Article about General Aviation

[TrikeTrash]

Ok, got to make a confession. I fly both ultralights and drones...

The FAA has screwed this drone thingy up big time. Instead of doing something simple; they want the drone/RC aircraft operators to log on to the internet via a cellphone and special software to record their position while they are flying. That way, anyone with access to the internet can find out "who's flying that dastardly drone/RC plane over thar!". That of course that's complete hogwash! How many of you fly and compute at the same time? Not me... I fly to get away from that cra*. I personally believe the real intent of the FAA is to build infrastructure for Amazon and the like to bypass the "see and avoid thingy", that has works for so many years. That way Amazon, can deliver their dang silly packages and bring home the dollars, but what do I know - I'm just a dumb old ultralight/drone pilot...

Want something simple? Require the drone/RC aircraft operators to use a friggin' radio. Let me say that again, in case you missed it. Require the drone/RC aircraft operators to use a friggin' radio.

Since, the FAA has already defined that drones and RC planes are actually "AIRCRAFT", the Telecommunication Act of 1996 kicks in and the operators of those scary drones/RC aircraft have access to unlicenced airband radios. Golly gee, imagine that! If the FAA was worth a sh** they would require every drone/RC aircraft operator announces on the nearest airport frequency, or 122.75, that he or she is flying at such and such location. Every five minutes or so, they would have to bark up, "Hey, I'm still doing my thing over here." And of course if they have any indication that a "real" aircraft is in the area, they are required to LAND. (Or at least drop below tree level.) Course, groups of drone/RC airplane operators could appoint one guy or gal to announce that thar be RC activity over here...

But this is what NOT what AMAZON wants. "To hel* with you pilots, we have packages to deliver..."



/Sorry about my venting. Sometime I can't control myself; being a dumb old ultralight/drone pilot ...

 

[blane.c]

Make the drones have ADSB.

 

[Daleandee]

Make the drones have ADSB.

This makes a lot of sense but then the plane pilot ends up with an ADSB 'in" receiver and a screen to display it. If your aircraft is not reporting an ADSB "out" signal then it is my understanding that the targets you see on the ADSB "in" will be limited and the location may not be as accurate.

This puts a cost on the aircraft owner that they would not otherwise have. Still, in searching for an answer to the situation this may be the best we can do at the moment. But many small planes (no electrical & ultralights) will have an even more difficult times with this.

 

[BBerson]

The ADS-B could autonomously transmit on the radio: "Oshkosh traffic-50 pound drone is 3 south at 400 feet transiting to the west-Oshkosh traffic".

 

[Daleandee]

The ADS-B could autonomously transmit on the radio: "Oshkosh traffic-50 pound drone is 3 south at 400 feet transiting to the west-Oshkosh traffic".

That could work ...

 

[blane.c]

Drones could have a code associated like 1200 is for vfr maybe 1300 for drones so drones in an area could be 1301,1302 etc.

 

[jedi]

Yada, yada, yada!

Solutions are always found in the animal world.

Drones are like insects. Airplanes are like bats. Bats eat insects.

Airplanes gobble up drones. E Airplanes can suck the energy out of insect drones to extend range. All problems have a solution. Keep searching and the solution will be found.

 

[blane.c]

Yada, yada, yada!

Solutions are always found in the animal world.

Drones are like insects. Airplanes are like bats. Bats eat insects.

Airplanes gobble up drones. E Airplanes can suck the energy out of insect drones to extend range. All problems have a solution. Keep searching and the solution will be found.

I really like the one where the e-airplane sucks up the drones.

 

[BBerson]

Drones could have a code associated like 1200 is for vfr maybe 1300 for drones so drones in an area could be 1301,1302 etc.

Drones are not required to have transponders (I assume).

 

[Daleandee]

Drones are like insects. Airplanes are like bats. Bats eat insects.

So if the the drones are so small are we still using rockets ... or switching to guns?

** Calm down now ... I'm not serious. **

 

[rv7charlie]

Drones are not required to have transponders (I assume).

For your reading pleasure:
oops; edit to correct the link
https://www.google.com/search?q=drone+air+traffic+control+system&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS843US843&oq=drone+air+traffic+control+system&aqs=chrome..69i57.14225j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Or slightly different search terms:
https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS843US843&sxsrf=ALeKk01Bs1ktSIcBQ6ekn05HuZb1KVcuwg:1608856409479&q=drone+traffic+management+system&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiZ7J-W8eftAhXBGs0KHfPcCEMQ1QIoAHoECAkQAQ&biw=1920&bih=975

 

[BBerson]

No thanks. Need to edit to the answer.

 

[pwood66889]

"I think the small commercial drones wont be nearly as successful as expected."
I beg to differ, Dave. The exponential (that's "huge" for you non-math types) cost increase associated with the "Last Mile Problem" will force drone operations - "Coming to a driveway or balcony near you." I do not believe they will "save the airports" because of the competitive advantage of "to YOUR door."
Like Pops says above...

 

[dave wolfe]

Time will tell for sure. I personally dislike how RC modelers have been turned into outlaws as a result of all of this so im biased against them.

 

[Victor Bravo]

If you would have ever told me that my Quickie 500 or Aeromaster would be considered contraband, or need to get registered like a pistol, I would have laughed you out of the !(#*$ hobby shop... in 1975.

The Mayans... the Greeks... the Aztecs... the Romans... they'll probably add 'the Americans' to that list.

 

[jedi]

With regard to "cost increase associated with the "Last Mile Problem" will force drone operations "

There are other more practical solutions and more practical problems.

The newspaper industry solved the "Last Mile Problem" 80 years ago with the "paper boy". Now I see local papers delivered in a shiny new mega SUV or monster pickup. Modern progressive government has figured out how to turn an 11 year olds first after school job into a carbon generating, climate warming, way to run the daily paper industry into bankruptcy.

A neighborhood drop off location with an afternoon delivery by a local resident might be better than a continuous stream of UPS, Fed Ex, Amazon, Door Dash, etc. delivery vans thru residential neighborhoods.

One Covid advantage is I have not seen the school bus race driver in the neighborhood for six months now.

 

[rv7charlie]

Always interesting that whatever situation bothers us, gets blamed on the political leanings we disagree with.

Suggest looking inside the mega SUV & you'll likely find either an adult driving his/her kid around because 'it's too dangerous for a kid to ride his bike in the barely-daylight hours', or an adult who realized that he/she could actually make pretty good money (relative to his/her minimum wage day job) if he/she took the coverage, via motor vehicle, equivalent to bicycle territories of 3 or 4 kids. A contributing factor would be that in most middle class neighborhoods these days, kids willing to work for newspaper route money are hard to find when their parents buy them everything they could possibly want. When I was a kid, it was teenagers delivering most newspapers, and they still can, if motivated and able to compete with the speed/coverage area of an adult in an SUV (free market, baby!).

And you're reading this via the thing that is driving print newspapers out of existence; no help from 'progressive' gubmnt needed.

 

[TerryM76]

If you would have ever told me that my Quickie 500 or Aeromaster would be considered contraband, or need to get registered like a pistol, I would have laughed you out of the !(#*$ hobby shop... in 1975.

The Mayans... the Greeks... the Aztecs... the Romans... they'll probably add 'the Americans' to that list.

I agree completely with VB and Pops. It's completely laughable that our RC activities would be regulated into the corners of whatever remaining "free airspace" remains after complete domination by commercial operations. We have an FAA authorized written test center at our school and I have seen a crap-tonne of applicants for UAS certificates.

The last time I did any RC flying was in 2017, back on my farm in Ilinois, and I haven't picked up a transmitter since then. I have no one to blame but myself for lack of participation in the sport which has been compounded by moving from one property to another. Now getting settled in to a 1/2 acre piece of suburbia instead of 1.25 acres adjoining 2.50 acres of empty land and I was also less than two miles from a paved RC field .....now twenty miles away. Trying to fly RC at the city park here in Tempe will be fround upon by the local authorities.

Hopefully 2021 will be a "rebuilding" year with a wide range of aviation activities in store.........just do it!

Enjoy this day.

Terry

 

[BBerson]

Trying to fly RC at the city park here in Tempe will be fround upon by the local authorities.

Park model class RC should still be allowed in the local parks.

 

[patrickrio]

Having been an executive for a publisher for a few years, as well as having been a financial consultant for a few local papers, I can tell you that there are other things happening in the newspaper industry that eliminated most of the good jobs for kids delivering papers.

Daily physical newspaper circulation peaked in the 80s at around 65 million and is currently about 25 million. Residential subscriptions have actually dropped to about 1/4 of their peak numbers. Total number of residential addresses have nearly doubled since 1980. So the percentage of residential addresses receiving papers is about 1/8 of peak percentage. All things being equal, the average distance that a bicycle riding paperboy would need to ride for the same number of papers delivered would have gone up about 8 times.

Papers delivered in cities were still often delivered by adults even in the 80s because morning papers were more in demand AND because at a certain high population density it just makes sense to truck deliver directly to a building full of residents instead of to a paper boys house. When the density was low enough, an adult with a car was always needed. The sweet spot in the center, where contracting with paper boys made financial sense to the publisher, has shrunk so small now that it is basically non existent.

In this case, laziness isn't a factor. Even if you have eager to work kids, they mostly would not be delivering papers as a job anymore.