Sirex
Powered by natural gas
Self Reminder; look for 12G drone chokes on Gunbroker
If I were given an FAA waiver to operate a drone beyond line of sight over a populated area like Montgomery County, especially in the DC no-fly zone where they are very much banned across the board without ultra magical powers, here's how I'd handle that:I'm super curious how this process would work. Like, 911 call, operator dispatches drone, drone flies to GPS coordinates at top speed? Can they handle power lines and other obstacles automagically now? If someone's hand-flying the drone, I question how fast it's getting there.
Apparently they've got flight times of 45 minutes or so, so that's probably enough to check out what's going on.
I can think of dozens of benign, very constructive uses for this sort of thing. I can also think of lots of ways it can be abused. So just like all technology, it comes down to the ethical agency boundaries within which they're used, and the personal ethics of the people in the moment.
I am a licensed drone operator and have a Mavic Air 2 which has collision avoidance. It will certainly work with trees, buildings, and such but cables and powerlines may be too small to detect. The system works pretty well and will detect and go around any obstacles it sees or can freeze in place waiting for the operator to redirect the drone. The FAA permits up to 100mph but you can get waivers for anything as needed. Most of the consumer grade drones will have speeds under 50mph. You can even get waivers to fly in the "drone no fly zone" but those waivers come directly from the FAA rather than LAANC and will take days to get, unless the FAA would streamline that for MOCO. Battery life will be an issue although I have seen a solar powered glider drone that did over 9 hours.I'm super curious how this process would work. Like, 911 call, operator dispatches drone, drone flies to GPS coordinates at top speed? Can they handle power lines and other obstacles automagically now? If someone's hand-flying the drone, I question how fast it's getting there.
Apparently they've got flight times of 45 minutes or so, so that's probably enough to check out what's going on.
Here we go!
Montgomery County Council likely to greenlight Drone As First Responder program
The Montgomery County Council is likely to approve the purchase of two police department drones. Drones may be deployed after a 911 call to assess crimes.moco360.media
The Montgomery County Council is likely to approve the purchase of two police department drones after the Public Safety and Government Operations committees voted unanimously to greenlight a new program after a work session Wednesday.
Not long:How long before they're armed?
Probably come before MD gets Constitutional Carry.
3-2-1... "drones are used in my district disproportionately!"
While the above ^^^ is going on, don't for a minute believe that it will be used as a serious crime fighting tool.Absolutely will be an argument made by some. No different than the street light cameras or gunshot detection devices. They will be developed, deployed and improved in the areas of highest crime. Sounds like something we should be on board with. Common sense drone laws.
However, like everything else the state does, they will continually expand use, until we do have a ubiquitous drone surveillance apparatus everywhere. Companies will use the traffic camera model, to “give” municipalities “free” hardware, in return for a cut of the infraction fees and legislatures will be more than happy to trade your freedom for a share in the profits.
Montgomery County (and all the others that that occupy a chunk of the DC FRZ (the 30-mile-wide Thou Shall NOT Fly Here zone) are going to find most of their drone activity constrained to the upper/outer part of of the county. Any officer (or contractor) operating these things will have to of course be FAA certified, but also personally on the hook for conduct within the most controlled air space in the world ... if they can even get a waiver at all over places like Bethesda or Silver Spring. The FRZ goes up through half of Rockville.
No-Go Zone (the red boundary):
And of course even when you're outside that zone, you're highly restricted around hospital helipads, little air strips like in Gaithersburg, etc. And the endless military helo traffic always wins when they blow through unannounced doing a Camp David run or just out training. The FAA isn't going to give an inch on this, even for operators working for the local county PD. Which isn't to say these things might not give a cop working a regularly scheduled shooting in Germantown a helping hand, or be useful when some kid has wandered into the woods in Poolesvil.
Perhaps, but not in airspace commingled with actual aircraft. I haven't glanced at the FARs for 20 years, so I'm certainly out of touch. I don't think FAA is going to jump on something small enough, under 500ft AGL, unless it tangles with real aircraft.I find this response too generic, blanketing.
There are plenty of drones flying in those areas.
Yes, genuine concerns.Perhaps, but not in airspace commingled with actual aircraft. I haven't glanced at the FARs for 20 years, so I'm certainly out of touch. I don't think FAA is going to jump on something small enough, under 500ft AGL, unless it tangles with real aircraft.
Your drone gets sucked into a jet engine, or strikes a million-dollar helicopter, there'll be hel to pay.
I've heard the operators on the radio in Silver Spring. They are deployed in downtown. They are all FAA certified pilots and they have whatever waivers are required to operate down there.Montgomery County (and all the others that that occupy a chunk of the DC FRZ (the 30-mile-wide Thou Shall NOT Fly Here zone) are going to find most of their drone activity constrained to the upper/outer part of of the county.