I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
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I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
Ok, so here is the scoop:
We were flying DAY VFR to Niagara Falls, USA (KIAG) from Canada in a small piston single. I think we were around 25-3000 ft ASL. We had just been switched from Centre to KIAG tower. We had just checked in with Tower and stated our intentions. A few seconds later, we observed 2 Unidentified Flying Objects off our right wing. They were approximatley 20 feet away from us, and they were only 10 feet apart from each other. They looked like they were flying together in formation.
I am assuming they were drones, but they didnt look like any drones I have ever seen. They literally looked like flying Roomba Vacuum Cleaners.
We tried to pull out a camera, but by the time we could capture a photo or video, they disappeared behind us out of sight. We informed KIAG tower. He asked where they were. We told them we encountered them about 7nm from the airport). He said that was outside of his zone, and he didnt seem to care at all. He didnt enquire further. Take note that we were operating outside, and to the north of the restricted airspace around the falls.
We landed safely. This happened in early November, and we never did follow-up, even though we probably should have.
My question: what kind of drones were they? Any ideas? 30 minutes of Google searches uncovered nothing close to that design. Is there a central database with drone designs and pictures?
We were flying DAY VFR to Niagara Falls, USA (KIAG) from Canada in a small piston single. I think we were around 25-3000 ft ASL. We had just been switched from Centre to KIAG tower. We had just checked in with Tower and stated our intentions. A few seconds later, we observed 2 Unidentified Flying Objects off our right wing. They were approximatley 20 feet away from us, and they were only 10 feet apart from each other. They looked like they were flying together in formation.
I am assuming they were drones, but they didnt look like any drones I have ever seen. They literally looked like flying Roomba Vacuum Cleaners.
We tried to pull out a camera, but by the time we could capture a photo or video, they disappeared behind us out of sight. We informed KIAG tower. He asked where they were. We told them we encountered them about 7nm from the airport). He said that was outside of his zone, and he didnt seem to care at all. He didnt enquire further. Take note that we were operating outside, and to the north of the restricted airspace around the falls.
We landed safely. This happened in early November, and we never did follow-up, even though we probably should have.
My question: what kind of drones were they? Any ideas? 30 minutes of Google searches uncovered nothing close to that design. Is there a central database with drone designs and pictures?
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Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
I bet you saw Mylar party balloons. They tend to flop on their sides when set free and in my experience enough helium to make them nicely buoyant at ground level is just enough to get them to level off somewhere around 1,000 - 2,000 feet AGL.
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Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
Saw a group of them over the city of Toronto once. Those f'ers are quick for balloons.
Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
Well, these guys did build a Roomba that can fly...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA2yIVFb2lI
www.youtube.com/watch?v=wA2yIVFb2lI
Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
Autonomous drones are apparently very good for that kind of work. A late handoff could take the security station by surprise. Until the tower has contact they come up tom have a look. Formation flying with a couple of drones is not dangerous ... not like a head-on collision.
Last edited by pdw on Thu Jan 09, 2020 1:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
It would really suck if you hit one.
International border interception ?!?
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Last edited by pdw on Thu Jan 09, 2020 6:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
International border interception ?!?
Drones "appeared" on right wingtip just seconds after initial contact with tower ? ... "2nm" from kiag's 5nm control zone ?
I read that again ... so they're right close to the international border there for a number of minutes without any tower contact in that critical area with an unsecured aircraft (DAY VFR).
Either "handoff" is somewhat late and/or KIAG contact was a bit latent for the circumstances ?
I read that again ... so they're right close to the international border there for a number of minutes without any tower contact in that critical area with an unsecured aircraft (DAY VFR).
Either "handoff" is somewhat late and/or KIAG contact was a bit latent for the circumstances ?
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Re: International border interception ?!?
Question is....what were the winds doing.....pdw wrote: ↑Thu Jan 09, 2020 6:51 pm Drones "appeared" on right wingtip just seconds after initial contact with tower ? ... "2nm" from kiag's 5nm control zone ?
I read that again ... so they're right close to the international border there for a number of minutes without any tower contact in that critical area with an unsecured aircraft (DAY VFR).
Either "handoff" is somewhat late and/or KIAG contact was a bit latent for the circumstances ?
Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
Sure would
(Caus we would have to dissect all the details in an accident forum)
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Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
..could be ....
BUT ...
BUT ...
Last edited by pdw on Sun Jan 12, 2020 10:58 am, edited 2 times in total.
Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
The "scoop" appears legitimate.
... although this seems like it could be a bit stretched:
"Centre" is Toronto Centre ... so it looks like this shows "dronepiper roughly on a continuous southerly heading well-before / up-to/ during the "encounter.
"7nm" location reference is 2nm "outside" (at the north end of) the map's 5nmile ring for KIAG tower control zone, yet looks like 15nmiles past the handoff area. "A few seconds later" (in the quoted material) maybe takes a quarter mile, not 15nm. This "DAY VFR" from direction of Toronto/"Canada" after "handoff" is parallelling the international border from 'out over the lake' probably for 4-5 minutes in a single ( or 2-3min if a twin), ... so according to this description there seems to be 'sans communication' with USA tower until quite late in the arrival .....
... although this seems like it could be a bit stretched:
"had just been switched" and "had just checked in" ?Dronepiper wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:44 pm ... had just been switched from Centre to KIAG tower. We had just checked in with Tower and stated our intentions. A few seconds later, we observed 2 Unidentified .... about 7nm from the airport ...
"Centre" is Toronto Centre ... so it looks like this shows "dronepiper roughly on a continuous southerly heading well-before / up-to/ during the "encounter.
"7nm" location reference is 2nm "outside" (at the north end of) the map's 5nmile ring for KIAG tower control zone, yet looks like 15nmiles past the handoff area. "A few seconds later" (in the quoted material) maybe takes a quarter mile, not 15nm. This "DAY VFR" from direction of Toronto/"Canada" after "handoff" is parallelling the international border from 'out over the lake' probably for 4-5 minutes in a single ( or 2-3min if a twin), ... so according to this description there seems to be 'sans communication' with USA tower until quite late in the arrival .....
Re: I nearly hit a Roomba while flying?!?
Hey Dronepiper. I'm a journalist and aviation enthusiast investigating stories like this for a new project. Send me a message? Or email me otisstories [at] gmail [dot] com.Dronepiper wrote: ↑Thu Jan 02, 2020 10:44 pm Ok, so here is the scoop:
We were flying DAY VFR to Niagara Falls, USA (KIAG) from Canada in a small piston single. I think we were around 25-3000 ft ASL. We had just been switched from Centre to KIAG tower. We had just checked in with Tower and stated our intentions. A few seconds later, we observed 2 Unidentified Flying Objects off our right wing. They were approximatley 20 feet away from us, and they were only 10 feet apart from each other. They looked like they were flying together in formation.
I am assuming they were drones, but they didnt look like any drones I have ever seen. They literally looked like flying Roomba Vacuum Cleaners.
We tried to pull out a camera, but by the time we could capture a photo or video, they disappeared behind us out of sight. We informed KIAG tower. He asked where they were. We told them we encountered them about 7nm from the airport). He said that was outside of his zone, and he didnt seem to care at all. He didnt enquire further. Take note that we were operating outside, and to the north of the restricted airspace around the falls.
We landed safely. This happened in early November, and we never did follow-up, even though we probably should have.
My question: what kind of drones were they? Any ideas? 30 minutes of Google searches uncovered nothing close to that design. Is there a central database with drone designs and pictures?