The Drone Aircraft Dilemma

The Drone Aircraft Dilemma

By Pete Ketcham

Most people are aware of the unexplained drone sightings over areas of the nation which are creating much speculation as to their origins. Some people are convinced it is a government project, with the government denying any involvement, others believe it is drone hobbyists, and some believe they are from outer space. Some authorities have said many of the drone sightings are actually legal airplanes and helicopters.

The following is a scenario based on my experience using a drone for aerial mapping. This scenario does not indicate that what it describes is actually happening, but describes a method that could be technically possible.

1. Larger expensive drones such as a “Griff Aviation 300” that can carry up to a 500 pound pay load could be fitted with a small gas engine driven generator and fuel tank which would keep the battery charged. This would increase the range and in-flight time tremendously. Also a high intensity strobe light could be attached which could be turned on and off by a long range drone controller.
2. A launching base could be a remote area, farm, ranch 10 to 30 miles from the intended city that the drone will be flown over.
3. The drone could be launched at night with all lights off to a high altitude and travel cross country to the intended city where it descends to a lower altitude and the lights are turned on. It could travel back and for a period of time, and then turn off it’s lights, ascend to a high altitude and return cross country to it’s launching location. Software has been developed that will allow multiple drones to fly together without collision, and so the flight just described for one drone, could be done by numerous drones at the same time.

Conclusion

As stated previously this is a theoretic scenario concerning the present drone sightings which could be completely “off the mark”, but is technically possible.

Lastly, Trump may be right in his opinion that the military knows what “is going on” concerning these drones, but they continue to state they do not know.