Drone, jetliner nearly collided over Florida

The picture above is representative of the R/C remotely piloted model aircraft that was described in other articles concerning the near miss incident.

A Federal Aviation Administration official warned this week about the dangers of even small unmanned aircraft, pointing specifically to a recent close call involving a drone and commercial airliner that could have caused "catastrophic" results.

Then, Williams segued to a pilot's recent report of "a near midair collision" with a drone near the airport in Tallahassee, Florida. He did not specify who the pilot worked for and what she was flying. As to the drone, the pilot said that it appeared to be small, camouflaged, "remotely piloted" and about 2,300 feet up in the air at the time of the incident.

"The pilot said that the UAS was so close to his jet that he was sure he had collided with it," Williams said. "Thankfully, inspection to the airliner after landing found no damage. But this may not always be the case."

Full article and video here: Near Miss

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Comments

Bill Patterson May 13, 2014 at 9:31pm

I won't even give them the traffic they scream for, by clicking on that link.
John Moore May 13, 2014 at 4:31pm

@John I agree with the gist of that linked article but Tyndall AFB is not 20 miles from Tallahassee it's closer to 200. Also, the target drones are typically used over the Gulf of Mexico not over land and not over Tallahassee and if for some reason they did fly the F4 drones over Tallahassee I find it really hard to believe any pilot would mistake a full sized F4 phantom for a toy plane.
R. D. Starwalt May 13, 2014 at 3:27pm

Thanks for the video Gary!

-=Doug
Developer

Bill Bonney May 13, 2014 at 2:19pm

I'm sorry, but watching that presentation is really hard. Obfuscation and delusional hypotheses at best. "If you follow the rules you can fly" come on the FAA also says no commercial use. Jim looks awkward at best answering the questions. Maybe the FAA should skip presentations and focus on the hard work of actually doing something. Glad that Transport Canada have a more proactive role in regulating an industry for safety. The current comptrollers of the FAA should be fired and replaced with people who can actually get things done. Shocking
Developer

Bill Bonney May 13, 2014 at 1:17pm

I'm glad that "Jones" are ok to fly. :-p
Moderator

Gary Mortimer May 13, 2014 at 10:22am

Here's the video that caused all the fuss, just the bit where Jim spoke. We will gradually edit and publish each speaker on our sUAS News YouTube channel. All the slides are already here http://www.slideshare.net/sUASNews
R. D. Starwalt May 13, 2014 at 9:59am

Nice article John! Some analysis rather than 'reporting' is refreshing.

From a hobby perspective, THIS section of a wiki article gets a reader closer to how controlled turbine models really are.

I would never own one (turbine model) anymore than I would own a Bengal Tiger or American Alligator as a house pet. I did know someone who's brother had a Canebrake Rattlesnake as a pet.

Some technology might need a lid to be kept on it. ;)

-=Doug
John Githens May 13, 2014 at 9:13am

Yet another news article about the incident: Something's Fishy About That Drone-Plane Near Miss in Florida
R. D. Starwalt May 13, 2014 at 4:49am

Nice hardware John!

Looking at those prices for the basic kit, add dual turbines, landing gear, control systems, power systems, scale cockpits, etc... the project would approach $8,000 (or more). This is not a casual spend for most hobbyists and as such, most turbine flyers are *very* particular about where they fly.

HERE is a link to one US seller of ducted fan (DF) and turbine systems.

The recent CBS piece on the FAA report was more balanced -- and also never mentioned the word 'turbine' though they did use the 'D word'.

(I think I just designed my next CafePress cup...)

-=Doug

Welcome to Jet Hangar Hobbies, Inc.
John Githens May 12, 2014 at 11:34am

Here is a link to a source of F-4 model aircraft. This link lists dealers in the US and other countries.

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