FAA Drone Sighting Data is UNRELIABLE. Here's what the FAA said......

[GadgetGuy]

The Government Accountability Office’s report in May 2018 accurately summed the situation up, “FAA told us that most of the reports cannot be verified because a small UAS typically is not detected by radar, the small UAS pilot is usually not identified, or the small UAS or other physical evidence is not recovered. FAA and some aviation industry stakeholders also told us that the reliability of many of the reports is questionable; FAA explained that this is because pilots can have difficulty positively identifying objects as small UAS, given their small size, their distance from the observed position, the speeds at which a manned aircraft and a UAS are operating, or the various factors competing for the pilot’s attention. ”

See FAA's Drone Sightings Data Analyzed(Graphs, Important Points, etc.) for full details.

 

[Meta4]

See FAA's Drone Sightings Data Analyzed(Graphs, Important Points, etc.) for full details.

The FAA sightings database is always good for a laugh.
It's so full of garbage that it's almost useless.
Here are some examples from the latest:

 

[GadgetGuy]

The FAA sightings database is always good for a laugh.
It's so full of garbage that it's almost useless.
Here are some examples from the latest:

Before our drones became mainstream, these so called "drone sightings" would have otherwise been automatically properly classified as UFO's, with the pilots' credibility called into question.

 

[Pharm]

I just want to know where one buys a “drone” that has the battery life and the ability to reach 11,000 ft.

 

[jlrsn]

I can easily reach 11,000' ASL as most of my flights originate (Take Off) from between 8,500' ASL to 9,000' ASL, sometimes above 11'000' ASL. Even though I'd have enough battery power in my PP4V2 or I1V2 to climb to 11,000' ASL I'd be greatly exceeding the 400' AGL FAA Height limitation. I live up at 8,000' ASL up in the Rocky Mountains.

 

[jc15]

But, this is Pensacola, FL; elevation is about 20'. In optimal conditions, using P4P specs in p-Mode, it would take over 11 minutes to reach 11,000'. Descent is slower and would take over 18 minutes. These figure are likely way underestimated as they don't account for density altitude and reduced performance. The battery is dead before you can make a controlled landing.

 

[Wilbur]

But, this is Pensacola, FL; elevation is about 20'. In optimal conditions, using P4P specs in p-Mode, it would take over 11 minutes to reach 11,000'. Descent is slower and would take over 18 minutes. These figure are likely way underestimated as they don't account for density altitude and reduced performance. The battery is dead before you can make a controlled landing.

Turn it off the rotors, count to ten, then turn them back on?

 

[skyeboysteve]

I’ve always thought these sightings by pilots had to be somewhat bogus—especially in a 757 on short final at over 120 knots—there’s little chance you’d ever spot something the size of a P4P.

This was confirmed a little over a month ago when I filmed some bush pilots (at their invitation) going through orientation, landing and taking off from short sloped (as much as 16%) grass runways in the mountains. Even though my P4P had 4 Arc II Cree strobes on it (each has 4 LEDS visible to 3 miles at night, so the equivalent of 16 LEDS) the pilots said they only saw my P4P a couple times during the three days I was filming them even though they knew I was there and constrained to one side of the runway at and below 100’ AGL. They were flying STOL aircraft too (PC-6, Cessna T206 with Fowler flaps, and Helio Courier [that has forward slats too])—so a little slower than an airbus.

On a side note they were impressed I could use the drone as an impromptu weather balloon so I could give them wind speed and direction at various altitudes while they were on downwind—as winds shift a lot in the mountains.

 

[GadgetGuy]

 

[gsreinke]

As an airline pilot for 18 years, ATC would point out aircraft at 5 miles and it was difficult to detect. How in the world could anyone detect a drone?