MQ-9 Reaper Drone Lost in Lake Ontario

radical concept: training mission.
 
Or...looking for smugglers...lots of stuff passes over Lake Ontario that doesn't necessarily hit customs, both ways.
 
As the article said "routine training mission." The Reaper is an armed Predator. It probably wasn't trying to detect Canucks crossing the broader. Majority of the military UAVs I've encounter in the U.S. are doing training. Not everything is a conspiracy.
 
JeffDG said:
Or...looking for smugglers...lots of stuff passes over Lake Ontario that doesn't necessarily hit customs, both ways.
Click to expand...

The rumor from my grandma was that her dad kept the family farm going during the Depression by running whiskey across Lake Erie. Our border with Canada is very easy to cross without anybody knowing.
 
The legend lives on from the Chippewa...... but this time it wasn't Gitche Gumee.
 
Art VanDelay said:
The legend lives on from the Chippewa...... but this time it wasn't Gitche Gumee.
Click to expand...

That's the second reference to that song I have seen today. Different Lake, wasn't it?
 
JB1842 said:
The rumor from my grandma was that her dad kept the family farm going during the Depression by running whiskey across Lake Erie. Our border with Canada is very easy to cross without anybody knowing.
Click to expand...

Luckily, those Canadians are very polite.

-Rich
 
"The mission was going as advertised, up to the point where we did lose control of the airplane," he said.
Click to expand...

With quotables like that, that man should be a prossional athlete... :D
 
Velocity173 said:
As the article said "routine training mission." The Reaper is an armed Predator. It probably wasn't trying to detect Canucks crossing the broader. Majority of the military UAVs I've encounter in the U.S. are doing training. Not everything is a conspiracy.
Click to expand...

A Reaper is a MQ-9. A Predator is a MQ-1. The big difference is size of airframe and powerplant. MQ-9 is a turboprop (TPE331) verus the MQ-1 with a Rotax 914
 
RJM62 said:
Luckily, those Canadians are very polite.

-Rich
Click to expand...

Agree. I've only been to Canada twice (but had some work contact with the RCMP before), but the Canadians left me with a good impression.
 
KSCessnaDriver said:
A Reaper is a MQ-9. A Predator is a MQ-1. The big difference is size of airframe and powerplant. MQ-9 is a turboprop (TPE331) verus the MQ-1 with a Rotax 914
Click to expand...

I'm aware of that. I worked closely with both versions in OEF/OIF. I'm referring to the fact that CBP uses unarmed Predator Bs for border patrol not Reapers with dummy Hellfires on board. The 174th is an Air Force tactical wing training new pilots on the MQ-9 for combat ops. They weren't created out of Drum to monitor Canadian border activity.
 
Last edited:
flyingron said:
Gales of November come early?
Click to expand...
November is often when dangerous gales and ice storms come, that make it unsafe for freighters. If the storms come early, or if crews push their luck by sailing late for another load, they increase the odds of getting caught in a deadly storm.

Chippewa legend for Lake superior. Most lakes get warm enough that bodies ferment, bloat and rise to the surface where they can be easily found. Lakes like Superior, are so cold that bodies don't bloat as much and are much less likely to be found.

It's also a reference to the lyrics of the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot.
 
Last edited:
Velocity173 said:
I'm aware of that. I worked closely with both versions in OEF/OIF. I'm referring to the fact that CBP uses unarmed Predator Bs for border patrol not Reapers with dummy Hellfires on board. The 174th is an Air Force tactical wing training new pilots on the MQ-9 for combat ops. They weren't created out of Drum to monitor Canadian border activity.
Click to expand...

No, they're there to mount an attack! Blame Canada! They built the Obamacare website!
 
DJTorrente said:
That's the second reference to that song I have seen today. Different Lake, wasn't it?
Click to expand...

The 38th anniversary of the wreck was this past Sunday, so there have been some news articles here and there.

-Rich
 
RJM62 said:
The 38th anniversary of the wreck was this past Sunday, so there have been some news articles here and there.

-Rich
Click to expand...

Gordon Lightfoot apologizes to the Mariner's Church of Detroit. They were a little miffed at being described as "musty".
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top