Drone registration

The Marine helicopters crashed Thursday night near my home on the North Shore of Oahu, leaving 12 crew members missing. During the search a green laser was pointed at a Coast Guard search plane. I understand The green laser can temporarily blind someone using night vision.  The helicopters were doing night vision training traveling from Kaneohe Marine Air Base doing touch and go landings and take offs about 5 miles from my house at Dillingham air field. I wonder if a green laser caused the pilots to lose control and crash into each other. Our prayers go out to the missing crews and their families.  I feel the green lasers are more of a threat to large aircraft than hobby sized drones.  

At this point we don't know if any laser lights that may have been pointed at the pilots were a contributing factor. Once they find the aircraft and obtain the black boxes, plus go through radio communications back up recordings, eye witness accounts (if any), etc., they'll know more the cause.

A concern during the President Jimmy Carter administration was DOD cutbacks were so severe, that the services were cannibalizing parts from good aircraft under repair to keep others flying. President Regan turned that around by seeing DOD got funded and built up again, also got the economy going again so government would have the needed tax base again.

The Marines have been using some very old aircraft. The CH-46 comes to mind, although there are others. Until the facts are in we will not know if it was pilot error, weather (adversarial air currents) or mechanical failure. I don't know if DOD has been facing similar funding problems. Things have been kind of hush-hush as far as the news media goes, but I don't doubt that with all the threats of budgets and sequestration that maintainability problems exist.

Regarding "drone registration", yes, something needed to be done about it. Where I see the problem was that DOT did not come up with a solution that carried out the intent of the law enacted by Congress. They could have done that and basically would have satisfied mostly all with the solution. Instead, it was their approach that was wrong, which basically sums up the current administration's methodologies, including the various EO's written in similar fashion.

fredvon4 wrote:Had to come back as fdew reminded me that I still can sing the entire Alice's Restaurant Massacre by Arlo Guthrie and I too have sat the Group W bench only to be accepted ONCE I got my GED....but was never convicted for littering...grin

Then you will like this. I went through "Security" at an airport and was given a yellow card and told to report to the counter at the airline. I showed my card to the lady at the counter and asked her what it meant. "You have been selected at random for a full inspection of you and your carry on You need to go over and sit on that bench. I gave her my best frown and just a bit of a smile and said 'I have to sit on the Group W bench" She smiled, took my yellow card,, put a check mark and a stamp on it, then put it in a drawer, and said KID! enjoy your flight.

("KID, HAVE YOU REHABILITATED YOURSELF?")

I went over to the Sergeant, said, "Sergeant, you got a lot a damn gall to
ask me if I've rehabilitated myself, I mean, I mean, I mean that just, I'm
sittin' here on the bench,

I mean I'm sittin here on the Group W bench
'cause you want to know if I'm moral enough join the Army, burn women,
kids, houses and villages after bein' a litterbug."

He looked at me and
said, "Kid, we don't like your kind, and we're gonna send you fingerprints
off to Washington."

Just did it. Now I feel violated and need to shower!!!! YUCK!

fit90 wrote:Just did it. Now I feel violated and need to shower!!!! YUCK!

Don't feel so bad. All drones must be registered, included Thimble Drones.

GallopingGhostler wrote:

fit90 wrote:Just did it. Now I feel violated and need to shower!!!! YUCK!

Don't feel so bad. All drones must be registered, included Thimble Drones.

Technically just the pilot has to be registered, so far. There are some statements about marking each aircraft meeting the 8 ounce, flying over 400 foot altitude limits with some sort of label with pilots AMA # and or FAA # attached. More to come.

Happydad

happydad wrote:

GallopingGhostler wrote:

fit90 wrote:Just did it. Now I feel violated and need to shower!!!! YUCK!

Don't feel so bad. All drones must be registered, included Thimble Drones.

Technically just the pilot has to be registered, so far. There are some statements about marking each aircraft meeting the 8 ounce, flying over 400 foot altitude limits with some sort of label with pilots AMA # and or FAA # attached. More to come. Happydad

Happydad, I was being facetious. I registered a month ago.