Steve M wrote:There is no stopping them
Absolutely they will not be stopped. They are already in widespread use throughout the military in all nations, law enforcement, and private commercial applications. I am a UAV pilot myself. There are lots of hoops to jump through to "legally" fly one for commercial purposes. But for the purposes our company uses them for, they are a new technology offering our clientele a new and better product than ever before. The FAA knows it is coming, and government can't be getting in the way of industry. So you have what you have here...The FAA authorizing test locations so that the equipment can be tested, developed, and improved. I operate in Canada btw...so the FAA concerns don't really bother me. Transport Canada has already accepted that they are flying, and has worked extremely close to the UAV operators to develop best practices and limitations on how they are used in civil airspace.
The nay-sayers who cry about the security problems, the privacy issues, the "idiots" who fly them...well low and behold there are just as many concerns with full sized manned aircraft, and no shortage of idiots who operate them either. So the aviation industry must now adapt to the changing technology, and why shouldn't they? There's nothing to fear with this technology. It is just another aircraft, and if treated as such and operated under the nations laws of aviation, it can find a harmonious place safely in the skies.
expat wrote:So in other words, when it all goes wrong the answer will be, but we told you where they will be
Every pilot knows what this is...it's a NOTAM. No different that if there is a military area in use, or a rocket launch, or a large unlighted tower, or a runway with shorter than declared length available...If a pilot is smart, he/she knows to check the notams, and for his/her own safety stay clear of the area or take appropriate actions to deal with the "known" hazard.