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I find it a bit odd they crashed one because the pilot didn't realize it was upside down, I would expect there would be some intelligence to the avionics, like

I find it a bit odd they crashed one because the pilot didn't realize it was upside down, I would expect there would be some intelligence to the avionics, like - NO DAVE I WILL NOT DO THAT. Let alone automating landings, I guess corners have to be cut in places. Now as for civilian drones, liability laws will quickly sort this out. The desire to have them will come up against the costs to insure them leading to better designs and rapid improvements. The military can afford to lose its toys, private individuals don't usually have that luxury

justin66 12y ago
> I find it a bit odd they crashed one because the pilot didn't realize it was upside down, I would expect there would be some intelligence to the avionics, like - NO DAVE I WILL NOT DO THAT. There's an attitude indicator, I'm sure, just like there is in any aircraft. It seems like that ought to be enough.
zobzu 12y ago
maybe they just felt like throwing that in there. its actually possible for pilots of real airplanes to confuse ground/sky during disorientation periods after taking some Gs regardless of the avionics warnings. its not really possible for drone pilots unless they're flying drunk. its kinda easy to throw in random little things in news articles since nothing is checked. just look at any news item about something you know very well and you'll be upset how almost everything is wrong - why would news about anything else be accurate then?
- baddox 12y ago
  This is why pilots absolutely need to be trained to very deliberately rely on instruments and ignore their "feelings" when they get into a tricky situation. There are tons of well-known sensory illusions in aviation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_Illusions_in_Aviation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_Illusions_in_Aviation
- Terr_ 12y ago
  > its not really possible for drone pilots On the contrary, it sounds much EASIER for drone-pilots to make that mistake, because no matter how the drone is oriented they (the pilots) perceive themselves as right-side up. Unlike direct pilots, you don't even need a heavy G-force situation, you simply roll 180 degrees.
  - zobzu 12y ago
    I flew non-military drones for 10 years and I dont see how thats possible to lose orientation (unless you lost signal/video/etc.) honestly. If for any reason you were blind or stupid (I never, ever confused ground/sky on clear video), the avionics are extremely clear and do not depend on video quality.

justin66 12y ago

> I find it a bit odd they crashed one because the pilot didn't realize it was upside down, I would expect there would be some intelligence to the avionics, like - NO DAVE I WILL NOT DO THAT. There's an attitude indicator, I'm sure, just like there is in any aircraft. It seems like that ought to be enough.

zobzu 12y ago

maybe they just felt like throwing that in there. its actually possible for pilots of real airplanes to confuse ground/sky during disorientation periods after taking some Gs regardless of the avionics warnings. its not really possible for drone pilots unless they're flying drunk. its kinda easy to throw in random little things in news articles since nothing is checked. just look at any news item about something you know very well and you'll be upset how almost everything is wrong - why would news about anything else be accurate then?

baddox 12y ago
This is why pilots absolutely need to be trained to very deliberately rely on instruments and ignore their "feelings" when they get into a tricky situation. There are tons of well-known sensory illusions in aviation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_Illusions_in_Aviation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_Illusions_in_Aviation
Terr_ 12y ago
> its not really possible for drone pilots On the contrary, it sounds much EASIER for drone-pilots to make that mistake, because no matter how the drone is oriented they (the pilots) perceive themselves as right-side up. Unlike direct pilots, you don't even need a heavy G-force situation, you simply roll 180 degrees.
- zobzu 12y ago
  I flew non-military drones for 10 years and I dont see how thats possible to lose orientation (unless you lost signal/video/etc.) honestly. If for any reason you were blind or stupid (I never, ever confused ground/sky on clear video), the avionics are extremely clear and do not depend on video quality.