Agree on all your points. The technology out there is tempting to capture that “cool” media shot. One correction though, Blue Angel pilots are not carrier qualified. Due to their training and performance schedules they fail to maintain their carrier qualifications. There have been a few cases where a Blue Angel pilot is carrier qualified and has landed on a carrier (CVN-75).
I agree that Blue Angel pilots lose their carrier qualification while flying on the team, but every single Blue Angel pilot is fully carrier qualified when they apply to join the Angels. This is simply a requirement. BTW, there is a superb Blue Angels documentary on Amazon Prime video. Do watch it if you are with Amazon Prime.
@@TimMcKay56 thank you for all your research and presentation on the UAS FAA rules. I’ve learned most of my regulations and rules from you. Thank you for leading the effort in protecting our hobby.
I agree with just about everything you said, strongly actually. I would be curious about the altitude the drone was flying at. I don't know if there was a TFR covering the airspace between the performance area and the airport the Blue Angels were operating from.. For the moment I am going to assume no, and not sure there should need to be given that the Blue Angels should operate just like any other aircraft when not actively performing (perhaps I am off base there). It does not appear this is controlled airspace (Pensacola Beach) according to AirAware (couple of advisories, but not controlled). Even in the absence of a TFR, I would guess that it busted the 400 AGL ceiling. I say this because the drone was above the Blue Angels and I don't think the Blue Angels would be below 400 AGL, or should be. Also clearly broke the 'not yielding', whatever the exact words are, to manned aircraft rule, intentionally. All kind of wrong here regardless of the facts about TFR. Involving the Blue Angels, in transit, not performing is certainly a headline getter, but not sure in this situation it should be considered too much different than other aircraft, wrong either way.
The worry here, among many is speed. The FAA has a speed limit of 250 knots when flying below 10,000 ft MSL. Military aircraft can exceed this if required by their operational manual. Plus, for teams like the Blue Angels they can exceed 250 knots when flying low. This is the worry with a drone hit, planes are moving very fast.
I did not want to go into too much detail in my video, as the drone folks get upset very quickly. But the drone pilots are in more trouble than they realize. They are one bad accident away from getting shut down. And it this happens, the FAA will be looking at RC pilots who actually follow rules . . . and that is the AMA and club members who fly in FRIAs. Flying in a FRIA means the FAA knows where you are and they understand you are able and willing to follow some simple rules. Just sayin' . . .
@@TimMcKay56 About the "They are one bad accident away from getting shut down" comment, not sure where this comes from. There will certainly be a bad accident at some point, and another after that, it's a matter of when not if, and likely, but not necessarily, involving a violation of the rules. If one bad accident was all it takes, then General Aviation (if that is the right term for private pilots flying small aircraft) would have been shut down decades ago. If only they always followed the rules, but they don't. You have any details on why drone pilots are in more trouble than they realize?
@@RebelByNature Sure. Google "FAA UAS Sightings Report". These are sightings of drone pilots flying illegally and reported by pilots flying in the controlled airspace. I think there are around 1,000 reports a year. And these are just the reports that are filed. There are any number of other illegal acts flown by drones, such as surveillance of critical infrastructure and delivering contraband to prisons (this happens a lot). Don't forget also the NFL games that had to be paused in 2024 for drones flying over the stadium, or the drone that crashed on the White House grounds at 3 am. The list goes on. We have all been lucky so far no one has been killed. But if there is some big event, like the midair of a few Blue Angels, then who know what can happen. Ironically enough at the folks who will survive this, pilots who actually follow FAA regulations. For now, that is FRIA pilots at AMA airfields.
@@gordonmckay4523 A sighting is just report of a pilot claiming to have seen a drone. It may or may not be in controlled airspace. The drone may or may not have LANC approval if it was in controlled airspace. A drone may or may not even have been there let alone doing anything wrong if one was there. So those are just reported sightings not reports necessarily of drones being flown illegally. A lot of these sightings are at 1000s of feet of altitude. I believe pilots believe they saw something and reported it as a drone in a lot of cases. I understand a lot of pilots have good vision but given how hard it is to see a drone 400 feet above you, the idea that pilots can see a drone at the distances and altitudes they are reporting, well, needs to be taken with a grain of salt. All that said, I will concede that there are a very small number of people breaking rules in a meaningful and dangerous way, but that is not what my comment was about. It's about one of the small number of people causing an accident, would that shut down the hobby. You offered really nothing on that other than wearing your wishful thinking about the demise of the drone hobby on your sleeve. Since you brought up the drone that crashed on the White House grounds, why do you fail to mention that at least one, probably two, Cessna(s) have done the same thing and that did not bring the end of the private pilot hobby. I know you are aware of those incidents too. If you take a look at how many drones are being sold you get an idea of the size of the community and the political clout that goes with it. So Tim\Gordon, if you want to see the drone hobby shutdown I would just say Good Luck with that. Sooner or later something bad is going to happen. Just like has happened over and over in GA. Just like in GA, nothing is going to be shutdown no matter how much you wish it would.
It’s always the idiots with their DJI drones that pop up. The people who watch these videos and read the rules aren’t the same people who do this kind of stuff. I have no issues with FPV operators let alone RC plane operators. But there should be a mandatory TRUST cert code someone must input before being able to take off with one of these or buying it. Obviously the actual hobbyists regulate themselves. But these DJI operators aren’t drone people. They are camera people taking picture from the sky. They know nothing about how any of this works.
@@TimMcKay56 Great points? Camera people are evil! DJI people are evil (all but the entirety of the drone community)! If that were true we would have thousands of incidents like this. We don't. There is always going to be that guy, that knucklehead in any and every group. Inputing a trust code to prove you have one is going to accomplish anything? I don't see how. First what is the point, to verify it? I suppose you would not be allowed to take off anywhere there isn't cell service. That eliminates a lot of the great areas I like to go. If this makes sense then it would even make more sense to require drivers to input their driver's license number into their car before it would start. Certainly having a driver's license, having passed the test, prevents people from doing stupid, reckless, dangerous stuff like drag racing, drinking and driving, drifting, brake checking etc. Wait, no, it doesn't. The whole call out of DJI is lost on me. If there is any difference between those that fly DJI drones and something like Hollystone etc., its only disposable income. ok, I certainly agree that people who do this and similar things are a problem. They should get all the attention and consequences they deserve.
DJI drones have a geo-fencing system that can prevent take-off in controlled airspace, even if the drone has airspace approval. However they can be unlocked the safe zone set up And it is not just FPV users it is model aircraft operators who also have flown in areas and near airports etc without clearance. It is not a certain part of this hobby it is a "FEW" idiots in the hobby regardless of what they fky gee have you seen club videos where they fly large aircraft into crowds, parking lots, etc etc? Yeah it is not a certain group it is Individuals themselves . Reagan stated "We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions." That is what we need to start applying again in this country and this community .
