quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:

I know a guy who was alone out on his property and a drone flew over him and hovered for a while... until he got out his shot gun... The FAA eventually came and retreated the 'wounded ' drone... they did nothing to him.

What? The FAA came and got the drone? It's rare for them to make house-calls like this.

quote:

Originally posted by radioman:

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:

I know a guy who was alone out on his property and a drone flew over him and hovered for a while... until he got out his shot gun... The FAA eventually came and retreated the 'wounded ' drone... they did nothing to him.

What? The FAA came and got the drone? It's rare for them to make house-calls like this.

Tall tales.

I thought it was illegal to fly drones at night

If no one seems to know what’s going on it seems perfectly reasonable to shoot a bunch of them down and see who comes to pick up the garbage.

Since the local agencies or the FAA don’t know what’s going on then taking a preemptive strike isn’t entirely unreasonable.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I thought it was illegal to fly drones at night

Not illegal -with a waiver- if flying under Part 107.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

quote:

Originally posted by P210:

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by HRK:
I read where there are drone companies that ranchers hire to count the herds, large tracks of land and herds, drones work them in grids. Might be that going on

No real need to only do that at night if that were the case.

quote:

Thermal imaging?

Still no need to only do this at night. Especially not coming forward Immediately saying that’s what you are doing commercially when the whole country is wondering what’s going on. I just don’t like the timing of all of this with the government recently coming forward with the network drone ID that they want.

Thermal cameras work better at night when there’s no thermal radiation from the sun, making it easier to capture smaller objects that emit infra-red. What they’re using them for, who knows, but I’m pretty certain thermal cameras are involved whatever it is.

quote:

Originally posted by VictimNoMore:

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I thought it was illegal to fly drones at night

Not illegal -with a waiver- if flying under Part 107.

Right, but from what's been said...the FAA denies knowing anything about it.... none of this makes since... the FAA is very serious about protecting air space and I'd think the government would be all over this....

Oh and my story about the guy shooting down the drone.... I heard it directly from the guy who did it while at his gun range... seems the drone operator was taking pictures of a store near by and decided to look around with it....

BBC video that updates locations on map of sightings. Lighting up multiple states.

Why a couple blackhawks don't track them back to their lair IDK.

This incident occurred in the same area as the other drone sightings but there is no confirmation that this incident is related to the other drone sightings.

Video & hyperlinks at linked website article.

Pilot says drone nearly ran into Flight for Life helicopter

The medical helicopter was on its way to Fort Morgan, an area where mystery drones have been spotted in recent weeks

Author:
Marc Sallinger
Published:
10:05 PM MST January 8, 2020
Updated:
10:05 PM MST January 8, 2020

FORT MORGAN, Colo. — A Flight for Life medical helicopter pilot said they passed within 100 feet of a drone Tuesday while they were out on a routine medical call near Fort Morgan.

People across Northeast Colorado have reported seeing drones flying in the air over the past several weeks. No one knows who they belong to or what they are doing. The FAA and other government agencies are now investigating.

From their base at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, helicopter pilot Kirk Peebles and his Flight for Life team dispatch to emergencies all across the state.

He said the mystery drones flying above the eastern plains have caused concern.

From the sky it’s difficult to spot other drones, Peebles said. When the sun sets, the team relies on night vision goggles and each other.

"I’m always on the lookout. That’s the nature of the business and what we do," said Peebles. "They’re looking for aircraft constantly for me. Things that I might not catch right away."

Peebles said the incident on Tuesday happened in a matter of seconds.

"A drone just went right under us," he said. "Probably about 100 feet."

He said it happened so fast, he couldn't even tell what kind of drone it was.

"They’re not telling anybody who they are, what they’re doing," said Peebles. "What I care about the most is our survival, our ability to do the mission, and do it quickly and safely."



Pilot says drone nearly ran into Flight for Life helicopter
The medical helicopter was on its way to Fort Morgan, an area where mystery drones have been spotted in recent weeks
LOCAL
Author:
Marc Sallinger
Published:
10:05 PM MST January 8, 2020
Updated:
10:05 PM MST January 8, 2020
FORT MORGAN, Colo. — A Flight for Life medical helicopter pilot said they passed within 100 feet of a drone Tuesday while they were out on a routine medical call near Fort Morgan.

People across Northeast Colorado have reported seeing drones flying in the air over the past several weeks. No one knows who they belong to or what they are doing. The FAA and other government agencies are now investigating.


RELATED: Task force formed to investigate mystery drones, search begins for ‘command vehicle’

RELATED: Here's who isn't responsible for the 'mysterious drones' in northeastern Colorado

From their base at St. Anthony’s Hospital in Lakewood, helicopter pilot Kirk Peebles and his Flight for Life team dispatch to emergencies all across the state.

He said the mystery drones flying above the eastern plains have caused concern.

From the sky it’s difficult to spot other drones, Peebles said. When the sun sets, the team relies on night vision goggles and each other.

"I’m always on the lookout. That’s the nature of the business and what we do," said Peebles. "They’re looking for aircraft constantly for me. Things that I might not catch right away."

Peebles said the incident on Tuesday happened in a matter of seconds.

"A drone just went right under us," he said. "Probably about 100 feet."

He said it happened so fast, he couldn't even tell what kind of drone it was.

"They’re not telling anybody who they are, what they’re doing," said Peebles. "What I care about the most is our survival, our ability to do the mission, and do it quickly and safely."

RELATED: On the hunt for drones, people find more questions than answers

RELATED: Gardner: FAA launching 'full investigation' into mystery Colorado drones

With more drones in the sky and more people wanting to see them, the number of times the helicopter gets hit with a laser has also increased.

"It actually is a sunburn on our eyes. It can damage and prevent us from ever flying again," said Peebles. "Just don’t shoot a laser at me. Don’t shoot a laser."

There are also some changing messages from law enforcement about what people should be vigilant for. The Phillips County Sheriff’s Office said earlier this week they were looking for a box truck with antennas that could be controlling the drones.

Wednesday they said the search for any command vehicles is no longer pertinent or relevant and they won’t be making any more comments on this topic.

My first best guess is the airforce out of Colorado Springs. New toys getting tested.

My second best is DoD practicing something. Wanting a mountainous region to practice in,

Drone mappings or strikes for Afghanistan?

If the FAA is not talking less chance it is commercial.

quote:

Originally posted by sig2392:

My first best guess is the airforce out of Colorado Springs. New toys getting tested...

USAF - including the Minuteman wing at FE Warren AFB - says "It's not us."

https://gazette.com/military/c...6d-53ab1858df6a.html

Colorado drone mystery: Air Force denies involvement as investigation intensifies

By Tom Roeder tom.roeder@gazette.com
Jan 9, 2020 Updated 52 min ago

The Air Force issued a “not us” denial Thursday, a week after The Gazette questioned whether a Wyoming base was behind the mysterious sightings of drone swarms over northeastern Colorado in recent weeks.

F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, which controls a string of missile silos in an area where drones have been spotted, has a counterdrone program, but said it is not operating in the area where unexplained flights are being investigated.

“It is not F.E. Warren Air Force Base, nor is it any other Air Force entity,” said a base spokesman, 2nd Lt. Jon Carkhuff.

“I can confirm we do have a counter-UAS program,” Carkhuff said, using the acronym for robotic planes, unmanned aerial systems.

Colorado drone mystery: Search off for 'command vehicle'

The military has the country’s largest fleet of drones, ranging from airplane-size combat drones at Fort Carson to diminutive hobbyist machines used for some classes at the Air Force Academy.

But the Defense Department says it has nothing to do with sightings that have caused consternation and concern among law enforcement, residents and even federal agencies since Dec. 20, when the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office reported a string of drone sightings in the state’s northeastern corner.

The urgency in finding whoever is behind the drones increased this week after a report of a drone coming in dangerous proximity to a medical helicopter Wednesday evening, the Colorado Office of Emergency Management tweeted Thursday.

In response, the Colorado Department of Public Safety said it will step up its investigation, which could include the use of ground-based teams and aircraft.

After a Gazette report on the drone sightings, people from North Carolina to California have emailed in reports of drone sightings. One man from Monument sent nighttime video from Monument Hill showing blinking lights in the distance.

One issue is clear: Aircraft at night can look like a drone.

Colorado law enforcement agencies and the Federal Aviation Administration have struck out in their hunt for the origin of the drones.

In an online post Monday, the Phillips County Sheriff’s Office asked for the public’s help in finding a “command vehicle,” a closed box trailer with antennas. However, authorities have since rescinded that. You can fly drones these days with your cellphone, no big antennae required.

The drones may be harder than that to track down. In the United States, most privately owned drones fall in an unregulated place where the FAA does not tread.

While training and licensing is required for those who use drones for commercial purposes, including news organizations, hobbyists get free reign as long as they stay away from restricted space like airports and keep their drones at low altitude.

And while just having one drone was all the rage five years ago, it’s cooler these days to have a swarm.

In November, the Air Force Academy hosted a show of 500 drones that flew in precise formation and lit the night sky with lights for a high-tech version of fireworks.

None of the drones seen in northeastern Colorado, though, paused to spell out “Beat Army.”


Contact Tom Roeder: 636-0240 Twitter: @xroederx

quote:

“It is not F.E. Warren Air Force Base, nor is it any other Air Force entity,” said a base spokesman, 2nd Lt. Jon Carkhuff.

This is typical 'boilerplate' public relations stuff. If it were a 'black program' or something FE Warren was not aware of, the Lt could honestly believe it wasn't an Air Force program when it might be.

Plausible deniability, and all that. . .

I read that a LOT of 'UFO sightings' turned out to be the SR-71 and the CIA Oxcart planes when they were still deep black programs. Same for the F-117, which looked like no other airplane I've ever seen. . .

Aren't we going to assume the report from a medical flight is probably accurate? If so, doesn't the have the ability to get very real once a plane gets run into?

Seems sketchy, as you'd like to think no .gov, 3-letter or otherwise, would be doing this.

I really don't get it... since they know when and approximately where these things are flying... just send up a helicopter with a guy and a shot gun and take one down...

quote:

Originally posted by Blume9mm:
I really don't get it... since they know when and approximately where these things are flying... just send up a helicopter with a guy and a shot gun and take one down...

Or more likely they know exactly what’s going on and it’s none of our business.

I doubt that any corporation would continue to operate these drones in this fashion after receiving so much negative press.
Only some sort of intelligence branch of the government would continue . I suspect that they are actually looking for something that is really important to them , that they don't want to talk about. They have lost something and they want to find it before someone else does. No idea what it might be.... but it's important.
That's my guess. mike

And a cigar for the gentleman. It's a wrap.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:

Or more likely they know exactly what’s going on and it’s none of our business.

This is my guess.

WAYYYY too much press and legal attention over this for hobbyists or trolls to keep up.

The govt has a long history of covering up black projects.

quote:

Originally posted by mike28w:
I doubt that any corporation would continue to operate these drones in this fashion after receiving so much negative press.
Only some sort of intelligence branch of the government would continue . I suspect that they are actually looking for something that is really important to them , that they don't want to talk about. They have lost something and they want to find it before someone else does. No idea what it might be.... but it's important.
That's my guess. mike

That is a very reasonable conjecture. I agree.

flashguy

Hound Dog, agreed, I hope. Otherwise, we have so little control of our airspace, that it’s ridiculous.

Now, if it was along the border, I’d say it could be cartel games.

It could be that they (.mil or .gov) are testing/ calibrating something. I could see a battlefield application where combining drones to do a detailed survey could come in handy.

I don't know at what level they are deployed in the military but let's say each company has a decent sized drone they deploy as needed. Several companies or even a couple of battalions might deploy all of their drones in a swarm where the data is sent to a computer facility for detailed analysis.

Who knows. I will bet that when enough of them get shot down at one time someone will take ownership.