Geebax Posted at 2017-7-21 15:58
To provide the warning you are requesting is way beyond the capability of the DJI drones. It would require a complex tracking and information system with real-time communication between every drone being flown in the world at any given time and the operator of that drone. At present it is not necessary to have a valid internet connection while flying your drone, but what you propose would make it essential. Sorry, it just wont happen.
Also, there is no evidence of what damage a drone could do to an aircraft engine, so the whole doomsday scenario is unproven. The greater majority of aircraft engines these days are turbofans, where a drone would not enter the engine proper, but bypass it. And loss of a single engine on any commercial aircraft does not spell certain death for the passengers either. This borders on scaremongering.
Geebax, I concur with you that the whole doomsday scenario as stated is not likely. However, you are incorrect in stating that A) if a jet engine ingested a drone that it would not enter the engine proper and B) there is no evidence of what damage a drone could cause if ingested in to a jet engine. A) Any foreign object (including a drone) entering a jet engine can mean problems for that engine to continue operating safely, whether it is a turbofan or not and whether it enters the engine proper or not (I assume you mean by entering the engine proper it is the combustion section). Point of fact, any object entering an engine whether it only makes it as far as the guide vans or compressor section, it has entered the engine proper. All that needs to happen is for the foreign object damage (FoD) to cause the destruction of some internal components or drone parts themselves to be sucked further into the engine area. This can happen in any operating jet engine, turbo fan or otherwise, the forces involved are tremendous and any damage can lead to significant operational malfunctions or complete engine shutdown. Further, just damage that causes the loss of compressor blades or the FoD itself can create a cascade effect within the engine known as shelling out, which could lead to compressor stalls and fire. This type of damage can also lead to the loss of the engine pod (i.e. separating from the wing or fuselage), which could lead to wing damage, fuel loss, and control surface damage to name a few. Meaning, any ingested object in to an engine such as a bird (many of which are similar in size and mass to a drone), drones, ice, etc. must be taken seriously. B) Granted I know of no current testing of actual drone damage being done on jet aircraft, although I am sure it is being considered and calculated. However, that is completely irrelevant to the point. There is considerable evidence proving that foreign object damage similar in size and mass and make up of a drone can cause severe to catastrophic damage to a jet engine, turbo fan or otherwise. It is more than reasonable to assume that if a bird can take out an engine then at the very least something like a phantom, mavic, or even a spark could do the same. As a pilot, I would not prefer to press to test the notion of ingesting a drone in to one of my engines under any circumstance. You are correct that modern day aircraft that have more than one engine are designed to operate with the loss of an engine, or more depending on the number of engines on the aircraft. However, even a B-52 crew who experiences the loss of just one engine, for any reason, they are required to declare an IFE. Loss of an engine not only means the obvious loss of thrust, but it can lead to issues of increased control factors (asymmetric forces), loss of hydraulics, loss of electric generator, etc. While redundant systems can usually compensate, you are now flying with much smaller to zero margins for error. I am sure everyone can agree that we all should stay as far away from any other airborne aircraft, period, no matter what type of aircraft or circumstance. I am sure none of us wants the responsibility of having caused anything bad to happen or just the loss of our own expensive aircraft.
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