250g Limit... where is the science?
- Thread starter SSgt Duramax
- Start date
WillL84
Active member
Yes you can. It costs like $10 or something but you can indeed.
CappyAmeric
Elite member
About 6 years ago, my airline’s annual pilot safety training included a segment on drone collisions with manned aircraft. We watched a NASA wind tunnel video with a large drone (Phantom sized) impacting a leading edge of the wing of a light aircraft. There was damage, but it did not affect the flight characteristic. Of course, the government was raising all sorts of red flags about the dangers of drones. NASA didn’t test a 5 pound, much less a 250 gram toy against an airliner, because that wouldn’t fuel their fear porn.
How would an airliner fare against a 5 pound UAS? About like a 5 pound goose. Certainly worth a post flight inspection, like all bird strikes - anything smaller? wash the blood and guts off, and unlikely a scratch on the aircraft.
AddEd to the “danger to civil aviation” fear porn is the word “drone.” Congress-critters freaked out when they thought about average citizens having “drones”. Why, they could do drone attacks on political people! Again, fear porn - and at the behest of DHS, the FAA steps up and says, “wait a minute WE own all the airspace between the ground and 65,000 feet - we should regulate all movement there! Screw your class G airspace over your farm. WE OWN that!”
Really, FAA, you think you need to regulate toy aircraft? What’s next, shooting down all birds over 250 grams? Or checking to make sure carrier pigeons aren’t carrying explosives?
How would an airliner fare against a 5 pound UAS? About like a 5 pound goose. Certainly worth a post flight inspection, like all bird strikes - anything smaller? wash the blood and guts off, and unlikely a scratch on the aircraft.
AddEd to the “danger to civil aviation” fear porn is the word “drone.” Congress-critters freaked out when they thought about average citizens having “drones”. Why, they could do drone attacks on political people! Again, fear porn - and at the behest of DHS, the FAA steps up and says, “wait a minute WE own all the airspace between the ground and 65,000 feet - we should regulate all movement there! Screw your class G airspace over your farm. WE OWN that!”
Really, FAA, you think you need to regulate toy aircraft? What’s next, shooting down all birds over 250 grams? Or checking to make sure carrier pigeons aren’t carrying explosives?
CappyAmeric
Elite member
Yup, and those could be used in nefarious ways the DHS is freaked out about far more easily than a UAS.
FlamingRCAirplanes
Elite member
I liked that
SSgt Duramax
Junior Member
About 6 years ago, my airline’s annual pilot safety training included a segment on drone collisions with manned aircraft. We watched a NASA wind tunnel video with a large drone (Phantom sized) impacting a leading edge of the wing of a light aircraft. There was damage, but it did not affect the flight characteristic. Of course, the government was raising all sorts of red flags about the dangers of drones. NASA didn’t test a 5 pound, much less a 250 gram toy against an airliner, because that wouldn’t fuel their fear porn.
How would an airliner fare against a 5 pound UAS? About like a 5 pound goose. Certainly worth a post flight inspection, like all bird strikes - anything smaller? wash the blood and guts off, and unlikely a scratch on the aircraft.
AddEd to the “danger to civil aviation” fear porn is the word “drone.” Congress-critters freaked out when they thought about average citizens having “drones”. Why, they could do drone attacks on political people! Again, fear porn - and at the behest of DHS, the FAA steps up and says, “wait a minute WE own all the airspace between the ground and 65,000 feet - we should regulate all movement there! Screw your class G airspace over your farm. WE OWN that!”
Really, FAA, you think you need to regulate toy aircraft? What’s next, shooting down all birds over 250 grams? Or checking to make sure carrier pigeons aren’t carrying explosives?
Well, if you put it relative, that would be more akin to my 10lb 70mph RC car running into a miata. A small real vehicle, with a relatively high performance vehicle on the heavy side of the hobby spectrum. Yeah, of course it would probably damage the miata depending on where it hit, but it would still drive and not cause an accident.
I understand that there is a small outside chance something could get sucked into a jet engine, but so can a bird, or a flock of them. If anyone is dumb enough to be flying where jet aircraft would be that low, or is flying high enough to where that would be an issue, they probably wouldn't have a beacon notifying officials that they were blatantly breaking the law. That would be like calling the police on yourself for speeding.
Actually, the most at risk would be the part 103 pilots, but that is on them to handle. They basically have zero rights in the air anyways.
I haven't put any effort or research into it, but I bet I could engineer a autonomous sub 250lb "ultralight" that could carry a huge amount of payload in one shot using mainly stuff from home depot and harbor freight (or something bought off craigslist or facebook) with consumer grade electronics for under $5,000 and most certainly under $10,000. Well within the budget of your typical terrorist organizations. Heck, a $400 vacuum can figure out the layout of my house and successfully clean it and return to it's little station.
FlamingRCAirplanes
Elite member
I fly quads! They can’t touch either.
FlamingRCAirplanes
Elite member
Well, they can, but don’t expect me to kiss butt
SSgt Duramax
Junior Member
I think it is mostly about quads, and I am about to get into those too. If it wasnt for the swarm of bees sound you wouldnt know they were there.
You would think if they were such a huge problem you would see them everywhere, but you dont...
You would think if they were such a huge problem you would see them everywhere, but you dont...
BayDesigns
Active member
There're other, less-regulated things that can do a lot more damage with much less effort than an R/C model.
SSgt Duramax
Junior Member
The trouble is, saying things like that the government doesn't hear "maybe we should regulate this less" they hear "oh there is other stuff we need to go regulate? Gladly!"
CappyAmeric
Elite member
It depends. I have some 3 inch HD quads that are very quiet.
FlamingRCAirplanes
Elite member
No need to put weapons on mine, my terrible piloting skills are enough 😈 🤣🤣 just kidding
FlamingRCAirplanes
Elite member
Hmm maybe not, if they get enough stench then yeah but that is not a good way to think (IMHO) we still need to do our parts.
SSgt Duramax
Junior Member
Yeah, my first quad is going to be the guardian from FT. I figure my daughter and I can learn them together. I can already fly RC helis somewhat and I can fly the snot out of the toy grade quads, so I think I can figure it out quick enough. She should be ok too.
That existed long before today.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fu-Go_balloon_bomb
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