On Feb 24, 3:07*pm, Larry Dighera wrote:

There is that risk, but there is the same risk with GA and commercial
aircraft flying overhead. *

Not exactly. *Human piloted aircraft must remain 1,000' feet above
congested areas, and within gliding distance of a landing site. *This
UAV doesn't glide, and the police department intends to fly it at low
level. *So to say that this UAV poses the same hazard as manned
aircraft isn't very accurate, IMO. *Are you a pilot?

I'm a student pilot. Does that qualify me to have an opinion
according to you Larry? Every machine flying overhead constitutes a
risk to people on the ground. It's a very small risk, but it's there
whether it's manned or not. You can argue that this UAV is more of a
risk. That may be true, but we really don't know just how reliable it
is. And the real question is how many of them there are going to be,
and where are they going to fly. Those are both unknowns. IF it gets
to a point where people are getting hurt by these things, you can bet
the politicians will rush to hold hearings to demonstrate their
concern, and new regulations will probably follow.


Compared to human-carrying aircraft, the number of UAVs is going to
be pretty small. *

I fully expect to see the NAS crowded with UAVs once they get it all
worked out. *What gives you the idea that there won't be many of them?

I don't expect this. My guess is these things will only be deployed
when there is a known risk that law enforcement wants to pursue. I
don't think that will mean a sky full of them. What makes you think
that our airspace will be crowded with them?


Adding UAVs just makes a tiny change in a very small risk.

Phil

Huh? *Can you explain that statement a little for me? *I'm not sure
what "tiny change" and "very small risk" to which you are referring.

For any given person on the ground, there is a very small risk that an
airplane is going to fall on them. Adding UAVs means a tiny increase
in this very small risk.

As long as we are talking about lives and risk, what about the
benefits of the police using UAVs? Catching criminals and taking them
off the streets will save lives. Being able to pursue cars from the
air without having to resort to a high-speed chase will save lives. A
patrol car could carry one of these UAVs in the trunk, and if a
suspect takes off in a car the UAV could be dispatched to follow,
rather than chasing with the patrol car.

Phil