned? by DriveDog · · Score: 1

      "Might seem a bit far fetched"

      So did a ricin pellet firing umbrella—only something the Penguin would use. But the Brits designed it, the Russians built it, and the Bulgarians used it

      .

    5. Re:Will they get banned? by mad+flyer · · Score: 1

      "The technology's probably not at that stage yet - would need larger payloads or much better automatic guidance for anyone to do much"

      If you know so little on the topic of rc crafts... why don't you read aboot them instead of splattering your ignorance on us ?

    6. Re:Will they get banned? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I thought the average jet was designed to withstand birdstrike, and a quadcopter doesn't have any higher structural integrity then a goose.

  8. Obviously the military never comments by nauseous · · Score: 1

    FBI needs to take action on the military and stop the drones from being used over the US. Do we feel safer now? We need laws to outlaw these drones from being used in our country.

    1. Re:Obviously the military never comments by Robert+Zenz · · Score: 1

      So you have source which explicitly states that it was a drone from the U.S. Airforce/Navy/Army?

    2. Re:Obviously the military never comments by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      It was the IRS.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  9. FBI by FrostedWheat · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It's a bit sad that I'm surprised the FBI response wasn't to shut down LiveATC.net.

    1. Re:FBI by SpzToid · · Score: 1

      I'm too busy to look myself, but those tower recordings are all very nicely archived. Has the archive been disturbed in any way?

      --
      You can't be ahead of the curve, if you're stuck in a loop.
  10. fuckwittery of the highest order by thephydes · · Score: 2

    Just as stupid and with the same potential casualties as the fucking morons who think it's a good idea to shine a laser into the cockpit of an aircraft. As previously noted by another poster, most real RC'rs are well aware of their responsibilities, so I can only imagine that this is the work of a complete wanker.

    1. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by rtb61 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      So it is just the gross exaggeration of a tiny spot of light. Do you have any idea how difficult it would be to actually try to get one of those slow remote control quadrocopters to intersect with a jet airliner going a few hundred miles per hour. So somebody was playing with one of these too close to an airport and paying attention to the camera view of the 'ground' rather than any airspace around them. Even an automated flight gone out of control as it lost radio contact with the controller. This kind of extreme exaggeration stinks of a law enforcement desire to clamp down on these devices because they could all to readily spy on out of control cops.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    2. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Someone should tell the frickin sharks to stop that.

    3. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by T-Bone-T · · Score: 1

      It probably wouldn't be that hard, actually. Let's say the airliner is a 767. At 1,000 feet, it will likely be traveling at less than 150 knots. It has a wing span of 156 feet and a tail height of 52 feet so it is a pretty big target. All you have to do is sit in the approach path and adjust as needed.

    4. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by Cajun+Hell · · Score: 1

      Do you have any idea how difficult it would be to actually try to get one of those slow remote control quadrocopters to intersect with a jet airliner going a few hundred miles per hour.

      Yes, I do: difficult enough for the average programmer to consider it worth trying. (If it's too easy, no one will bother.) C'mon, admit it: aren't you already thinking, "How would I approach this problem?" And then whenever you get tired of it, you work on the evasion routines from the target's PoV. Who knows, 3 months later you might have a good sim.

      --
      "Believe me!" -- Donald Trump
    5. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by geekoid · · Score: 1

      It's an easy problem. Anyone who considers it hard I don't want in the software industry.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    6. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by DutchUncle · · Score: 1

      Do you have any idea how difficult it would be to actually try to get one of those slow remote control quadrocopters to intersect with a jet airliner going a few hundred miles per hour.

      Do you think it's any harder than getting one of those slow ducks to get sucked into jet airliner's engine and cause an emergency landing in a nearby river?

    7. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by Archangel+Michael · · Score: 1

      Assholes are assholes. You can't write every law to deal with assholes, because they live on the edge. The only thing assholes understand is getting their asses kicked, and there are actual laws against that. Assholes depend on the laws to protect them, but skirt the laws every chance they get, that is why they are assholes. Fuckem, I have no sympathy when assholes get their Karma fulfilled.

      --
      Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
    8. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      "Just as stupid and with the same potential casualties"

      So essentially zero? Airliners are built to handle high speed impacts with birds. Running into a little bit of flying styrofoam isn't going to do anything.

    9. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...and adjust as needed.

      From 1000 feet away.

      Or through a viewscreen that lets you only see immediately in front of you.

      While your camera and your drone are in motion

      While travelling in the opposite direction of a 150 knot aircraft coming towards it

      While taking into account any air turbulance

      With your reaction speed being delayed due to the distance.

      OH YEAH, PIECE OF FUCKING CAKE! Don't worry everyone! T-Bone-T just found the EXACT reason why anything like this should be banned from everyone (except of course the military). It'd be an absolute walk in the fucking park to hit a plane with these. Hell, you'd have more difficulty parallel parking your car!

    10. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      Statistics. Tens of thousands of ducks and it's a substantial portion of a flock of ducks that causes the problems. Hmm, the rank exaggeration by you and others certainly seems to suggest a false flag event to clamp down on camera fitted drones. Can't have the population spying on the spies, can't be watching the man out of control and abusing their privileges. I smell a complete ban of non-law enforcement drones in all metropolitan areas.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    11. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by DutchUncle · · Score: 1

      False flag certainly seems possible. So does stupidity or accident, which is simpler. Occam's Razor. As others have pointed out, RC hobbyists know better than to fly near airports, while someone with a brand new toy probably thought it would be cool to get video of planes and didn't even realize he'd lose the thing once it went out of range, and - worse - never even thought about the danger. As for statistics, if the whole game was to get cool video of planes, OF COURSE it's directly in the flight path - not because of malevolent intent, but because of LACK of ANY forethought.

      Camera drones are a nice toy. Every idiot in town being a high-tech peeping tom with zero effort is a pain in the ass. Somewhere in the middle is a sensible tradeoff.

    12. Re:fuckwittery of the highest order by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

      More importantly, we've got to ban those ducks. They're in league with the terrorists.

      --
      Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  11. Only two possibilities. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    1) Nobody was supposed to see that drone. Since civilians obviously did, everyone is scrambling to act surprised about it.

    2) They don't actually know whose drone it was.

    You will know which it is by what happens to this story. If they figure out it belonged to any one of the various police-state departments the US government created and employs, the story will simply disappear- business as usual, nothing to see here. If it actually was a rogue drone, then whoever was flying it will probably get a story of their own in the near future.

    1. Re:Only two possibilities. by jxander · · Score: 1

      Third possibility. Creating a strawman case for the crackdown of such devices, for two possible sub-reasons

      1) extra funding : "These things are a menace, we at the FAA/FBI/etc need a couple billion to ramp up protection, think of the children"

      2) eliminate/lower the public's ability to monitor and track big brother : "Only we at the FAA/FBI/etc should be spying on people. These hobby craft are an affront to our uncontested power."

      --
      This signature is false.
    2. Re:Only two possibilities. by yurtinus · · Score: 1

      There are more possibilities outside of your tinfoil hat. Most likely being an radio controlled aircraft being flown in the wrong place.

      Never mind, you're right, that's ridiculous. Obviously it's the DHS failing to get their drone sucked into a commercial aircraft engine where it will break apart into nanobots and be released in the aircraft contrail where it can shoot its mind control lasers over the entire northern hemisphere!!

      --
      +1 Disagree
    3. Re:Only two possibilities. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One minor modification. If it's 2, but is found to belong to a 1%'er, see end result of #1.

    4. Re:Only two possibilities. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      1) Nobody was supposed to see that drone. Since civilians obviously did, everyone is scrambling to act surprised about it.

      2) They don't actually know whose drone it was.

      3) It's a false-flag operation where some agency puts up what appears to be a hobbyist/terrorist quadrotor, deliberately raising a panic in order to legislate restrictions on unlicensed R/C operations. So they can have the sky to themselves.

  12. The cynic in me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ...thinks it would be easy to set up a Straw Man situation by surrupticiously arranging an agency to do it, then announce to the media that some unidentified incident occurred, which in turn becomes a case for legislating against Joe Citizen being allowed to fly FPVs.

    1. Re:The cynic in me... by icebike · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Or maybe get those agency's funds un sequestered?

      --
      Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
    2. Re:The cynic in me... by fazookus · · Score: 5, Interesting

      You have to wonder how someone in an airliner going 200+ mph could even see something that small going ~0 mph, much less be able to describe it in such detail...

    3. Re:The cynic in me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ...and at a distance of 200 feet, no less.

      This story makes no sense.

    4. Re:The cynic in me... by DriveDog · · Score: 1

      Step 2: heaping substantial public ridicule upon "conspiracy theorists."

    5. Re:The cynic in me... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      There wouldn't be much time, but you could. Sportbike riders see signs at top speed after all. Watch some Ghostrider vids if you're not convinced.

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    6. Re:The cynic in me... by KingRobot · · Score: 1

      It isn't that far fetched. There are common accounts of pilots seeing weather balloons (typically 2-3ft dia) at 37000ft, while flying 400mph+... Another perspective is that 200 mph is only about 3 times faster than your usual freeway speed. Think about how easy it would be to spot a 3ft quadcopter flying in a field 200ft from the side of a freeway.

    7. Re:The cynic in me... by drerwk · · Score: 1

      You have to wonder how someone in an airliner going 200+ mph could even see something that small going ~0 mph, much less be able to describe it in such detail...

      On final approach an airliner is more in the 120 to 150 MPH range, and a good pilot is looking hard for other aircraft near the airport - so if you do see something you look pretty hard right at it. And in this case it is not like there is much else at that point to grab your attention - the pilot is still 3 miles out so he can let his attention off the runway for the few seconds it would take to focus on the other aircraft.
      Estimating the distance between the aircraft and size of the aircraft is a bit more up in the air.

    8. Re:The cynic in me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Downmod this tinfoil hatter. Everyone knows that the US government would never lie and would never use false flag operations, ever. You probably also don't believe the official 9/11 report. What a fucking loon.

      What's next? Unconstitutional technology agreements with extraterrestrials? Exchanging tech for human genetic samples? LOL, what a fucking moron.

    9. Re:The cynic in me... by NeverVotedBush · · Score: 1

      And it isn't even 200+ mph. Airliners on approach are closer to 150 or so.

    10. Re:The cynic in me... by Gordonjcp · · Score: 1

      So closer to normal Autobahn speeds, then, or somewhat less than 1.5 times normal motorway speeds.

    11. Re:The cynic in me... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      200 feet. It was in violation of existing regulations.

      I suggest it was either some teenager goofing around., or someone being an ass.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    12. Re:The cynic in me... by operagost · · Score: 0

      In case anyone thinks this kind of "false flag" is above our federal government, consider "Fast and Furious", and what its possible purpose could be if it clearly wasn't to track down and eliminate drug runners.

      --

      Gamingmuseum.com: Give your 3D accelerator a rest.
    13. Re:The cynic in me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I can't imagine a pilot calling out on the radio "We saw a drone, a drone aircraft" for a RC Quad copter.

    14. Re:The cynic in me... by kid_wonder · · Score: 1

      Watch some Ghostrider vids if you're not convinced.

      You, sir, are a terrorist and an awful human being.

      --

      "Oh, you hate your job? There's a support group for that, it's called everyone, they meet at the bar."
    15. Re:The cynic in me... by tompaulco · · Score: 1

      On final approach an airliner is more in the 120 to 150 MPH range, and a good pilot is looking hard for other aircraft near the airport - so if you do see something you look pretty hard right at it. And in this case it is not like there is much else at that point to grab your attention - the pilot is still 3 miles out so he can let his attention off the runway for the few seconds it would take to focus on the other aircraft. Estimating the distance between the aircraft and size of the aircraft is a bit more up in the air.

      Also, since the object is moving much slower than the airliner, it appears to be moving to the eye. An object moving about the same speed as the airliner would be harder to spot than one that is moving at a different speed. Objects that are the hardest to spot are ones moving at the same speed, directly in front of you, and on the same heading (or, unfortunately, on the opposite heading and coming right at you), because the eye registers movement better than static images.

      --
      If you are not allowed to question your government then the government has answered your question.
    16. Re:The cynic in me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Once a pilot notices something that could kill them ( i.e. anything in their way ), they pay _very_close attention to it....

    17. Re:The cynic in me... by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      'Cuz I just made you waste your whole day? :D

      --
      "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    18. Re:The cynic in me... by noh8rz10 · · Score: 1

      while you're at it, watch some harlem shake vids cuz they are awesome. and don't forget about Maru!.

    19. Re:The cynic in me... by noh8rz10 · · Score: 1

      typical freeway speeds are very high for you! in los angeles 80mph is standard, although i got a ticket for going 78

    20. Re:The cynic in me... by Nirvelli · · Score: 1

      Weather balloons are much larger than that on the ground, let alone at 37000ft.

    21. Re:The cynic in me... by chromas · · Score: 2

      He thought you were referring to the Nicolas Cage movie.

    22. Re:The cynic in me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's almost as if they were doing their job, and actually looking out the window to see if anything stupid and unexpected is coming towards the plane. Honestly, they should be given a medal for being able to prove that they're actually doing their job instead of sleeping while the autopilot is on.

      And when my car is going 140 down a freeway, I can make out signs and other features on the side of the road with relative ease. I can't imagine it would be that difficult to be able to do at 200, especially if while you're scanning the skies and are used to seeing absolutely nothing, something bizarre and unexpected comes up in the distance. You're going to focusing HARD on it to see WTF it is. It'd be like if you're driving beside endless flax fields (chosen because when in bloom, the fields look like an ocean of blue), and you see a giant, bizarre 10-foot mechanical spider on the side of the road. You're going to fucking notice it, and take in as much detail as possible. Honestly, you'd be able to see it coming from far enough away that the passenger could probably pull out a camera phone and attempt to snap a picture or video.

    23. Re:The cynic in me... by cheater512 · · Score: 1

      I doubt your regular quadcopter would show up on radar as well.

    24. Re:The cynic in me... by Gordonjcp · · Score: 2

      UK, motorway speed limit is 70mph but the police generally don't bother you unless you're obviously going way faster than everyone else. Over 100mph will get you noticed.

      Twisty mountain roads aren't much slower, which is why we have a frankly horrific accident rate in the summer up here in Scotland.

    25. Re:The cynic in me... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Weather balloons are much larger than that on the ground, let alone at 37000ft.

      Most weather balloons are pretty small. They're just colored markers you let go of and track to see which way the wind is moving at different elevations. They don't carry a payload or anything.

    26. Re:The cynic in me... by Qzukk · · Score: 1

      But we were in a 4g inverted dive with it!

      --
      If I have been able to see further than others, it is because I bought a pair of binoculars.
    27. Re:The cynic in me... by fatphil · · Score: 1

      Pah, Ghostrider's irresponsible - you shouldn't be racing on public roads.
      This is far better:
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph0SjLC_lqk
      because, erm, because, erm, ...

      --
      Also FatPhil on SoylentNews, id 863
  13. I smell a rat by Ozoner · · Score: 3, Insightful

    How long before all RC helicopters (and all hobby RC planes for that matter) will be banned ?

    1. Re:I smell a rat by asmkm22 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      They've been limited to 400 feet and within site of the operator for a long time now. If this truly is an RC aircraft, then it's clearly well beyond that established rule, considering it was spotted at nearly 2,000 feet. The operator is an idiot, "plane" and simple.

    2. Re:I smell a rat by rocket+rancher · · Score: 5, Informative

      How long before all RC helicopters (and all hobby RC planes for that matter) will be banned ?

      They are already trying in Texas and in New Hampshire. Notice the inclusion of drones by name in the legislation, and the lack of differentiation between government use and private use.

      This article from a few weeks ago shows that two other state legislatures, specifically Florida and Virginia, are attempting a legislative fix to drone use, though those attempts are targeted specifically at government use of drones. The mayor of Seattle cancelled the Seattle PD's drone program and ordered the chief of police to return the ones they'd already bought to the manufacturer for a refund.

      With that said, attempts to block government use of drones are probably doomed to failure, since the FAA has already been directed by the 112th Congress to integrate drones into the national airspace via HR 658 (relevant section here,) and police departments across the nation are buying them in droves, despite what happened in Seattle. The DHS's "loan a drone" program, coupled with DHS's $4M grant program to local law authorities to acquire drones, would strongly suggest that government use of drones is here to stay.

      Given the push/pull legislative wars being driven by the privacy vs. public safety debate, I doubt that banning RC aircraft is a viable legislative option. What is (probably) going to happen with RC aircraft is what has already happened with other "hobbies" that are deemed to be a threat to public safety (think: greenhouses that could be used for growing pot, legal chemicals that could be used to manufacture illegal drugs, model rockets that could be weaponized.) Purchases of RC aircraft and related equipment will be tracked at the point of sale and those records will be forwarded to the feds, where the purchasers will end up on an FBI watch list, just like the purchasers of the above-mentioned items.

    3. Re:I smell a rat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Your play on the homophones "plane" and "plain" makes me wonder if you used "site" instead of "sight" deliberately. If you didn't, then I suggest you pretend that you did.

    4. Re:I smell a rat by queBurro · · Score: 1

      depends, if you think of it as a 'weapon' (e.g. a semi-automatic rifle) then never, but if you think of it as a device to spy on the rich then it'll get banned pretty quickly

      --
      sag
    5. Re:I smell a rat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      400 feet box is just about impossible to fly in for some models, seriously. The main point would be however that they're not limited to 400 feet at all. In fact, they have no altitude restriction at all.

      Here is the results of recent FAA updates regarding model aviation: http://www.modelaircraft.org/files/HR658_020112.pdf ...this person and their quadcopter was breaking a few safety rules (specifically distance to airport and distance to full scale aircraft), but that's about it.

    6. Re:I smell a rat by JoeSmithee · · Score: 1

      I used to fly model planes in that neighborhood. There are two model plane airports under the JFK approach (one at Gettitsen Beach and one at Floyd Bennett Field). At Gerritsen there is an altitude limit of (I think) 1,000 feet for just this reason.

    7. Re:I smell a rat by EdgePenguin · · Score: 3, Interesting

      What is wrong with tracking drone purchases?

      I'd go even further, and say its not that unreasonable for the government to track drone usage by demanding you install a transponder and register it with them. Airspace is serious business.

    8. Re:I smell a rat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You may not be able to block all government use of drones, but you can damn well limit it. The Feds are the hardest, but Cities and States? It's the people's government, and by god they will listen to the people on the State or City level, because it is a hell of a lot easier to make those asshats look bad and get their asses tossed. The reason the Mayor of Seattle told the police to return the drones was the outcry from the people. Probably not even 1% of his voting populace made a helluva lot of noise about it and the government intrusion and the mayor told the police to scrap the program (probably to make himself look good). It also helps that in Seattle people are very wary of the police after recent incidents involving them abusing their power.

    9. Re:I smell a rat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Because there's no compelling reason to do so. It could cost time and money to do so and installing transponders means increasing weight and decreasing battery life. It isn't difficult to make your own drone, so purchase tracking is worthless. You could turn off any transponder and you're unlikely to be caught, so those are useless too. There's really no point except to create more laws and more red tape. We have more than enough of both already.

      Kites are less controlled than RC planes or drones. Do you want all kites tracked too?

    10. Re:I smell a rat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But, quadcoptors and the like are so easy to build, what purchase will the gov track? A brushless motor or speed controller that could be used or taken from any number of devices that move? The transmitter? You don't really need one if it has GPS nav, or you can use wifi when it's in range. The flight computer? It's as simple as a microcontroller and a wii remote, there are millions out there. The GPS device? How many million of those are there?

    11. Re:I smell a rat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Groundspace is pretty serious business, too. But we don't (yet) track car usage by installing a registered transponder.

    12. Re:I smell a rat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem there, it's not that hard to built your own quadrotor. An arduino controller, a few a sensors, bolt so motors to a frame with a battery, and glue on some propellers. The parts to build your own modest quadrotor can be had for a few hundred dollars, and instructions are available online.

      Regulating the ownership of these things is not a viable solution to any problem that develops.

    13. Re:I smell a rat by kwbauer · · Score: 0

      How many of you not wanting R/C planes banned are fine with the current attempt at banning so-called "assault rifles" and "large capacity" magazines? We should all be saying "enough is enough".

    14. Re:I smell a rat by kwbauer · · Score: 1

      I could say "If you want them to track my gun then I want them to track your R/C (or kite)" but that would be against my actual beliefs. Hopefully, it does cause at least a few to wonder why they accept the government doing some things but not others.

  14. That was my pet ROFLcopter, sorry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mah bad. I built it with an Arduino and some motors from Radio Shack and I had no idea it could fly so high. What a rush!

    Now that I know it works, I'll be continuing with my plan to airdrop 32 oz. beverage containers over the city... muhahahaha!

  15. Drones with frickking lasers by allypally · · Score: 1

    We already have problems with ground based idiots shining recreational lasers into aircraft cockpits. What hope for aviation when the recreational lasers are mounted on recreational drones? The US will long regret not having built an underground railroad network for safe consumer transport.

    1. Re:Drones with frickking lasers by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1

      What hope for aviation when the recreational lasers are mounted on recreational drones?

      Pretty good, I suspect. I would have thought the cost of a suitable system for aiming and stabilising such a beam from a little flying machine flitting around in the breeze would be a bit high for non-military budgets.

    2. Re:Drones with frickking lasers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What hope for aviation when the recreational lasers are mounted on recreational drones?

      I would have thought the cost of a suitable system [...] would be a bit high for non-military budgets.

      Ironically I suspect it's quite do-able and would be vastly cheaper on a non-military budget than a military one. Think about it, the military requirements will be steep and will include extra considerations, as well as profit for the corporation and executives.

      The non-military version will be built by someone valuing their time at 0$ as it's a hobby and will be built with off-the-shelf parts. Given that aircraft transponders already indicate what type of craft and direction they're flying, it should be dead simple to DF the aircraft, extropolate their current position, get the relative position of the cockpit for that type of aircraft and then bar-code scan the front of the aircraft. That'll get a laser in the pilot's eyes. Remember, you don't have to physically move the laser around the platform, you just have to adjust the beam, that part's easy.

    3. Re:Drones with frickking lasers by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Not really, unless you want a specific craft and a specific point and specifically at the pilots head. If you just want to get any old planes flight deck you could cheaply build one with a 20-30% success rate.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  16. Itsa bird, itsa plane, itsa drone, no it's... by macraig · · Score: 1

    Hey, Superman is not a drone! He's very much in control of himself.

    1. Re:Itsa bird, itsa plane, itsa drone, no it's... by mabhatter654 · · Score: 1

      Does he have a pilot's license?

      Let alone safety features, warning lights, registration numbers... He's indestructible so that makes him an extra hazard.

      He needs to stick to Clark Kent, super cubical paper shuffler!!

  17. Times are a changin' by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In the good old days we called these UFOs.

  18. oh that? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    That was just my iphone with a propeller kit.

  19. Don't worry by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Everybody on board that plane was a terrorist on the kill list.

  20. Re:Not a joke by cffrost · · Score: 3, Informative

    Regardless of whether this is an RC model or not, if this got sucked into an engine we'd have a repeat of the Hudson river landing (best case scenario).

    Can you explain how ingestion of an R/C aircraft can cause the failure of two engines, and subsequently result in a "best case scenario" equivalent to striking a flock of Canada Geese?

    --
    Thank you, Edward Snowden.

    "Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
  21. Quadcopter by hooiberg · · Score: 1

    If a quadcopter would be sucked into one of the jet engines, it would be shredded and burned to ashes and vapor without as much as a glitch. These engines are tested with frozen turkeys and the like. On the other hand, the RC pilot would have lost an expensive toy, probably with a camera on it, otherwise you do not fly it so close to an airplane, making it even more expensive. One would expect a pilot of such a craft to fly it with responsibility and common sense in mind. In that case, it could also simply be an accident. Flying the craft out of range, sender/receiver malfunction or another of many possibly failures. I think with the sequester going on, the US government has more important stuff on its mind than somebody flying a quadcopter near an airport.

    1. Re:Quadcopter by BrokenHalo · · Score: 1

      These engines are tested with frozen turkeys and the like.

      Citation definitely needed here. If a plane can be taken down by a little non-frozen boid, then presumably a frozen boid would do more damage. Though, in my experience, I don't believe I have ever seen a frozen turkey flapping around in commercial flight-paths.

    2. Re:Quadcopter by TedRiot · · Score: 2

      Well, it is very cold above 30 thousand feet and the Turkeys are struggling not to freeze up there.

    3. Re:Quadcopter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope. You're just dead wrong. Putting a coin into an engine is a very effective way to sabotage it. Hell, volcanic ash so fine you can't see it will damage turbine engines. Tip clearances are 3-5 atom in the compressor section. Many turbine blades are monocrystaline. We could make them a lot more survivable, but the specific fuel consumption would go to shit. That's one of the reasons the Air Force and Navy are burning so much jet fuel -- they're using 1970's and 80's engine designs that just aren't economical.

    4. Re:Quadcopter by couchslug · · Score: 5, Informative

      Retired engine mech here.

      Jet engines are tested with birds, but that doesn't mean birds can't damage them. It means they should be able to digest that standard weight of poultry and not fail. Maintenance would inspect (visual and fiber-optic borescope) them on return for maintenance.

      Birds aren't metal. An engine sucking in an aircraft forms binder (for example) can sustain considerable damage just from the metal spine.

      It's a crapshoot what sending hard parts down an intake will do. Just one bolt could, if it got to the compressor section, take an engine out. It rarely does.

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
    5. Re:Quadcopter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually they are tested to destruction with birds and to pass they just have to contain the cataclysmic destruction within the housing.

    6. Re:Quadcopter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it is very cold above 30 thousand feet and the Turkeys are struggling not to freeze up there.

      Your post reminds me of that WKRP in Cincinnati Thanksgiving episode. It's a classic.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lf3mgmEdfwg

    7. Re:Quadcopter by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 1

      " Just one bolt could, if it got to the compressor section, take an engine out. It rarely does."

      I like your hobbies.

    8. Re:Quadcopter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Crapshoot? I'm sure birds would agree while being sucked into an engine.

  22. A-Ha! They're already onto us by SeaFox · · Score: 1

    How can we be expected to trust robots when they're already becoming terrorists?

  23. It will be easy to find the owner by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    when they upload the onboard camera footage to YouTube.

  24. Drones of Extra-terrestrial origin by ixarux · · Score: 1

    Are UFOs out of fashion now? I miss the old days of government-related conspiracy theories.
    And X-Files.
    The truth is out there.

    1. Re:Drones of Extra-terrestrial origin by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Actually, they are. UFO(flysaucers) believer are in a steady decline. finally.
      It is currently thought this is do to the number of caners now in the public as well as the fact their hasn't been in better evidence the there was in 1960.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  25. Drones save lives! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Kamikaze drones save lives one at a time.

  26. Description by rossdee · · Score: 1

    Why would something that is only 3ft wide nrrd 4 propellers ?
    Unless its a scale model of a WW2 bomber or something.

    1. Re:Description by Dins · · Score: 1
  27. Re:Not a joke by khallow · · Score: 0

    Can you explain how ingestion of an R/C aircraft can cause the failure of two engines

    It's worth noting here that geese, like most birds, have rather delicate bones. An R/C aircraft might have steel and other really hard materials that could do more damage. That drops the number of engines to one. If the remaining one fails due to the addition stress placed on it, then you have two engine failures as desired.

  28. Re:Not a joke by Phelony · · Score: 1

    Really dude? The loss of ONE engine is an extremely serious *emergency* situation -- the plane is required to land ASAP -- ie. Do not pass "Go". There are multi-year, massive and expensive (multi-million $$) investigations that result from a single engine failure on a 747.

  29. Superman is getting lazy by sTERNKERN · · Score: 1

    It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's a drone.

  30. Re:Not a joke by Michael+Woodhams · · Score: 5, Informative

    OK, so possibly it takes fewer R/C aircraft than geese to take out an engine. Then you wave a magic wand and say maybe the other engine will stop too. Losing one engine does not cause the other to fail, despite your appeal to 'additional stress'. Twin jets are able to fly with one engine. To be certified, they must demonstrate they can safely fly on one engine during the most stressful period of flight (a single engine failure late in the take-off roll.) They can also fly safely for a long time on a single engine. With appropriate safeguards, they are certified to do so for up to three hours (ETOPS-180) and coming soon, for over five hours.

    --
    Quattuor res in hoc mundo sanctae sunt: libri, liberi, libertas et liberalitas.
  31. Ban? by Phelony · · Score: 1

    How soon before Bloomberg bans all RC vehicles? This makes Cherry Coke look like broccoli.

  32. Re:Not a joke by Phelony · · Score: 0

    You're right. If I was the pilot, I would just continue right on to Australia with -1 engine.

  33. Not a Drone C.I.A Black ops job by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    C.I.A survallance over New York, plane and simple. They are watching.

  34. Three feet wide by stephanruby · · Score: 0

    It probably wasn't my drone. Mine is black, has four propellers, and is only about one foot wide.

  35. So what? by MMC+Monster · · Score: 4, Funny

    If the pilots and passengers didn't have anything to hide, why were they concerned?

    --
    Help! I'm a slashdot refugee.
    1. Re:So what? by Errol+backfiring · · Score: 1, Funny

      Well, wouldn't you be at least a tad surprised if you saw a part of a bagpipe minding its own business at 1750 feet?

      --
      Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
    2. Re:So what? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They were obviously hiding their complete lack of regard for the Law of Gravity. That's enough probable cause to call in a dronestrike.

  36. Re:Not a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Australia is more than 3 hours from the US. Also, please bear in mind that an inconvenient delay is not a catastrophe, no matter how much the passengers may behave like it is.

  37. Re:Not a joke by cffrost · · Score: 3, Informative

    Can you explain how ingestion of an R/C aircraft can cause the failure of two engines

    It's worth noting here that geese, like most birds, have rather delicate bones. An R/C aircraft might have steel and other really hard materials that could do more damage. That drops the number of engines to one. If the remaining one fails due to the addition stress placed on it, then you have two engine failures as desired.

    An uncorrelated, stress-induced failure of the remaining engine seems pretty unlikely — quoting Wikipedia:

    "When flying far from diversionary airports, (so called ETOPS/LROPS flights), the aircraft must be able to reach an alternate on the remaining engine within a specified time in case of one engine failure. Power is not an issue. One of the engines is more than powerful enough to keep the aircraft aloft. Mostly, it is about maintenance and design requirements ensuring that a failure of one engine cannot make the other one fail, also. The engines and related systems need to be independent and (in essence) independently maintained. ETOPS/LROPS is often incorrectly thought to apply only to long overwater flights. In fact it applies to any flight more than specified distances from an available diversion airport. Overwater flights near diversion airports need not be ETOPS/LROPS compliant."

    --
    Thank you, Edward Snowden.

    "Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
  38. Re:Not a joke by k2r · · Score: 1

    > An R/C aircraft might have steel and other really hard materials that could do more damage.

    So somebody dropped a castiron drone from somewhere above the plane?
    I see no other way to make an aircraft made of steel or similar fly.

    Maybe a castiron quadcopter with a nuclear reactor?

  39. Re:Not a joke by cffrost · · Score: 1

    Really dude? The loss of ONE engine is an extremely serious *emergency* situation -- the plane is required to land ASAP -- ie. Do not pass "Go".

    There are multi-year, massive and expensive (multi-million $$) investigations that result from a single engine failure on a 747.

    Can you show me where I said anything to imply that single engine failures were non-emergencies that didn't require investigation?

    --
    Thank you, Edward Snowden.

    "Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
  40. Re:Not a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You seem to be suggesting that the only two options available to the pilot in this hypothetical scenario are

    1: Fly to Australia
    2: Fly into a river

    Are you being deliberately obtuse or are you just automatically and hysterically afraid of whatever boogeyman the media are currently crusading against? How about

    3: Radio the nearest airport, explain the situation and request a runway. Given that the plane is only a few thousand feet up, chances are good it's on its way into/ out of a nearby airport anyway, and can land safely there.

  41. Re:Not a joke by cffrost · · Score: 2

    I doubt you'd be this cavalier if YOU were on a plane that had even a single engine failure. I bet you'd be crying like a little girl, big guy.

    How is asking a technical question about an assumed cascade failure mode "cavalier?" With all due respect, I think you're on the wrong site.

    --
    Thank you, Edward Snowden.

    "Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan
  42. I suspect... by lexsird · · Score: 1

    I'm imagining some hobbyist is setting at home shitting themselves. It sounds like a GPS controlled version of a RC toy. Someone probably programmed it with something like Google Earth, but didn't have the information for what was safe air space. If the turbulence didn't turn it to confetti and it made it home, someone was in for a big surprise when they played back what it recorded.

    Let's hope everyone doesn't overreact and this is just a case of "derp" on behalf of a curious explorer.

    If it's not, and this is worse case scenario, this is about to get interesting. I edited myself from even voicing how this could go sideways.

    --
    Take the Red Pill.
  43. Re:Hugo Chavez dead by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LOL!!!

    The dictator of Venezuela!!!!

  44. FBI said it was looking to identify and locate by Culture20 · · Score: 1

    FBI said it was looking to identify and locate the aircraft and its operator

    ...with their black, three foot wide, four propeller drones.

    Andyway, 3' wide? That's tiny!

  45. Drone did not "come within 200ft" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    The quadcopter did not come within 200ft of the plane. The plane came within 200ft of the quadcopter. Quadcopters can't go near fast enough to intentionally get in the path of a plane going hundreds of miles per hour. The quadcopter operator was likely FPV flying (with a live camera that generally looks at the ground) and wandered near or into a flight corridor without knowing it. 1750 ft is too high for reliable from-the-ground visual flight for a quadcopter. Flight corridors aren't usually "narrow". Even within a flight corridor, the plane *could* be anywhere across a big area of sky. Hence this was far more likely to simply be accidental.

    It's more akin to a stupid Cessna pilot accidentally wandering across commercial flight corridors without knowing it. It happens a couple of times a year, and isn't quite as newsworthy though it's far more dangerous due to the vastly greater size and speed of the Cessna (though a Cessna still could never intentionally get itself in front of an airliner with any reliability at that height and speed). The error here is that the quad operator was flying that high in a flight corridor (RC planes fly *under* flight corridors all the time). RC planes are generally supposed to fly under 500 ft. It is also a practical limit just due to the visibility from the ground. Hence the likelihood the Quad was FPVing.

  46. Re:Not a joke by Bucc5062 · · Score: 1

    Can you cite something for that seems a little extreme. As a brother of a pilot who flies a 4 engine jet aircraft, losing one engine is not an extremely serious emergency. There have been a number of times in his career when his aircraft had an engine issue over the ocean and he had to shut it down. They drop in altitude, slow a little bit more and proceed on to destination performing a three engine landing; a well practiced procedure.

    Even with twin engine jets the lose of one, while serious is not extreme unless it was coupled with fire or damage to the wing. You must have taken a course in extreme hyperbole.

    --
    Life is a great ride, the vehicle doesn't matter
  47. First amature picture of the drone by TheP4st · · Score: 1
    --
    "I have downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records, why would I care if somebody downloads ours?" Robin Pecknold
  48. Obligatory by nickybio · · Score: 0

    These are not the drones you are looking for.

  49. Re:Not a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You make it sound like everything goes on as normal, it does not and it is an emergency situation. That plane over the ocean that loses an engine lands at the nearest airport ASAP. That nearest airport may be behind them and they will immediately divert to it.

  50. Re:Not a joke by Culture20 · · Score: 1

    And we know where they come from, but we just let Canada get away with their deployments every fall.

  51. It's time that their secret identities... by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

    ...become their permanent identities.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
    1. Re:It's time that their secret identities... by cbiltcliffe · · Score: 1

      It's time for their secret identities.....to become their only identities.

      If you're going to quote The Incredibles, at least get it right.

      --
      "City hall" in German is "Rathaus" Kinda explains a few things......
  52. Jet Engine Testing by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xlObdXF8VE

    ~2:00 mark, 5.5lb bird impact with turbine.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
  53. Remember by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Be a good American and fight the government's spy plans by shooting down any drones you find flying in American airspace.

  54. I love the drone pics in TFA by Overzeetop · · Score: 1

    At the top of the article is a slide show of 12 photos of drones - none of which operate with four propellers. Journalism at it's finest.

    --
    Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
  55. Re:Not a joke by khallow · · Score: 1

    So somebody dropped a castiron drone from somewhere above the plane? I see no other way to make an aircraft made of steel or similar fly.

    Not all screws are made of materials softer than steel.

  56. it's a bitch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a bitch when someone does it to you, isn't it mother fuckers?

  57. Re:Not a joke by khallow · · Score: 0

    An uncorrelated, stress-induced failure of the remaining engine seems pretty unlikely

    "Stress-induced" is the correlation. And there would be higher stress during takeoff (which incidentally is when you're going to run into low altitude drones) than during cruise flight. Keep in mind the sentence from your quote:

    "In fact it applies to any flight more than specified distances from an available diversion airport."

  58. Re:Now it all makes sense. by cgiannelli · · Score: 1

    The government's crusade against Assault rifles is not to protect innocents, it's to protect Drones. Despite the rather small .22 caliber round, they're highly accurate and long range. You may not be able to kill a person with one from a mile away, but you sure as heck can shoot down a small sized drone with minimal chance of being caught...

  59. It's happened before by Solandri · · Score: 1

    There was a near miss between a German UAV and an Airbus A300 over Kabul, Afghanistan in 2004. And just like with midair collisions between piloted aircraft there's going to be a collision eventually. Put enough planes (of any type) into the air and give them enough time, and eventually two will collide.

  60. Re:Not a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    The engine doesn't feel any more or less stress, the airframe does. The engine will deliver the thrust you set it for, and it will feel the stress related to that thrust only. The rest of the airframe has to account for the asymmetric thrust, and your max airspeed and climb abilities are reduced due to less thrust, but the engine itself feels nothing different as it can't produce any more thrust than it is designed to at full throttle (and perhaps a FADEC boost setting if available).

  61. Attack vector? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This starts to sound like a bit of a scary potential attack vector... put a drone up in a flight path over a busy city... don't even want to think about how much damage that could do.

  62. R/C flying field by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's an R/C club right near one of the approach paths, about 4 miles west from JFK. We received from commercial pilots, unfamiliar with the area, reports of visual contact with our planes on almost monthly basis for YEARS. There's a lot of large (3m+ wingspan) and fast (200 mph+) planes flying there.

    It never made a local nor national news, I think it was a Alitalia pilot that wanted to actually file a official incident report once about 7 years ago. But now with everybody running scared of "drones", it becomes a big deal.

  63. somebody's gonna say it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If it were Jews, we'd just blame the Muslims and invade some random country that insulted the commander-in-chief's daddy.

  64. Unmanned drone? by Beorytis · · Score: 1

    What's the difference between an unmanned drone and a pilotless drone?

    1. Re:Unmanned drone? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What's the difference between an unmanned drone and a pilotless drone?

      The 'unmanned' drone might have a female pilot. But not the 'pilotless' drone.

  65. Local city banned them by argStyopa · · Score: 1

    Of course it's more of a statement than something they're going to be able to enforce if the Feds/State have different plans, but a local community here in MN banned drones from its airspace for 2 years: http://sunpatriot.com/2013/02/28/st-boni-acts-to-protect-its-airspace-against-drones/

    St Boni has the highest point in Hennepin County (the major urban county in MN) and aviation uses their water tower for calibration and navigation. The Mayor/Council noted that two test labs in Minnesota have been testing them and certifying drones based on the Military standards, kind of like the UL, or CE mark. Having a fairly strong stance on Constitutional rights and privacy issues of Citizens vs govt, they banned warrentless flights for 2 years pending a transparent discussion of standards for such intelligence-gathering mechanisms.

    âoeWe support taking a step back for two years and let the state and county come up with policies and procedures for how to do it,â said St. Boni Mayor Rick Weible. Council member Joe Arwood added, âoeWe donâ(TM)t want to exclude a lawful purpose (for use of drone technology), but we want to be aware when it happens.â

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:Local city banned them by argStyopa · · Score: 1

      Dear Slashdot editors/coders: it's 2013, do you think we could get some posting code that would understand that pasted quotation test are quotes, and not 'Ãoe'?

      For that matter, using now-fairly-standard [bracketed] code rather than greater-than and less-than symbols might be clever too....

      --
      -Styopa
  66. Funny how a day later by Lawrence_Bird · · Score: 2

    it comes within 200 feet according to the FBI who has a very vested interest in making sure nobody else has toys to play with. From yesterday: "“The pilot did not take evasive action. The flight landed safely," according to the FAA.". 200 feet=60yards.. Either it was a tiny toy (unlikely at that elevation) or it was far enough away the pilot felt no need to take action. Birds are bad enough around NYC, no pilot wants a 'drone' sucked into his engine on approach.

  67. In a post 9/11 World, I am a terrorist by tekrat · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Seriously.
    The things I did as a kid would now be labeled terrorism today. I used to live right near Kennedy Airport, in Rosedale Queens. I remember 747's and Concordes so low you could almost touch them.

    Don't you think we shot off Estes model rockets? Don't you think we flew kites, *trying* to get them sucked into engines? And don't even get me started on the things done during July 4th -- all I'm going to say is "hydrogen filled balloons". You figure out the rest.

    My point is: The crap I did as as kid, that went largely ignored by the authorities, would now make national news, and I'd be hauled off to jail practically every weekend. Some kids were simply using a radio controlled flying toy, and it wandered into the approach path. Big freaking deal.

    I think the time I used a Sandhawk model rocket (D engine), glued the nosecone in place and filled it with tin-foil strips was far worse than what these kids did.

    But you know, 1977 isn't 2012.

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
    1. Re:In a post 9/11 World, I am a terrorist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I call bullshit.

    2. Re:In a post 9/11 World, I am a terrorist by geekoid · · Score: 2

      You need to really stop getting your view of the sate of things from the news. It's not accurate at all. It's not the those thing would be labeled as terrorism. its the 24 hour news cycle that need to scrap up every tiny thing, fluff piece, or minor event to fill the time.
      All those things you mention still go on, everyday and no one labels the as terrorists.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    3. Re:In a post 9/11 World, I am a terrorist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah. What kind of sociopath tries to fuck around with the engines of a landing/climbing airplane? You know, the things keeping the aircraft in the air.

  68. Why drone on about this? by EdgePenguin · · Score: 1

    There isn't much prospect of either a dronageddon or of a government crackdown, because the legislative response to drones is sufficiently obvious, effective and doesn't step on the toes of powerful people. One thing governments are generally pretty good at is regulating airspace.

  69. Re:Not a joke by khallow · · Score: 1

    The engine doesn't feel any more or less stress [...] and it will feel the stress related to that thrust only

    And there we go. More thrust because it's the only engine operating and hence, more stress.

  70. Re:Not a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Geese have light bones for the same reason roflcopters are made from alu and polyfoam: because you have to be light to fly.

    An r/c toy with steel bits sounds world-o-suck and I'd bet it wouldn't get that high.

  71. Re:Now it all makes sense. by x0 · · Score: 2

    The government's crusade against Assault rifles is not to protect innocents, it's to protect Drones. Despite the rather small .22 caliber round, they're highly accurate and long range. You may not be able to kill a person with one from a mile away, but you sure as heck can shoot down a small sized drone with minimal chance of being caught...

    I'm thinking you've never shot anything at a distance. Certainly never anything airborne at a distance. Chances of hitting a small, fast moving drone, with a handheld semi-auto rifle are, effectively, nil.

    During WWII naval forces expended tens of thousands of rounds of AA shells for every full size aircraft engaged.

    m

    --
    In the immortal words of Socrates, who said; 'I drank what?'
  72. Apple's aerial map UAVs fly below 15000 feet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple's UAVs for gathering aerial photography for maps fly below 15,000 feet. While higher than reported, maybe one had hardware or software problem that caused it to be lower than intended?

    1. Re:Apple's aerial map UAVs fly below 15000 feet by avandesande · · Score: 2

      Maybe it was using Apple maps?

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
  73. Re:Now it all makes sense. by CrimsonAvenger · · Score: 3, Insightful

    The government's crusade against Assault rifles is not to protect innocents, it's to protect Drones. Despite the rather small .22 caliber round, they're highly accurate and long range.

    1) The government is NOT crusading against "assault rifles", they are crusading against semi-automatic rifles that LOOK LIKE assault rifles.

    2) No, they're NOT highly accurate in and of themselves. Some of them are notoriously inaccurate.

    3) No, they're NOT long range. Not by rifle standards, anyway. My .30-06 single-shot can push a bullet farther than my mini-14 can, by a considerable margin. Note that smaller calibre tends to mean more drag (larger surface area to mass ratio), which tends to mean that they lose both speed and accuracy quicker than a typical hunting round.

    Contrary to popular rumour, we didn't switch to 5.56 because it was a super-powerful, incredibly accurate round. We switched because a soldier could carry more of them, and because they were capable of a disabling wound at battlefield ranges (typically a couple hundred yards or so).

    Unlike our previous round, the 7.62 NATO, which weighed about three times as much, and could inflict a disabling wound out past 400 yards, if you bothered to shoot at someone that far away with your rifle.

    --

    "I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it"
  74. "Digest" by xandroid · · Score: 1

    Is "digest" really the term of art for that?

    Gross-awesome.

    --
    $ echo "ceci n'est pas une pipe" | sed -Ee 's/(eci n|pas )//g'
    1. Re:"Digest" by couchslug · · Score: 1

      That's what the old USAF mechs who taught me sometimes called it.

      BTW birds are turned into a mist of blood and feathers when they go down an intake, and it stinks. Inspecting those is nasty.

      Jet engines don't always contain catastrophic failures, as the fan. compressor and turbine blades are spinning at high rpm (rate depends on engine).

      http://www.remotevisualinspection.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Turbine4_256-1.gif

      Google Image Search "bird strike engine damage" for some entertainment.

      http://english4aviation.pbworks.com/w/page/24448140/Pictures#Birdsstrikeeverywhere

      --
      "This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
  75. Re:An r/c toy with steel bits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The motors likely have steel bits at the very least and the servos might as well. Other parts of the craft may be carbon fiber or titanium, and regardless, I don't think you want any foreign objects sucked into a jet engine's impeller.

  76. Re:Now it all makes sense. by geekoid · · Score: 1

    1) AND assault rifles. It's not a crusade btw. A large segment of the population has had enough with the ridiculously weapons and want the government to stop allowing their sale. You know, responding to what the people want.

    2) Yes they are accurate. Are there more accurate fire arms? yes. But in the range of fire warms, they are above the middle.

    3

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  77. Re:Not a joke by geekoid · · Score: 2

    You should probably try to understand why entropy is, and why it doesn't apply here.

    These plane are design to fly after one engine fails.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  78. Re:Now it all makes sense. by mapsjanhere · · Score: 1

    Begun, the drone wars have.

    --
    I'm aging rapidly, I bought a new game and had no idea if my machine was good for it.
  79. Crazy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Crazy

  80. Logic is your friend by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Given that this incident occurred at a height (1750 feet) that is well outside the performance or transmit range of any commercial, civilian-available hobby drones or quadcopters, the theory that this was some J. Random Hobbyist can be safely ruled out.

    Once you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be true. Right?

    So it stands to reason that this must have been a military or other government aircraft (DARPA research, CIA surveillance, etc.). No other entities have the ability to field a device that small, at that height, with those powers of flight.

    Maybe the FBI should be interviewing themselves if they want to have a clue what's going on.

  81. Maybe by WizADSL · · Score: 1

    Maybe is was an R/C plane as others have suggested and possibly it had accidentally gotten out of range of the transmitter. I know technology has changed a great deal since I was in the hobby but it used to be that if your plane/buggy got out of range of your radio the servos would stay in whatever position they were in at last contact. Even at that time there were devices available that would put the servos in a pre-programmed position in that event. I assume this has probably been built into newer hardware but maybe not and certainly a failure is not out of the question.

  82. Re:Not a joke by yurtinus · · Score: 1

    Sir I must applaud your undying efforts to support your disproved opinion. Good show!

    --
    +1 Disagree
  83. seriously by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Regardless of whether this is an RC model t, if this got sucked into an engine we'd have a repeat of the Hudson river landing (best case scenario).

  84. Re:Now it all makes sense. by kwbauer · · Score: 1

    What makes a weapon ridiculous? And how many people want them banned? If you want to end civilian ownership of firearms in the US then do it the correct way. Get a two-thirds majority of each chamber of Congress to pass a bill with the wording of a new amendment that explicitly states that not only does the second amendment exist but that civilian ownership of firearms is not allowed. Then get 38 states to pass it as well. Anything less is simply ignoring the "rule of law". Ignoring the rule of law in other areas has led to such idiotic beliefs that the government can look at my documents (without a warrant) if I ask Google to store them electronically but that a warrant is required if I print them and store them in a lock box in a vault at my bank. Seriously, stop picking and choosing which rights you want respected and which you don't. Start expecting every one of them to be respected.

  85. Re:Not a joke by khallow · · Score: 1

    It has to be "disproved" first. I believe the prior poster was in error when he asserted that a plane with one engine wouldn't need to generate any more thrust per engine than a plane with two engines.

  86. TCAS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Every drone is equipped with a TCAS. Every commercial plane is also equipped with a TCAS. The pilot would have been aware of this "drone" way before he was to see it. Something is not adding up.

  87. Re:Not a joke by yurtinus · · Score: 1

    And if the aircraft needed to exceed maximum thrust on one engine to maintain altitude, you'd have a point. You're arguing semantics around a fundamentally wrong assertion: Your claim was that if one engine goes down, the other will be overwhelmed and fail as well. In reality, that spare engine will be spun up to compensate while still being within its design limits.

    Sure you put an "if" in there. "If" the remaining engine had some unexpected flaw or was so poorly maintained it couldn't maintain a higher rate of thrust, why not. The glory of the "if" - regardless of how improbable your assertion is, it's still possible.

    Regardless, you're still wrong, but you're aggressively defending your position. Sir, I salute you!

    --
    +1 Disagree
  88. Re:Now it all makes sense. by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

    OK, how about a computer controlled rifle?

    --
    Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  89. Re:Now it all makes sense. by ChrisMaple · · Score: 1

    A large segment of the population has had enough with the ridiculously weapons...

    Well, the "ridiculously" applies here.

    --
    Contribute to civilization: ari.aynrand.org/donate
  90. Re:Now it all makes sense. by slimjim8094 · · Score: 1

    Just a FYI, if you (or anyone else) tries to Rambo a drone like this, you're going to kill anybody standing under the end of the parabolic arc your bullet takes since it'll come back at lethal velocity. Firing guns in the air is a stupendously stupid idea, and yes people have died like this.

    --
    I have developed a truly marvelous proof of this comment, which this signature is too narrow to contain.
  91. Re:Not a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Actually, it's not hard to make an aircraft with substantial portions of its airframe made of steel. It's just that for any practical use you're better using aluminum and putting the weight difference into cargo and/or fuel.

  92. Just to be quite clear by Chrisq · · Score: 1

    I'm a Muslim, but I've never planned to bomb a plane. Am I doing something wrong?

    That depends how you define wrong. If you mean as a decent human being then no. If you mean by not following your scriptures as interpreted by many Imams and practiced by tousands then yes.

    Just to be quite clear I am not saying that you should plan to bomb a plane. I am saying that Islam is a (literally) abysmal religion that calls good evil, and wrong right.

    1. Re:Just to be quite clear by petman · · Score: 1

      I'm a Muslim, but I've never planned to bomb a plane. Am I doing something wrong?

      That depends how you define wrong. If you mean as a decent human being then no. If you mean by not following your scriptures as interpreted by many Imams and practiced by tousands then yes.

      Just to be quite clear I am not saying that you should plan to bomb a plane. I am saying that Islam is a (literally) abysmal religion that calls good evil, and wrong right.

      Your words; "practiced by tousands" (sic). So you believe thousands of Muslims who commit violence represent true Islamic teachings, while the billions who don't are not. I wonder where you learn your logic.

    2. Re:Just to be quite clear by Chrisq · · Score: 1

      I'm a Muslim, but I've never planned to bomb a plane. Am I doing something wrong?

      That depends how you define wrong. If you mean as a decent human being then no. If you mean by not following your scriptures as interpreted by many Imams and practiced by tousands then yes.

      Just to be quite clear I am not saying that you should plan to bomb a plane. I am saying that Islam is a (literally) abysmal religion that calls good evil, and wrong right.

      Your words; "practiced by tousands" (sic). So you believe thousands of Muslims who commit violence represent true Islamic teachings, while the billions who don't are not. I wonder where you learn your logic.

      Because millions support them. By your logic the Nazis would not be responsible for teh concentration camps because only a few actually worked in them.

  93. Re:Not a joke by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    regardless of how improbable your assertion is, it's still possible.

    Because nobody ever blew up an engine pushing it to max thrust. Nobody ever increased thrust on the other engine and had it quit too. These people lucked out and landed before the engine that was burning oil ran out of it before they had to increase thrust on the engine that was melting itself.

    Please do keep arguing between yourselves while the rest of us google for double engine failures to see whether it can happen or not. It's quite amusing to watch idiots argue by assertion.

  94. Re:Now it all makes sense. by x0 · · Score: 1

    OK, how about a computer controlled rifle?

    Sure... just add:

    1. Millimeter wavelength radar
    2. Tracking control
    3. Target acquisition
    4. Proximity sensors/explosive tips on the projectiles
    5. Benchrest quality, custom ammunition
    6. NFA Tax stamps for each round @ $200/ea

    AA rounds don't take out aircraft by hitting them normally. They usually get close and explode; The shrapnel damages the aircraft.

    Sure, the above is probably something a moderately competent group of hackers could make, but it wouldn't be reasonably affordable or repeatable.

    You're better off converting a model rocket to a home made Sparrow...

    m

    --
    In the immortal words of Socrates, who said; 'I drank what?'
  95. Jet wash by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Shouldn't the jet wash have destroyed it?

  96. public comments: ignorance is bliss by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    TFA was so short I found myself in the comments, which were instantly entertaining. The one from HyperionX really stood out: " It's a great tactic. Pump out so much information that the government is overwhelmed because it can't track everyone! " Yeah, that is a real problem for Amazon and ebay, too, with their multiple petabyte size databases, those searches take sooo long, almost a half a second in some cases...

  97. Re:Now it all makes sense. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I've seen some very impressive auto-tracking fire control systems on youtube that use paintball guns. It's not great leap to give a system like that longer range vision (zoom lens from DLSR) and attach it to a firing system with enough oomph to knock down a drone. Maybe 2-3 months for a hobbyist in their garage, far less once DIY plans are published on the Intar-tubez.

  98. Re:Not a joke by khallow · · Score: 1

    Please do keep arguing between yourselves while the rest of us google for double engine failures to see whether it can happen or not. It's quite amusing to watch idiots argue by assertion.

    The brain is a funny thing. Who knew you could google for double engine failures? Who knew!?