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View Full Version : Video shows drone nearly striking passenger plane



RV8505
06-03-2013, 03:37 PM
http://www.myfoxdc.com/story/22485894/video-shows-drone-nearly-striking-passenger-plane#axzz2VAJaehBG :eek:

Joe LaMantia
06-04-2013, 08:37 AM
This video is too poorly constructed to support the assumption conveyed. What you see is a portion of a prop and the right side of a large jet aircraft. Is the prop attached to a drone? Is the jet a civilian airliner or a military aircraft, the video doesn't show any markings. Who owns and operates these aircraft can't be determined by the video. Has the German govt. actually claimed responsibility? Who else is running this story?

Joe
:confused:

Hal Bryan
06-04-2013, 11:17 AM
You can see more of the video here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NOar22TX2k

The description alleges that the airliner is an Afghan Airlines A300, and that the drone is a Luna UAV. What I can't understand are the objects in front of the camera that look sort of like a prop. First off, the Luna is a pusher, yet, in the video, the drone appears to be moving roughly the opposite direction of the airliner. If that is a prop we're looking at, that means the drone is flying backwards.

The Luna was apparently meant to soar engine out for short periods and also to be recovered by parachute, so the prop being stopped isn't necessarily an issue. Regardless of whether or not that's a prop, why would you mount a camera where anything would obscure it? Some quick Googling tells me that the Luna has a camera in the nose pointing straight ahead, and one in the below pointing straight down, neither of which explain the prop-like obstructions.

While this leads me to believe that it's not a Luna, which, in turn, casts doubt on the rest of the story, it's still compelling and makes me all the more curious to know what really happened.

Jim Heffelfinger
06-04-2013, 11:40 AM
Note the partial last frame appears to be looking down. after a big jump in position prop still in frame - vortex?

Joe LaMantia
06-04-2013, 01:53 PM
Thanks Hal,

That video is better, I can at least identify the oncoming aircraft as being painted in airline colors and it sure looks like a A320. We don't get enough of the "drone" to gain much in identify it as a UAV, it's direction or it's size in relation to the airliner. I think Jim is right about the "bump" and that might indicate that the "drone" was not something small.

Joe
:cool:

Bob Dingley
06-05-2013, 11:20 AM
Opinions are like elbows. Every one has a couple. Here are my blind stabs at the facts.
The prop looking thing maybe, could be an omni directional, nose mounted antenna. Appears to be shaped like rods. Wikipedia shows the LUNA as having a powerplant mounted like a Lake amphibian. My other wild stab is the camera was rotated 90 deg fwd by the operator from its normal, verticle position. It would give a narrow, limited view of the flight path ahead. Like looking through a soda straw but better than flying blind.
Just opinions.

Jim Heffelfinger
06-05-2013, 12:33 PM
A lot of conjecture. Luna site http://www.emt-penzberg.de/en/produkte/drohnensystem/luna.html has a similar photo with mountain in background. Could this be a rear facing camera just under the engine and the airliner would be overtaking the UAV? site mentions a camera to look for icing on the wing
This is a symmetrical 3 blade something. Nose camera appears fixed but I do not see anything in it's visual path that has a 3 position "blade"
http://www.emt-penzberg.de/typo3temp/pics/luna-5_01_b7933b57ca.jpg

Jim Heffelfinger
06-05-2013, 12:37 PM
closer look at the brochure pdf there is a nose probe in the photo it could be the nose camera and then a near head on with the airliner.

I need to let this sleuth stuff go. I have to pack and ready for Golden West.

Joe LaMantia
06-05-2013, 01:45 PM
Thanks for the luna link!

This is a fairly small "ultralight" type craft, with a 2-stroke 2-cycle engine. Uses a bungee cord powered ramp for launch and either a net or parachute for recovery. The wing span is around 16 ft with a nose to tail length of about 7 ft. It's big enough to mess-up an big fan jet engine or damage whatever it runs into, cruise speed is a bit below 40 MPH. Endurance is about 3 hours and has some high tech gear on-board can be pre-programmed or flown by a "pilot" via data link, needs "line of sight" which could limit range in the mountains. So click on Jim's link and speculate to your hearts content.

Joe
:cool: