UAV's and TFR's along the Mexico boarder

Start making L19s again? They carried a lot of stuff for FACing.
Walt BJ

"John Doe" wrote in message
ink.net...
How much of the American boarder with Mexico is out of radar contact?

There was some fuss about the FAA creating TFRs for the UAVs that are
flying with boarder patrol along the Mexico. Why can't the UAV just fly
along under an IFR flight plan and everyone else just avoid the little
thing just like any other plane on an IFR flight plan?

When there is so much talk about securing the boarders, I can't imagine
that there is any strip of the boarder that we can not monitor by radar.

The TFR text says 12,000' to 14,000' inclusive.

So if you are lower than 12,000' or higher than 14,000' there's no
restriction, right?

Jay B

I know at one time the US deployed tethered "blimps" carrying radar to
provide radar coverage along the border, and even in the Florida Keys. I've
seen the lighter-than-air vehicles while flying or driving in the area.
It's been a few years since I was near the areas. I'm not sure if they
still operate or not.
Click here for more info http://tinyurl.com/9wjup

--
Scott

Today, the sons and daughters of those earlier appeasers have taken up
where their parents and grandparents left off. - Burt Prelutsky
http://tinyurl.com/coplb

"tscottme" blahblah@blah,net wrote in message
...
I know at one time the US deployed tethered "blimps" carrying radar to
provide radar coverage along the border, and even in the Florida Keys.
I've
seen the lighter-than-air vehicles while flying or driving in the area.
It's been a few years since I was near the areas. I'm not sure if they
still operate or not.

As of about a year or so ago, there was still one down in the Keys... The
one that is south of Houston along the coast, I haven't stumbled across in a
few years, but I suspect it's still there...

tscottme wrote:
I know at one time the US deployed tethered "blimps" carrying radar to
provide radar coverage along the border, and even in the Florida Keys. I've
seen the lighter-than-air vehicles while flying or driving in the area.
It's been a few years since I was near the areas. I'm not sure if they
still operate or not.
Click here for more info http://tinyurl.com/9wjup


The aerostats are still in place. You can find them on aviation
charts covering the appropriate areas.

Mike

"John Doe" wrote in message
ink.net...
How much of the American boarder with Mexico is out of radar contact?

There was some fuss about the FAA creating TFRs for the UAVs that are
flying with boarder patrol along the Mexico. Why can't the UAV just fly
along under an IFR flight plan and everyone else just avoid the little
thing just like any other plane on an IFR flight plan?

When there is so much talk about securing the boarders, I can't imagine
that there is any strip of the boarder that we can not monitor by radar.


What if we made the boarder area a MOA instead of a TFR?

Seems to me the risk of a mid-air is much higher flying through an active
MOA (which is currently allowed) with a manned fighter jet moving at
tactical speeds than it is with a slow moving UAV (even though it's
unmanned).

On Sat, 14 Jan 2006 18:46:07 GMT, "Wendy" wrote in
et::



What if we made the boarder [sic] area a MOA instead of a TFR?

Then VFR traffic would be subject to conflicting UAV traffic that is
incapable of complying with FAA see-and-avoid regulations.

Seems to me the risk of a mid-air is much higher flying through an active
MOA (which is currently allowed) with a manned fighter jet moving at
tactical speeds than it is with a slow moving UAV (even though it's

Be that as it may, the manned fighter jet's pilot is capable of
complying with FAA see-and-avoid regulations.

However, military pilots just disregard federal regulations
occasionally:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...e=source&hl=en

Here's some background on the subject of UAV operations in the NAS:
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.a...de=print&hl=en

"John Doe" wrote in message
ink.net...
How much of the American boarder with Mexico is out of radar contact?

There was some fuss about the FAA creating TFRs for the UAVs that are
flying with boarder patrol along the Mexico. Why can't the UAV just fly
along under an IFR flight plan and everyone else just avoid the little
thing just like any other plane on an IFR flight plan?

When there is so much talk about securing the boarders, I can't imagine
that there is any strip of the boarder that we can not monitor by radar.


Found this interesting. It's the Department of Defense's UAV (now called
"UA"s or "UAS"s) Roadmap for 2005-2030.

Appendix F talks about integrating UAVs into the "national airspace system"

http://www.fas.org/irp/program/colle...oadmap2005.pdf