Why do they want an AWB?

[grumble]

To keep us from shooting these down:

The FAA is required by a law enacted a year ago to develop sites where civilian and military drones can be tested in preparation for integration into U.S. airspace that's currently limited to manned aircraft.
The law also requires that the FAA allow drones wide access to U.S. airspace by 2015, but the agency is behind schedule, and it's doubtful it will meet the deadline, the Transportation Department's inspector general said in a report last year.

President Barack Obama was asked Thursday about concerns that the administration believes it's legal to strike American citizens abroad with drones and whether that's allowed against citizens in the U.S. If not, how would he create a legal framework to help citizens know drone strikes can't be used against them?
"There's never been a drone used on an American citizen on American soil," the president said, speaking during an online chat sponsored by Google in which he was promoting his policy initiatives.

http://news.yahoo.com/faa-moves-toward- ... itics.html

I don't know how I missed the passing of this law, but I find it incredulous that the American public is tolerant of this. And we thought red-light cameras were bad.

[RX8er]

And there are a couple private companies currently in the study phase of buying drones. One of them is for agricultural reasons and color-infrared photography to see something about crops.... Another wants to license its use to states for animal research. I'll see if I can find them. I was reading about it on Pulse and think it was PopSci or something along those lines.

[bagman45]

The great thing about wireless devices is that it's pretty easy to interfere with them. How long do you think it's take the patriot hackers to figure out how to send these things into the ground, OR back at their controller???

[bagman45]

Sorry, it was SUPPOSED to say: The great thing about wireless devices is that it's pretty easy to interfere with them. How long do you think it'll take the patriot hackers to figure out how to send these things into the ground, OR back at their controller??? HP keyboard bad!!

[Andrew]

The market potential for UAV's is huge. My youngest BIL just retired from USAF after running Holloman's UAV maintanence shop, he's had multiple offers of civilian employment from the Federal Gov't to Disney, yes y'know the magic kingdom, MSM networks to police departments. Everybody wants some.....
Having the Montgomery Co. Sheriff possessing a UAV capable of being armed with a grenade launcher or auto shotgun is nervous making,too.

[Wodathunkit]

The market potential for UAV's is huge. My youngest BIL just retired from USAF after running Holloman's UAV maintanence shop, he's had multiple offers of civilian employment from the Federal Gov't to Disney, yes y'know the magic kingdom, MSM networks to police departments. Everybody wants some.....
Having the Montgomery Co. Sheriff possessing a UAV capable of being armed with a grenade launcher or auto shotgun is nervous making,too.

As long as there is an open season with a "no bag limit", I'm not opposed to drones. I'd love to mount one of those things in my trophy room.

[RX8er]

The market potential for UAV's is huge. My youngest BIL just retired from USAF after running Holloman's UAV maintanence shop, he's had multiple offers of civilian employment from the Federal Gov't to Disney, yes y'know the magic kingdom, MSM networks to police departments. Everybody wants some.....
Having the Montgomery Co. Sheriff possessing a UAV capable of being armed with a grenade launcher or auto shotgun is nervous making,too.

Yes, huge. Utilities are after them as well to survey power lines, gas pipelines and the likes. Anyone here work for flight safety or simuflite? Have you heard that they have both hired UAV people to start developing training programs for them? I haven't confirmed this but is a "rumor" around the airport.

UAV are on the way and there is no way to get rid of them. one of the larger issues right now are the issues with interference such as that from Light Squared http://www.gps.gov/spectrum/lightsquared/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and the GPS jammers that truck drivers are using: http://www.gps.gov/spectrum/jamming/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The market potential for UAV's is huge. My youngest BIL just retired from USAF after running Holloman's UAV maintanence shop, he's had multiple offers of civilian employment from the Federal Gov't to Disney, yes y'know the magic kingdom, MSM networks to police departments. Everybody wants some.....
Having the Montgomery Co. Sheriff possessing a UAV capable of being armed with a grenade launcher or auto shotgun is nervous making,too.

As long as there is an open season with a "no bag limit", I'm not opposed to drones. I'd love to mount one of those things in my trophy room.

I'd love to take that sucker to a taxidermist and have em mount it. They'd all have to learn how to fiberglass to "cover" the bullet holes.

[baldeagle]

I recall reading a story a while back about an animal rights group that used a drone to fly over a gun club in Louisiana to "catch" them shooting animals. The club was private property. The drone was shot down. The activists weren't happy about it, but the Sheriff's deputies said there wasn't much they could do about it. I'm sure laws will be passed making it a felony to shoot down a drone. I'm equally sure they will have a hard time identifying who did it and get very little cooperation from the public.

[RX8er]

This brings up a good question... I own my mineral rights but do we, as homeowners, own the airspace above our homes? Maybe up to a certain height? Never really thought about it.

[Andrew]

This brings up a good question... I own my mineral rights but do we, as homeowners, own the airspace above our homes? Maybe up to a certain height? Never really thought about it.

http://www.vuwriter.com/vumanuals.jsp?d ... TX00000127" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[ajwakeboarder]

This brings up a good question... I own my mineral rights but do we, as homeowners, own the airspace above our homes? Maybe up to a certain height? Never really thought about it.

No, you don't. FAR 91.119

Except when necessary for takeoff or landing, no person may operate an aircraft below the following altitudes:
(a) Anywhere. An altitude allowing, if a power unit fails, an emergency landing without undue hazard to persons or property on the surface.
(b) Over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
(c) Over other than congested areas. An altitude of 500 feet above the surface, except over open water or sparsely populated areas. In those cases, the aircraft may not be operated closer than 500 feet to any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure.
[ (d) Helicopters, powered parachutes, and weight-shift-control aircraft. If the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface--
(1) A helicopter may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (b) or (c) of this section, provided each person operating the helicopter complies with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA; and
(2) A powered parachute or weight-shift-control aircraft may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section.]

Theoretically I guess you could say you "own" 500 feet. But that's not much as far as airspace goes.

[RX8er]

No, you don't. FAR 91.119

Yep, I know about that one but the FARs are not applicable to me, as a homeowner. When I buy a house, I don't sign off agreeing to part 91, 121 or 135? I do however if I am in a close proximity to an airport.

[TexasGal]

How many privacy fences do you see around back yards? People just do not care for the feeling somebody is watching them on their own private property. How many people in control of the commercial drones will be tempted to use one for purposes other than what is intended? Who would know if they did? How would you identify one and know for sure whose it was? The statement the President made that no drone had ever been used to fire on an American on American soil is telling. He does not say it NEVER will. He simply states a fact of history. Well at some point you could say lots of things had not been done that are being done now.

[ajwakeboarder]

Yep, I know about that one but the FARs are not applicable to me, as a homeowner. When I buy a house, I don't sign off agreeing to part 91, 121 or 135? I do however if I am in a close proximity to an airport.

True, but it's what applies to pilots. UAV drivers consider themselves pilots. I can fly 500 feet over the farm houses around Waco. If someone gets mad, there isn't much they can do about it. Heck, I could probably fly lower than that, how would they prove my altitude, but I wouldn't. Its rude. I usually try to stay up around at least 1000 feet AGL unless i'm doing simulated emergency maneuvers. However, I wonder how many government agents flying UAVs looking at women lounging by backyard pools would have the same courtesy. (I realize that not all UAV drivers are like that, but there is always 1)

[RX8er]

Point taken... But, when they can take a picture from 30,000 and count your nose hairs, I don;t think they will be low enough for us to complain.

BTW, I used to be in and out of Waco for RAM and an Annual by a local guy on a 421.