I have a commercial pilots certificate and flight instructors license, so I have a pretty decent knowledge of our airspace system. I really really really don't want to share our skies with drones, there are just too many bad things that can happen.

Which is why they are acting very cautiously with approving commercial drone operation. I'm an owner and operator of my own plane and I don't want to share the skies with them unless they can see and avoid at least as well as a piloted aircraft and I just don't see that happening anytime soon.

I just hope that they stand their ground and don't approve anything until it's well proven to be safe. IMO a machine (or a video game jockey hundreds of miles away) is no substitute for a breathing thinking pilot when something goes wrong.

from my exposure to the FAA, they don't bend easily to pressure.

... storm damage in Arkansas when police were trying to keep lookie-lous out of the disaster area -- should be permitted.

Would some kind of altitude restriction help? And airspace restrictions directly around airports so they avoid planes descending and ascending through that altitude?

And the LAST thing we need is an unmanned, voiceless aircraft clogging up our airspace. I am just picturing a young jock fresh out of college, with absolutely no aviation background or training sitting in a dark room behind a computer screen thinking he is playing Microsoft Flight Simulator, and going carte blanche into the path of an oncoming jet. I don't know the performance characteristics of drones, I'm sure they will be all but invisible to our radars, and some will be so small that we won't be able to see it until the pilot reports a NMAC with one...or worse. I hope I am wrong.

IE: a hobbiest plane, rather that some black ops surveillance drone.

It was described as looking like an F4 Phantom, driven by a piston engine. Those can be bought in hobby shops. And people are getting equipment that allows them to be flown great distances away (regardless of the legalities involved in doing so.)

A modern, recon drone won't look like an F4. And it likely won't be painted in what people commonly think of as camouflage.

Wherever this happened you can bet that model airfields and hobby stores in that area will be getting visits. While an RC plane and equipment to fly it like this can be bought, it ain't cheap, and whoever did this will be tracked down pretty quick.

Any links handy that I could peruse...Im not finding what Im looking for.

Thanks.

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