"Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been flying over Iraq and Afghanistan, but now the Bush administration wants to use them for domestic surveillance. A top Homeland Security official told Congress today, according to this CNET News.com article, that: "We need additional technology to supplement manned aircraft surveillance and current ground assets to ensure more effective monitoring of United States territory." One county in North Carolina is already using UAVs to monitor public gatherings. But what happens when lots of relatively dumb drones have to share airspace with aircraft carrying passengers? A pilot's association is worried."

recent slashdot posting.

http://news.com.com/Drone+aircraft+may+prowl+U.S.+skies/2100-11746_3-6055658.html

http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2006/060215uav.html

http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2006/060109uav.html

If he is "proposing" it, you can bet your ass he is already doing it.




Rice.....Part of a balanced Pontiac diet.

Dear God! Hey I got an idea Dubya! How about a camera in ever home and in ever room. Bedroom would have zoom lens form closeups of your terrorists plotting while engaged in sex. Christ sake I hope this doesn't happen.




Semper Fi SAINT. May you rest in peace.

Hey, i'm just waiting for someone who's NRA or the like shooting one down for target practice...


Goodbye Callisto & Skaði, Hello Ishara:
2022 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD
The only thing every single person from every single walk of life on earth can truly say
they have in common is that their country is run by a bunch of fargin iceholes.

Keeper I hear you have your own satilite watching you 24 / 7 / 365 !

But the NRA thing is funny!




Semper Fi SAINT. May you rest in peace.

Well, I COULD mount a couple 30-30's on the struts of a Cessna........................




Rice.....Part of a balanced Pontiac diet.

I propose the indescriminate dissemination and use of Rocket-Propelled Grenade launchers.

There's about a trillion of them in the former USSR.





Transeat In Exemplum: Let this stand as the example.

Oh wait...

I have a question:

WHO THE HELL GAVE DUBYA A COPY OF 1984???






Transeat In Exemplum: Let this stand as the example.

collison with civil aircraft isn't an issue at all, UAV's fly at much higher altitudes than civil planes, and I don't see what the big deal is, so an airplane is taking pictures, what the hell do you think the satelites are doing in space, your taxes?


You'll never touch God's hand
You'll never taste God's breath
Because you'll never see the second coming
Life's too short to be focused on insanity
I've seen the ways of God
I'll take the devil any day
Hail Satan

(slayer, skeleton christ, 2006)

Oh, i know that Jack. Sometimes all a malcontent like me needs is a captive audience to capture hijinx.


Goodbye Callisto & Skaði, Hello Ishara:
2022 Kia Stinger GT2 AWD
The only thing every single person from every single walk of life on earth can truly say
they have in common is that their country is run by a bunch of fargin iceholes.

mikec2003 wrote:what the hell do you think the satelites are doing in space, your taxes?

Thats why its fun to give the bird to an "empty" sky once in a while--you know who you are flipping off, and THEY know it when they see it............but what are they gonna do about it?





Rice.....Part of a balanced Pontiac diet.

Somebody tell Bush that Reality T.V. has already been done !

So when is the U.S. going to bulid a wall encircling the
whole country ?? ...

yes I can see it all now ...
The Great wall of Democracy or Freedom is what they'll tell you it is...
and you will believe it, if you know what's good for you !

Lets just hope the Genie that makes it happen doesn't get asked to fill the container with cement.




Transeat In Exemplum: Let this stand as the example.

mikec2003 wrote:collison with civil aircraft isn't an issue at all, UAV's fly at much higher altitudes than civil planes, and I don't see what the big deal is, so an airplane is taking pictures, what the hell do you think the satelites are doing in space, your taxes?

Kinda right kinda wrong....

they are not in danger, but because UAVs fly at extremely LOW altitutes.. our U2's and Spy Satalites 'fly' @ the higher than normal altitudes... and dont forget the chamilian skinned derigibals over major citys (also @ low altitudes)

Wow, the U2 is still in service?!?!?

I had no idea.

PAX

Yep, Every U2 in service has a Chevy Camaro Z28 assigned to it to follow it down the runway while its landing. I want that guy's job.

They need landing assistance because the right and laft landing gear fall off of the plane upon takeoff, so they only have wheels in the center of the plane while landing... I would HATE to be that pilot... not only do you have to fly the thing alone for over 12 hours.. then you have to LAND IT WITHOUT LANDING GEAR!!!!?!

I just thopught it went the way of the Dodo when the SR-71 took to the surveilence skys.

The U2 is from what, about 1953 or so? She's an old bird anyway.

It's cool that they are still flying really. Just goes to show that the old guys had it right some of the time

PAX

U2's have outrigger pylons on the end of the wings... you can't help it, it has to lean a little. U2 Pilots are usually over 35, MUST be married, and have commesurate experience before flying the aircraft.

The U2's were originally a high-altitude sub-mach aircraft in the 50's. The only thing that's changed about that is everything under the skin of the aircraft. Mission is the same though.

The SR-71 had speed, the U2 has altitude and low-profile.

The SR's are still flying, but all of them are in the NASA fleet now IIRC. It's a pity.. they could have built a new fleet with newer composites for about the same money as in the 60's.




Transeat In Exemplum: Let this stand as the example.

Actually the SR's were retired a few years ago. BTW the SR is the only plane that if you fly it you get your astronaut's wings for. Yes its that fast.






Semper Fi SAINT. May you rest in peace.

Well from what I read the last flight of the SR-71 was in 1999. I also read that it flew higher than the U2 (85K feet at Mach 3.3).

A U2 crashed in June of last year, so they were still flying then at least. Interesting that they out-lived the Sr-71.

Now we have to look out for the drones that were also modeled after the A12 (or similar anyway)

PAX

"The aircraft went on to reach a maximum speed of Mach 6.7 and a maximum altitude of 354,200 feet. Mach 6 is about one mile per second and flight above 265,000 feet qualifies an Air Force pilot as an astronaut. "

Ah ha! The Sr-71 does not fly high enough to qualify the pilot as an astronaught. The Sr-71 tops out at 85 000 feet.

The above quote is regarding the X15 project (1959 to 1968)

GAM (The Kilted One) wrote:Oh wait...

I have a question:

WHO THE HELL GAVE DUBYA A COPY OF 1984???

he can read?


my sig is in transition

[quote=

he can read?

Only if the picture book is upside down.




Rice.....Part of a balanced Pontiac diet.

Hahahaha wrote:"The aircraft went on to reach a maximum speed of Mach 6.7 and a maximum altitude of 354,200 feet. Mach 6 is about one mile per second and flight above 265,000 feet qualifies an Air Force pilot as an astronaut. "

Ah ha! The Sr-71 does not fly high enough to qualify the pilot as an astronaught. The Sr-71 tops out at 85 000 feet.

The above quote is regarding the X15 project (1959 to 1968)

85,000 may be the "official" altitude, but I'm sure it's not actual. Can't give up all our secrets.

And there are 2 U-2 squadrons in the Air Force. Still flying. The landing gear system in called a bicycle system. It saves a lot of space and weight. More room for fuel and avionics/cameras.

There is not a Z28 assigned to every aircraft. There is usually 2 or so to a squadron. The driver is always a officer and pilot. There is also a quad-cab pickup following the Z28. They are called the pogo team. They are responsible for re-installing the pogo's (outrigger gear) upon full stop. Each wingtip is made of titanium so it doesn't get damaged on touchdown.


If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you're reading this in English, thank a veteran.

So is the U2 still flying because of it's relatively low operational costs? I mean c'mon, it's been out performed by many other surveilence aircraft, so it must have something going for it. It's a cool aircraft, and I have no doubt they're still in operation, I'm just looking at all the A12 variants that can out climb it and outrun it. The problem with the A12 stuff seems to be the operational costs. I'm just guessing.

If they could do that 60 years ago, what are they doing now?!?

PAX