UAVs, not just an Air Force gig anymore

UAV's spotted at Corpus?

Per the NOTAMS and ATIS, we've got UAV's working out of here this week. I didn't see them, has anyone spotted them or know what they're doing here? CBP perhaps?

Saw one land today. Bigger than I thought it would be. Seems like a nice job flying sitting an air-conditioned room, seeing when I got in the cockpit today the temperature gauge was reading 45 Degrees C.

If you think that's a flying job...please volunteer...cause I don't want a damn thing to do with it.:sleep_125

I saw one while driving over the "High Bridge" this weekend. Sunday afternoon, IIRC.

It was weird, I spotted the V-tail right off and thought it might be a Bonanza, then I looked closer, and realized what it was.

Kinda scary, as there was a T-1 inbound for CRP (or so it looked) that looked like it was going to smack right into it.

I guess the heat must have been messing with my head. I don't know what I was thinking!

Looks like a good reason to go Helos, they don't have rotary wing UAVs yet do they?

http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/firescout/

I did a paper on it like three years ago!

I saw one turning towards what looked to be a landing/approach on 13L/R. I was really confused as to what it was at first given the profile didn't match the usual suspects. Any idea what it/they are doing here?

Hey, Just got back from the old I4701...we had to hold short at 13L for about 15 minutes for that guy. My IP said they were doing photo recon of the damage from the latest Hurricane...BTW, those fuckers taxi REALLY slow. They landed short enough to taxi off at 4/22, but instead went all the way down to Alpha and the Compass rose...he also had a jet flying with him (Omaha 10) some sort of 2 engine commuter jet looking thing...

edit: when they taxied by the CDO called out from Base and told us if we did bad on review stage that is what we will be flying...smartass...I told the IP we would more likely have to swim across to Ingleside if we couldn't figure this shit out and drive a boat

Get used to seeing them! They have a predator base at Ellington Field in Houston now...

So I think the only question left is who will gonna get the first NACWS/rudder shaker guns kill on one of these guys?

Can an unmanned plane declare an emergency?

It's been done (a la Las Cruces det).... the UAV, the damn Gyrocopter and that random ass hot air balloon that was parked over IP East... :icon_rage

They have been at p-cola for a while. They used to fly at Choctaw quite often and when I was in for my flight physical I sat next to a you enlisted Marine pilot. They do flight physicals too and apparently have a NATOPS too. It was pretty interesting to hear him talk about it.

Wait, so let's clarify this: An enlisted job in the Marine Corps (UAV pilot) is an Officer's job in the Air Force?

Noted.

Aren't those different UAVs?

I know an enlisted Marine (Cpl) that just got back from Iraq. He flew a UAV and was attached to 7th Marines. It was a baby UAV though. Dragon Eye.

First post.. but I think this may be the UAV you were mentioning.

http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/newsroom/news_releases/09022008_2.xml

USAF UAV's, a couple million. USMC UAV's, a couple thousand. Very big difference.

Let's hope CBP doesn't keep crashing them, MQ-9 Predator B/Reaper's are expensive.

Who do I pay to plant a charge of C4 on this thing and send it to where it belongs?

We had a UAV squadron here at Cherry Point screwing up flight ops for about a month before they deployed to Iraq. For some reason they didn't realize that they needed to monitor their radios at all times, especially when they were in the pattern and you had 5 other harriers trying to bounce. In Iraq they are pretty nice to have overhead, but I certainly never want to trade in my wings for a set of whatever wings they rate.

The only type the AF hands out...lead ones

Along the same lines, for many years the navigators in Marine C-130s were enlisted and went to the same schools with Air Force C-130 NFOs.

Marine Aerial Navigators are still enlisted on the KC-130's that have them (J's don't), though the school shut down in 2004.

They used many of the same facilities and the same planes but had their own schoolhouse and course of instruction, we hardly ever saw them and did not train with them.

It was always something to pick on the USAF guys about though.