More About Drones - John Dunn, Consultant, Ambertec, P.E., P.C.

From not too long ago, please see: Drones

 

 

These things are really dangerous. We next read at the following URL,  Drone Crash ,

the following: "Empire State Building hit by wayward drone" which describes a drone crashing into the building's 40th floor. If we make a conservative estimate of ten feet per floor, that's a height of four hundred feet. If debris were to fall to the ground from that height, the impact velocity would be found as follows:

v = sqrt ( 2 a S ) = sqrt ( 2 x 32 ft/sec² x 400 feet ) which comes to 160 feet per second which is 109 miles per hour.

Imagine people on the ground showered with drone debris falling at hundred miles per hour velocity because of the misconduct of one da..ed jackass.

Drones seem to be a technological inevitability and at the same time, in my view, an extreme public safety hazard for which I cannot imagine a remedy.

Comments

[Dave Rogers]

Whoever flies a drone should be required to have a license and insurance
(same as driving an auto)
Dave

[Paul Carpenter]

As what are classed as model/toy drones can in most jurisdictions be up to 7kg that is a large bowling bowl being held unstably in the air.

People should think of their drones as bowling balls then think about what they are doing.

[Francisco Ochando]

Spain has specific law for flying RPAS (Drones) over 5kg weight. A license like private pilot license is required for flying RPAS between 25kg and 150kg weight, and another license for RPAS between 5kg and 25kg.