UAV Crash in Arizona (Long)

Mike the Strike wrote:

Maybe that's why over 25% of Predators in the Iraq and Afghan theaters
are lost to pilot error? That's about double the rate for enemy fire.

It would be interesting to know the crash rate of UAVs per 1000 hours of
air time compared with manned aircraft and even more interested to see
the data classified by failure type.

I have a feeling that a lot of this crashery is due to the "Not Sitting
There" syndrome - if you're in the plane you pat attention to what
you're doing but if its a UAV who cares if it crashes - just launch another.

Declared interest: I want to know more about the reliability of
otherwise of UAV control systems because it seems likely that there's a
link between current transponder consultation in the UK and the future
appearance of swarms of UAVs in class G airspace. Why else would they
want the transponders on balloons and microlights as well as all GA
aircraft and gliders?


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |