Experimental Certificate Granted UAV If MAC "Extremely Improbable"!

On Feb 25, 10:41*am, Larry Dighera wrote:
On Sun, 24 Feb 2008 17:45:28 -0800 (PST), Phil J
wrote in
:

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?

Well, I've done some research. *This story indicates that UAVs will
haul cargo:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...oryId=11250026
That might fill the skies alone.

There is information about some UAV applications available hehttp://www..uavm.com/uavapplications.html
General Commercial Applications
Meteorology see also Weather * 1, *2, *3
Hurricane Monitoring see also *1, *2
Cryospheric Research - Arctic and Antarctic
Civil Engineering
Bridge Inspection
Scientific Research see also 1, *2, *3, *4
* * * * Transmission Line Inspection
* * * * Pipeline Inspection see also 1, 2
HAZMAT Inspection
Epidemic Emergency Medical Supply see also 1, 2, 3, 4
Traffic Monitoring
Aerial Surveying
Damage Assessment
Insurance Claim Appraisal
Real Estate Marketing
Golf - Resort Marketing
Stadium Event Monitoring
* * * ConcertSecurity
* * * Sports Video
Runway Inspection
Corridor Mapping
Virtual Tours
Landmark Inspection
*Precision Agricultural - Wildlife and Land Management
Coffee Harvest Optimization
Vigor Mapping and Frost Mitigation
Crop Disease Management see also 1, 2, 3
Corn Precision AG Studies *see also 1
Herd Tracking and Management
Entomology
Forestry Inspection
Fisheries Management
Species Conservation
Wildlife Inventory
Mineral Exploration
Remote Aerial Survey
Forest Fire Surveillance
Forest Fire Mapping
Volcano Monitoring
Remote Aerial Mapping
Oil Spill Tracking
Snow Pack Avalanche Monitoring
Ice Pack Monitoring
Poaching Patrol

More hehttp://www.uavm.com/images/NASA_UAV_...ment-2004..pdf

Have you done ANY UAV research yourself personally, or you just
providing your own unsupported personal opinions?

I'm beginning to see why some people on this group find you so
obnoxious, Larry. I was responding to your original post which had to
do with law enforcement use of UAVs. But since you brought it up,
most of the uses you mentioned take place in remote locations like
forests, mountains, rivers, over the ocean, or in the arctic. Are you
seriously saying that those applications constitute a threat to people
on the ground? Some of your applications would involve flying over
populated areas. But I notice you didn't respond to my point about
the government changing regulations if and when UAVs do become a
problem. Nothing is set in stone here, Larry. If there is a problem
you can bet the politicians and bureacrats will want to jump on it.
It's in their own self-interest to do so because it's a way for them
to demonstrate how much they care about us. Right now UAVs represent
an application with a lot of potential. If we shut it down before we
even try it because something MIGHT go wrong, how do we know what it
might accomplish?

I noticed you also didn't respond to my point about the benefits of
law enforcement use of UAVs either. They aren't doing this just for
fun. They are trying to accomplish something for the public good.
Frankly your reaction strikes me as similar to that of the people who
don't want any more general aviation airports built, or want the
existing ones shut down. One of the complaints of people who live
near these airports is that there is a danger from aircraft crashing
on their houses. The risk to these people is actually very small, but
they try to use it to get rid of those noisy, bothersome airplanes
anyway.

Phil