Interesting that you'd mention physics, because DJI called nonsense on this 'experiment', since the impact velocities used in the lab exceed the speed of a phantom AND the cruise speed of a Mooney wing:
"Your video assumes a Mooney M20 light aircraft is flying at its maximum possible speed of 200 mph, and encounters a drone apparently flying faster than its maximum possible speed of 33.5 mph. The plane could only achieve such speed at full cruise, typically more than a mile above ground. At the altitudes where that plane would conceivably encounter a Phantom drone, it would fly less than half as fast — generating less than one-fourth of the collision energy."
You've been reading the wrong blogs my friend. Where did you get the data from that last sentence? Thin air maybe?
Let's spend some time and talk REAL #'s:
*Mooney 201’s max speed, or Vne, is 201mph (see the correlation with the name and the speed?)
*Mooney 232’s Vne is 232mph (again see the link to name and speed?)
P4P speed spec:
S-mode: 45 mph (72 kph) ~ Against Mooney 201 @ 201mph = 246mph
A-mode: 36 mph (58 kph) ~ Against Mooney 201 @ 201mph = 237mph
P-mode: 31 mph (50 kph) ~ Against Mooney 201 @ 201mph = 232mph
So you see that "magical" 238mph is VERY realistic and doable.
In regards to "Flying to altitudes where that aircraft flies" I'm going to quote another RPIC who is also a manned aircraft pilot with years of experience in aviation to pull from:
Mooney 201’s max speed, or Vne, is 201mph. A Mooney 232’s Vne is 232mph. A 260 Comanche easily busts 200mph in cruise (I’ve flown them faster), as do the composite skinned Lancair’s and Cirrus general aviation aircraft. Let’s not forget the fast and low flying helicopters. Leaving 200mph out of the argument, many general aviation aircraft fly descents and the approaches well above normal cruise speeds, especially if flying an ILS approach in busy terminal airspace. They are frequently told to “ keep your speed up on final due to faster following traffic”. My C-152 had an average cruise speed of 100 knots but I always flew a 130 knot descent. A drone flying 35mph colliding with the 152 wing would have the combined energy from the speed of both aircraft. The speed equation would work out to 187mph.
What would happen after a drone broke through the skin of the wing is the only real question. If it went through the wing of a Grumman Tiger or Cheetah it might impact and puncture a hole in the fuel bladder. If the drones battery shorted during impact there would be a fuel fire that would not be survivable because the airplane could not be landed fast enough to save the day. If it impacted the control rods for a Mooney’s ailerons it could cause loss of aircraft flight control.
Thinking that only an approved method test will provide accurate info is foolish. I knew a truck driver killed by a box of Kleenex that stuck the side of his head in a 45mph traffic accident. That condition certainly was never part of automobile safety testing yet the truck driver is still dead.
BTW, the federally mandated max airspeed in a terminal control area is 200 knots, which works out to 230mph, and that speed is flown all the time by different aircraft. The max speed below 18,000’ outside if a terminal control area is 250 knots and is also flown thousands of times a day in this country. Drones are absolutely a serious threat to manned aviation and anyone thinking they are not because a serious event has not happened yet has serious problems with their reasoning processes, or lacks any knowledge relative to the construction and operation of manned aircraft. They also don’t realize most fly airplanes to get from point A to point B as fast as possible and unless trying to save fuel fly faster than “average” cruise speed.
Also here is an article by someone who is experienced, credentialed and very much a
Subject Matter Expert:
Engineer. Pilot. A&P mechanic ~ gave another fine example of how Brendan totally missed the boat and actually gave false information in their narrative to try and suppress REAL WORLD data just because they happened to use a DJI product. Here's the link for those who haven't been following the debate (
aka DJI debacle):
An Aeronautical Lesson for DJI’s lawyer, Brendan Schulman
So in reality the speed of both aircraft and the possibility for a DJI aircraft to impact a manned aircraft exactly like depicted in the video are VERY realistic. Those numbers aren't just pulled out of thin air randomly I would imagine those designing the tests used the same specifications the rest of us can look up to come up with their test criteria.
For the record, I do not blame DJI for trying to debunk the test. It looks bad for them because it appears to be a DJI aircraft doing all the damage. In reality the brand of the sUAS makes absolutely no difference. Any brand could have been used and DJI would still feel the heat simply because they are undoubtedly the market leader on the planet for sUAS sales. I'm sure it was a donated aircraft and just happens to be DJI. It could have been Yuneec or Autel or anything but the #'s are realistic and the results tell the truth IMHO.