Footage Reveals Drone Aircraft Nearly Downed Passenger Plane in 2004 206
Newly released footage, writes reader Wowsers, shows that in 2004 "A German drone aircraft was within meters of bringing down a passenger aircraft with 100 people on board. The link shows stills from onboard the drone. The incident had been hushed up for nine years, and is creating waves in Germany now the footage has been leaked out."
Well, we're waaaaaaiting. (Score:5, Insightful)
The only way flying cars for people will work is with massive computerized control, which is being built into ground cars, too. Best get on with it.
Of course, this one being military grade could probably shut it off anyway, if it had it.
It is going to be a when, not an if. (Score:4, Insightful)
Current technology won't separate the aircraft well enough. The drones are not about to see and avoid like people. Think of control delays (speed of light seems pretty fast until you realize the pilot is thousands of miles away, you have to get the video image to them, and then the pilot has to react, then the reaction command has to get back to the aircraft, it isn't seconds, but certainly many milliseconds).
Then you can also see how fast the two aircraft are converging. It was easy to miss the little dot, and it was really darn big by the time the drone could make it out. Of course by then, there wasn't much either could do. And what is with that big antenna or whatever blocking the view?
One day a drone will hit a passenger carrying aircraft. Who is gonna scream then? Lets let the technology catch up, and not put these things in civilian airspace.
This is why I love the Daily Mail (and readers) (Score:5, Insightful)
They never let the facts get in the way of a good story.
Alarmist headline - check
Photo completely irrelevant to the story (32,250lb Eurohawk instead of this photo [wikipedia.org]) - check
Incorrect description of events - check
Nonsensical sentence - "The drone passes under the left wing of the engine" - check
If you insist on reading a mindless tabloid, at least read one with T&A [page3.com]
Re:Who is in control? (Score:5, Insightful)
Giving away your location to other objects occupying the same airspace may be reasonable from a safety viewpoint. But would pretty much defeat a "secret" recon mission.
Now guess what's valued more by the military....
Re:Who is in control? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not sure Kabul counts as EU airspace, though...