Wife spots drone at near 4500 feet

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Baron62

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Baron62
On 5/20 while flying at 4500 FT MSL roughly 10 miles East of Albany, NY my wife (non pilot) stated that she saw a red round drone pass below us. I did not see it, otherwise I would I would have reported it. Based on her description, it sure appears to have been a drone and it must have been quite close for her to see it. I am so happy we did not hit it at 125 knots. My understanding is that drones should not be operating above 400 AGL and remain in site of the operator.

I'm thinking that the FAA should should require some controls like 400 AGL limiters. I am concerned that some drone operators will feel they can do what they want regardless of the laws. Have any airplane/drone collisions been reported?
 
Can't jump to conclusions without factual evidence. I doubt that a drone would be flying at that altitude, but stranger things have happened.
 
Anything is possible, but that would be extremely high for a consumer drone. Could it have been a Mylar or weather balloon?
 
I could imagine a drone getting away from its operator and just heading up and up until the battery got weak.
 
There's a TFR for UAS (drone) activity from the surface to 15,000 feet today at the limits of Shaw AFB airspace. Looks like a 1 nm radius.

Guess those buggers can really climb!
 
Technically, as of now, it's an unidentified flying object.
 
Was cruising IFR at 10,000 last summer when I made out an object approaching at my altitude. My first thought was how come I didn't get a call, did a radio fail, etc, while keeping an eye on it and pointing it out to the wife. After 20 seconds or so it passed by on the right: a mylar party balloon.
 
WillFly4Food said:
Was cruising IFR at 10,000 last summer when I made out an object approaching at my altitude. My first thought was how come I didn't get a call, did a radio fail, etc, while keeping an eye on it and pointing it out to the wife. After 20 seconds or so it passed by on the right: a mylar party balloon.
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I came within 100 feet of a cluster of at least a dozen latex party balloons at 4500 feet.
 
No 400 ft rule for recreation. That applies to comm RPV operators.

Aircraft must remain in sight and "well clear" of any manned aircraft as to not create a "collision hazard."

If indeed was a drone, the operator most likely not within VloS. As to a collision hazard, that's debatable.
 
Red in color might have been the instrument cluster under a weather balloon. I have seen a couple up close while flying.
 
arnoha said:
You're intending to be elitist about this?
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Why shouldn't he be? This forum gets in enough jabs about plastic planes, red handles and Cirrus Drivers - why not let him have one?

I bet if it was Art making the exact same comment but followed by #777life nobody would say a word.
 
Red round object at 4500 feet. Occam's razor says party balloon.
 
Ryanb said:
Can't jump to conclusions without factual evidence. I doubt that a drone would be flying at that altitude, but stranger things have happened.
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We have received reports from numerous airliners of drones at 4000-5000 on finals to ORD. Zero chance they are all wrong. They are pretty good at differentiating between balloons, birds and UAS.
 
Radar Contact said:
We have received reports from numerous airliners of drones at 4000-5000 on finals to ORD. Zero chance they are all wrong. They are pretty good at differentiating between balloons, birds and UAS.
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If you see an object well enough to identify it at 250+ mph it's probably not a consumer drone.
 
Salty said:
If you see an object well enough to identify it at 250+ mph it's probably not a consumer drone.
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I don't know enough to comment on that. All I know is who ever is flying it doesn't have approval to be in the class B and it presents a danger to airborne aircraft according to the pilots zipping by it.
 
Ryanb said:
Can't jump to conclusions without factual evidence. I doubt that a drone would be flying at that altitude, but stranger things have happened.
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Why do you doubt that? They have no problem doing that. The Power-to-Weight ratio on light things that are astounding.
 
Radar Contact said:
We have received reports from numerous airliners of drones at 4000-5000 on finals to ORD. Zero chance they are all wrong. They are pretty good at differentiating between balloons, birds and UAS.
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And before drones, pilots made hundreds of UFO reports. What are the chances those weren't all aliens?
 
Lindberg said:
And before drones, pilots made hundreds of UFO reports. What are the chances those weren't all aliens?
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Not sure, In 20 years of flying and over 15 of ATC I've never heard a pilot report a UFO.

So I'm guessing you think that multiple professional flight crews on different frequencies reporting the same thing at the same point and altitude are all wrong?
 
Radar Contact said:
Not sure, In 20 years of flying and over 15 of ATC I've never heard a pilot report a UFO.

So I'm guessing you think that multiple professional flight crews on different frequencies reporting the same thing at the same point and altitude are all wrong?
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It sounds to me like you HAVE heard of pilots reporting UFO's! haha
 
flyingron said:
Why do you doubt that? They have no problem doing that. The Power-to-Weight ratio on light things that are astounding.
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I'm not doubting that some drone's can reach those altitudes. I doubt that the object the OP's wife saw, was a drone, as I believe the likelihood would be slim. Possible yes, probable, no.

I have no idea how involved or experienced his wife is with aviation, so the object she claimed to see may not be what she thought. As others have already said, an object described as red and round, sounds more like a party balloon than a drone.

Radar Contact said:
We have received reports from numerous airliners of drones at 4000-5000 on finals to ORD. Zero chance they are all wrong. They are pretty good at differentiating between balloons, birds and UAS.
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Unfortunately, we have drone operators who act without care and disregard the regs. Keeping the drone in sight at all times, doesn't include an FPV, which cannot provide complete SA to fully satisfy the reg.
 
Salty said:
Red round object at 4500 feet. Occam's razor says party balloon.
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At what height do "normal" Mylar or other helium balloons burst due to less pressure?

What is the operational ceiling for consumer drones? There must be one, right? I mean airplane have op ceilings, and drones being smaller with small (generally) propellers I would think it would not be able to climb as well as high.

Edit: sorry, didn't read through the posts. So some believe it is possible but is it not in the specs for drones? They must have some ceiling, or else we'd be seeing pictures of outer space from them.
 
No idea what it was but I flew a drone at 8500msl in Colorado... and it was about 10agl. Had plenty of power.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Lindberg said:
Anything is possible, but that would be extremely high for a consumer drone. Could it have been a Mylar or weather balloon?
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Certainly not far fetched.
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Video of a not very smart drone pilot.

This guy flew a DJI Phantom 3 at over 20,000' on K2.
 
Ryanb said:
I have no idea how involved or experienced his wife is with aviation, so the object she claimed to see may not be what she thought.
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Never underestimate women. With your logic, a virginal woman could never possibly get pregnant her "first time" due to inexperience.
 
Lachlan said:
Never underestimate women. With your logic, a virginal woman could never possibly get pregnant her "first time" due to inexperience.
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Lol this gave me a good chuckle.
 
Lindberg said:
Anything is possible, but that would be extremely high for a consumer drone. Could it have been a Mylar or weather balloon?
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If drones were not capable of flying at 4500 MSL, they wouldn't even get out of ground effect in Colorado.
 
Lindberg said:
And before drones, pilots made hundreds of UFO reports. What are the chances those weren't all aliens?
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Pretty darn good, considering that the nearest star system to ours is four light years away, and that traveling at a significant fraction of the spend of light is hugely more difficult than getting a human-made drone up to 4500 MSL.
 
Lachlan said:
Never underestimate women. With your logic, a virginal woman could never possibly get pregnant her "first time" due to inexperience.
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Reminds me of a conversation I overheard at a party I went to when I was in college in the 1960s. A guy was trying to persuade the gal he was with that a virgin couldn't get pregnant!
 
Palmpilot said:
Reminds me of a conversation I overheard at a party I went to when I was in college in the 1960s. A guy was trying to persuade the gal he was with that a virgin couldn't get pregnant!
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That's what the girl told me on my "first time"...
 
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