Experts say distinguishing drones from other aircraft at night can be difficult due to limited visibility. While planes and helicopters have multiple flashing and steady lights for navigation and collision avoidance, drones are only required to have one bright anti-collision light. This lack of distinguishing features makes it hard to tell their distance and nature from afar.
Experts who study unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones — say it can be tough to tell from miles away. But there are clues.Experts who study unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones — say it can be tough to tell from miles away. But there are clues.
A light in the sky at night can easily be misinterpreted, according to John Slaughter, director of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research and Operations Center at the University of Maryland.“You can’t just walk outside and say, ‘Oh, that’s not a drone,’ or ‘That is one.’ All you can really factually say is ‘I saw a light in the sky,’" Slaughter said.last month and now being seen across the U.S. have raised concerns among residents and officials.
Drones flying at night are only required to have one bright, anti-collision light that's visible 3 miles away. But drone owners can add other lights, so some have more than one. Drones are smaller, so when they have multiple lights they are close together, but at night it's often not possible to figure out precisely how far away they are.
"A light is just a bright point,” Slaughter said. “And it might be 100 yards away, it could be literally 40 miles away and it looks the same.”Drones tend to be quieter and make a more high-pitched buzzing noise than what's generated by the jet engines or propellers that drive planes and helicopters. But bigger drones can be louder, and the sound may be difficult to discern from a distance.
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