NoHeat
En-Route
Today, as I was flying in Class E about 10 miles East of the Palmdale CA airport, talking to nobody and listening only to Guard and hearing nothing, there was an aircraft that showed up on ADS-B, turning to head my way. Then I spotted it as it approached, and it passed me, rather fast, at well less than a mile, at exactly my altitude, headed the opposite direction.
It was a military-style drone, with inverted V-shaped wings. Big. Maybe a Predator, I’m not sure.
I did not know that I was going to be sharing airspace with a military drone at 8500’. Okay, the sectional chart says something right there, but being a rube from the Midwest I still did not expect it.
And I sure wish the operator would keep his distance, and obey the hemispheric VFR rules, which he was not. And why are they in my airspace and not in the restricted space just across the valley, anyway?
It was a military-style drone, with inverted V-shaped wings. Big. Maybe a Predator, I’m not sure.
I did not know that I was going to be sharing airspace with a military drone at 8500’. Okay, the sectional chart says something right there, but being a rube from the Midwest I still did not expect it.
And I sure wish the operator would keep his distance, and obey the hemispheric VFR rules, which he was not. And why are they in my airspace and not in the restricted space just across the valley, anyway?