Predator Drone being used along the Sierras

[Matt Herron Jr.]

I just read in the local Palo Alto Daily Post (P.7) that the National Guard is using a Predator Drone to relay live rimfire imagery to the firefighters in the Sierra Nevadas around Yosemite. The drone is operating out of Victorville airport in LA, which means it must fly up and down the Sierra Nevada range every day (22 hrs aloft max.). It must end up passing near Inyokern, Lone Pine, Bishop, etc. if it take a direct route.

Do these things pose a danger to gliders in that area? Do they fly only through MOAs? Is a TFR corridor established for transit? when they are going from point A to B, how hight do they like to fly them?

Matt

[son_of_flubber]

On Thursday, August 29, 2013 9:01:57 PM UTC-4, Matt Herron Jr. wrote:

> Do these things pose a danger to gliders in that area?

Does the Predator use TCAS?

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

Matt Herron Jr. wrote, On 8/29/2013 6:01 PM:
> I just read in the local Palo Alto Daily Post (P.7) that the National
> Guard is using a Predator Drone to relay live rimfire imagery to the
> firefighters in the Sierra Nevadas around Yosemite. The drone is
> operating out of Victorville airport in LA, which means it must fly
> up and down the Sierra Nevada range every day (22 hrs aloft max.).
> It must end up passing near Inyokern, Lone Pine, Bishop, etc. if it
> take a direct route.
>
> Do these things pose a danger to gliders in that area? Do they fly
> only through MOAs? Is a TFR corridor established for transit? when
> they are going from point A to B, how hight do they like to fly
> them?

I read it is escorted when not in restricted airspace.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

[joesimmers[_2_]]

When It is "NOT" escorted does it use TCAS??

This would be one more reason for those of us that still do not have transponders
to get that taken care of.

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

joesimmers wrote, On 8/30/2013 8:05 PM:
> When It is "NOT" escorted does it use TCAS??
>
> This would be one more reason for those of us that still do not have transponders
> to get that taken care of.

I don't know if it has TCAS, but it's in a Restricted area when it's not
being escorted, so I assume all the pertinent parties in the area are
aware of each other, even without TCAS.


--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

[Alan[_6_]]

In article > Eric Greenwell > writes:
>joesimmers wrote, On 8/30/2013 8:05 PM:
>> When It is "NOT" escorted does it use TCAS??
>>
>> This would be one more reason for those of us that still do not have transponders
>> to get that taken care of.
>
>I don't know if it has TCAS, but it's in a Restricted area when it's not
>being escorted, so I assume all the pertinent parties in the area are
>aware of each other, even without TCAS.

The aviation editor on a local TV channel tonight had a story on them,
and reported that it is flying at 19,000 feet in "positive control airspace".
(I guess he figured that would be less confusing on the 10 pm news than
"class A airspace".)

Alan

[jfitch]

On Friday, August 30, 2013 8:26:26 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
> joesimmers wrote, On 8/30/2013 8:05 PM:
>
> > When It is "NOT" escorted does it use TCAS??
>
> >
>
> > This would be one more reason for those of us that still do not have transponders
>
> > to get that taken care of.
>
>
>
> I don't know if it has TCAS, but it's in a Restricted area when it's not
>
> being escorted, so I assume all the pertinent parties in the area are
>
> aware of each other, even without TCAS.
>
>
>
>
>
> --
>
> Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
>
> email me)
>
> - "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
>
> http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

Wouldn't it just shoot down anything in its way?

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

jfitch wrote, On 8/31/2013 9:12 AM:

>>
>> I don't know if it has TCAS, but it's in a Restricted area when it's not
>> being escorted, so I assume all the pertinent parties in the area are
>> aware of each other, even without TCAS.
>>

That's why it's being escorted - to make sure it remembers the mission
is "the fire", not "to fire"!

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

[Eric Greenwell[_4_]]

jfitch wrote, On 8/31/2013 9:12 AM:
> On Friday, August 30, 2013 8:26:26 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:

>> I don't know if it has TCAS, but it's in a Restricted area when it's not
>> being escorted, so I assume all the pertinent parties in the area are
>> aware of each other, even without TCAS.

>
> Wouldn't it just shoot down anything in its way?

That's why it's being escorted - to make sure it remembers the mission
is "the fire", not "to fire"!

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)
- "Transponders in Sailplanes - Feb/2010" also ADS-B, PCAS, Flarm
http://tinyurl.com/yb3xywl

[son_of_flubber]

On Saturday, August 31, 2013 1:32:22 PM UTC-4, Eric Greenwell wrote:

> to make sure it remembers the mission
>
> is "the fire", not "to fire"!

Predator Drones are not fully autonomous. The human pilot sits in a chair on the ground. I guess that the drone has some autonomous stick and rudder skills sorta like an autopilot to handle turbulence in real time.

[Karl Kunz[_2_]]

The aviation editor probably remembers that class A used to called "positive control airspace" before they went to the letter designations, just like class B used to be TCAs (terminal control areas). I kind of liked the old designations better as they were more descriptive.

On Friday, August 30, 2013 11:15:06 PM UTC-7, Alan wrote:
> In article > Eric Greenwell > writes:
>
> >joesimmers wrote, On 8/30/2013 8:05 PM:
>
> >> When It is "NOT" escorted does it use TCAS??
>
> >>
>
> >> This would be one more reason for those of us that still do not have transponders
>
> >> to get that taken care of.
>
> >
>
> >I don't know if it has TCAS, but it's in a Restricted area when it's not
>
> >being escorted, so I assume all the pertinent parties in the area are
>
> >aware of each other, even without TCAS.
>
>
>
> The aviation editor on a local TV channel tonight had a story on them,
>
> and reported that it is flying at 19,000 feet in "positive control airspace".
>
> (I guess he figured that would be less confusing on the 10 pm news than
>
> "class A airspace".)
>
>
>
> Alan

[Ralph Jones[_3_]]

On Sat, 31 Aug 2013 09:12:49 -0700 (PDT), jfitch >
wrote:

[snip]
>On Friday, August 30, 2013 8:26:26 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
>>
>> I don't know if it has TCAS, but it's in a Restricted area when it's not
>>
>> being escorted, so I assume all the pertinent parties in the area are
>>
>> aware of each other, even without TCAS.
>
>Wouldn't it just shoot down anything in its way?

Drones are human-controlled devices, not cybernetic pit bulls.

rj

[[email protected]]

On Saturday, August 31, 2013 10:01:33 PM UTC-5, Ralph Jones wrote:
> On Sat, 31 Aug 2013 09:12:49 -0700 (PDT), jfitch >
>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> [snip]
>
> >On Friday, August 30, 2013 8:26:26 PM UTC-7, Eric Greenwell wrote:
>
> >>
>
> >> I don't know if it has TCAS, but it's in a Restricted area when it's not
>
> >>
>
> >> being escorted, so I assume all the pertinent parties in the area are
>
> >>
>
> >> aware of each other, even without TCAS.
>
> >
>
> >Wouldn't it just shoot down anything in its way?
>
>
>
> Drones are human-controlled devices, not cybernetic pit bulls.
>
>
>
> rj

Ralph, not to be argumentative - but the wedding parties in Afghanistan that were visited by drones might disagree.

[Don Johnstone[_4_]]

At 13:42 01 September 2013, wrote:
>On Saturday, August 31, 2013 10:01:33 PM UTC-5, Ralph Jones wrote:
>> On Sat, 31 Aug 2013 09:12:49 -0700 (PDT), jfitch

>>
>>
>>
>> Drones are human-controlled devices, not cybernetic pit bulls.
>>
>>
>>
>> rj
>
>Ralph, not to be argumentative - but the wedding parties in Afghanistan
>that were visited by drones might disagree.

Predator drones are like Apache gunships, wierd looking and harmless until
the person operating them pulls the trigger.
>

[Ralph Jones[_3_]]

On Sun, 1 Sep 2013 06:42:24 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

[snip]>>
>>
>> Drones are human-controlled devices, not cybernetic pit bulls.
>>
>>
>>
>> rj
>
>Ralph, not to be argumentative - but the wedding parties in Afghanistan that were visited by drones might disagree.

What Dan said. Drones do what the human operator tells them to do --
for good or ill. And on a Stateside fire surveillance mission, the
human operator wouldn't likely to tell them to shoot everything in
sight -- or even send them out armed to begin with.

rj

[GC[_2_]]

On 2/09/2013 13:25, Ralph Jones wrote:
> On Sun, 1 Sep 2013 06:42:24 -0700 (PDT), wrote:
>
> [snip]>>
>>>
>>> Drones are human-controlled devices, not cybernetic pit bulls.
>>>
>> Ralph, not to be argumentative - but the wedding parties in Afghanistan that were visited by drones might disagree.
>
> What Dan said. Drones do what the human operator tells them to do --
> for good or ill. And on a Stateside fire surveillance mission, the
> human operator wouldn't likely to tell them to shoot everything in
> sight -- or even send them out armed to begin with.

I would have thought drones made up their own minds whether to arm
themselves or not. Isn't that guaranteed under the 2nd Amendment?

Predators are people too, you know! ...or is that the other way around?

GC

>
> rj
>

[glidergeek]

So opposite of the gun thing, predictors don't kill people do?

[glidergeek]

Meant Predators

[GC[_2_]]

On 7/09/2013 13:04, Glidergeek wrote:
> Meant Predators
>

I know. but I liked how it came out. :)

One of our politicians just said that no one person was the suppository
of all knowledge. Yesss!

GC