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Brought to you by FAA, the same people who let Boeing self certify their shitbox and killed 600+ people! Threadly reminder that there has been no deaths caused

Brought to you by FAA, the same people who let Boeing self certify their shitbox and killed 600+ people! Threadly reminder that there has been no deaths caused by drones, and no confirmed drone incidents. There was this one case where some pilots saw some trash bags as drones and freaked out. Fucking fantastic.

redis_mlc 7y ago
> Brought to you by FAA, the same people who let Boeing self certify their shitbox and killed 600+ people! This illustrates a deep misunderstanding. Manufacturers are the only organizations with current aerospace engineers. They will always be the ones to write the certification documents and submit them to the FAA. However, the FAA should punish them when they falsify those documents, as in the 737 MAX. Also, the two 737 MAX crashes killed about 350 people total. > there has been no deaths caused by drones, and no confirmed drone incidents. There have been people killed by the blades of drones already. Waiting until a drone kills somebody in an airplane accident doesn't make any sense. From the FAA standpoint, they're trying to figure out a way to separate airspace with trained pilots from untrained drone operators. Historically, separation was done by regulating altitudes, but drone operators are not obeying, so there's no "positive airspace control." So far the FAA doesn't know how to do that, and I'm in 100% agreement with them. About the only constructive thing I can suggest is to add a terrain map to each drone that prevents flight above 400', and outside of airport and restricted areas. It's been amusing following the drone saga in the USA. The FAA has acted in a very predictable manner that everybody in the aviation industry knew. It's the hobbyists that had unrealistic expectations from Day One. Also, one bad package delivery drone flight and it's the final curtain for those, too. If you work on one of those projects, transfer out now! source: commercially-rated airplane pilot.
- shakna 7y ago
  > There have been people killed by the blades of drones already. You'll need to provide a source for this. I haven't managed to find any stories that match this. I have found a half-dozen stories where a drone has crashed near or into a person with minimal injury, which could be a concern, and doesn't agree with the OP. ([0], [1], [2]) I have not managed to find a single death. Whilst extensive testing does show serious injury is possible in extreme circumstances [3], the risk is negligible. Death wasn't something this FAA-funded research found was likely even in extreme circumstances. [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/drone-crashes-into-virginia-bull-run-crowd/2013/08/26/424e0b9e-0e00-11e3-85b6-d27422650fd5_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/drone-crashes-into-virg... [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26921504 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26921504 [2] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/09/german-chancellors-drone-attack-shows-the-threat-of-weaponized-uavs/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/09/germa... [3] https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/01/ictas-droneinjuryresearch.html https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/01/ictas-droneinjuryrese...
- MyelinatedT 7y ago
  The "drone blades" you mention wouldn't happen to be very large diameter model helicopter rotors, per chance? Because those are usually made of carbon fibre or lightweight metals, and attain blade tip speeds orders of magnitude higher than a typical consumer multirotor. I have snatched my drone out of the air, right through the path of the props with my bare hands and sustained only very minor injuries (a few specks of blood, akin to a paper cut). I'd be extremely surprised if those kinds of blades (<15cm diameter) have ever killed someone.

redis_mlc 7y ago

> Brought to you by FAA, the same people who let Boeing self certify their shitbox and killed 600+ people! This illustrates a deep misunderstanding. Manufacturers are the only organizations with current aerospace engineers. They will always be the ones to write the certification documents and submit them to the FAA. However, the FAA should punish them when they falsify those documents, as in the 737 MAX. Also, the two 737 MAX crashes killed about 350 people total. > there has been no deaths caused by drones, and no confirmed drone incidents. There have been people killed by the blades of drones already. Waiting until a drone kills somebody in an airplane accident doesn't make any sense. From the FAA standpoint, they're trying to figure out a way to separate airspace with trained pilots from untrained drone operators. Historically, separation was done by regulating altitudes, but drone operators are not obeying, so there's no "positive airspace control." So far the FAA doesn't know how to do that, and I'm in 100% agreement with them. About the only constructive thing I can suggest is to add a terrain map to each drone that prevents flight above 400', and outside of airport and restricted areas. It's been amusing following the drone saga in the USA. The FAA has acted in a very predictable manner that everybody in the aviation industry knew. It's the hobbyists that had unrealistic expectations from Day One. Also, one bad package delivery drone flight and it's the final curtain for those, too. If you work on one of those projects, transfer out now! source: commercially-rated airplane pilot.

shakna 7y ago
> There have been people killed by the blades of drones already. You'll need to provide a source for this. I haven't managed to find any stories that match this. I have found a half-dozen stories where a drone has crashed near or into a person with minimal injury, which could be a concern, and doesn't agree with the OP. ([0], [1], [2]) I have not managed to find a single death. Whilst extensive testing does show serious injury is possible in extreme circumstances [3], the risk is negligible. Death wasn't something this FAA-funded research found was likely even in extreme circumstances. [0] https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/drone-crashes-into-virginia-bull-run-crowd/2013/08/26/424e0b9e-0e00-11e3-85b6-d27422650fd5_story.html https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/drone-crashes-into-virg... [1] https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26921504 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26921504 [2] https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/09/german-chancellors-drone-attack-shows-the-threat-of-weaponized-uavs/ https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/09/germa... [3] https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/01/ictas-droneinjuryresearch.html https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2017/01/ictas-droneinjuryrese...
MyelinatedT 7y ago
The "drone blades" you mention wouldn't happen to be very large diameter model helicopter rotors, per chance? Because those are usually made of carbon fibre or lightweight metals, and attain blade tip speeds orders of magnitude higher than a typical consumer multirotor. I have snatched my drone out of the air, right through the path of the props with my bare hands and sustained only very minor injuries (a few specks of blood, akin to a paper cut). I'd be extremely surprised if those kinds of blades (<15cm diameter) have ever killed someone.