A drone pilot in New Jersey lost power after approaching a mysterious drone flying above his state.
Michael B, the CEO of Terror Talk Productions, said his drone “spun out, lost power and the battery died” when he tried to approach a mystery drone flying in a restricted zone in New Jersey last week. This week, he experienced something similar again.
Michael B’s drones did not lose power because of the other mystery drones, but because they were flying in a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restricted zone.
Speaking with Alex Witt on MSNBC Reports about the phenomenon, Michael B explained that, while his drones lose power upon entering the zones, the mystery drones in New Jersey appear to retain their ability to fly in those areas.
Drones over the tri-state area have caused concern among citizens over the past month, resulting in over 5,000 complaints to the FBI.
The FBI has said that 100 of these warrant further investigation. A Department of Homeland Security official has said: “We’re confident that many of the reported drone sightings are, in fact, manned aircraft being misidentified as drones.”
Michael B told Alex Witt he believes the issue is more serious than just misidentified aircraft and revealed footage taken by his spotter drones in Hillsborough, New Jersey, of a big red dot flying in the sky near his Jersey residence.
Witt asked Michael B, “What do you think that is? What do you think people are seeing in the sky? And why only at night?”
To which, Michael B responded: “At this point, I think that someone knows what they are.”
He said his mission is to make sure he is watching those drones to figure it out, because at this point “what they could be—I have no idea.”
He also told Witt he had tried to review the drone activity in east Hanover, New Jersey, right by Morristown Airport.
According to Michael B, he tried to get flight clearance from the FAA to fly his drones near the airport, but he could not as it is a restricted zone.
The technology that allows him to fly his drones physically does not work in restricted areas, so following a restriction does not just mean following the rules. It means having the technology to bypass the technological stop on flying drones, which made him more concerned and confused about the mystery drones, as they were somehow capable of flying in a restricted zone when he was not.
Michael B added that, while usually he can detect what other objects in the sky are by using radar, “none of the things that we go after are on flight radar.”
He also told Witt he was unsure that increasing FAA restrictions would have an effect on these drones. Given that they are not held back by the current regulations, he doubts they will follow any future ones either.
Michael B said he believes the FBI needs to investigate drones flying over military bases. However, he said he does not know whether those drones have been cleared by the military to be there, adding that he does not have information on them as they are not registered as aircraft on his radar system.
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