Originally Posted by
USMCFLYR
And yet all the drones do is takeoff and land, under some fairly strict limitations, fly to a designated point in space and they may hold there for hours and hours on end employing sensors and gathering intelligence.
They don't maneuver aggressively in either air-to-ground or air-to-air engagements, they don't fly formation in multi-plane environments (possibly in IMC conditions), they don't fly low levels at 500 kts at 100-200' pulling G's.
I just don't see a fair comparison here in mishap rates when not operating in the same environment; but I do see why they would try and push those rates to further an existing agenda.
Shack. We're talking about a model airplane, with the speed/performance of a C-172, and an engine from the homebuilt market (which has been outstanding in that field), and they can't reliably take off, orbit, and land again. I know the reasons, I've worked with them, and I know the technical hurdles. I'm not slamming the community at all, but for all these reasons this is why you probably won't see 121 UAV ops, at least not on a global scale.
Amazon delivering your new adult toys via pocket drone? You're just a few rednecks, a box of shells and a case of beer short of that being a losing venture.