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An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle, like the one pictured above, could be flying above Adirondack Park this summer.
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's … an MQ-9 Reaper drone?
Vacationers and wildlife-seekers enjoying the serenity of Adirondack Park this summer may see a rare bird indeed: unmanned aerial vehicles prepping for war overseas.
The descendents of the battle-tested Predator are assigned to the Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing, based at Fort Drum in Watertown and Hancock Field in Syracuse.
Flights are now restricted to Fort Drum. If Sen. Chuck Schumer, gets his way, they'll be free to roam over some of the park's nearly 6 million acres.
Schumer and colleagues from around the country are pushing the Federal Aviation Administration to open up airspace - and are vying for millions of defense dollars.
Bills authorizing changes have cleared both houses of Congress.
While civil libertarians balk at the UAVs over perceived privacy threats, its safety that has kept them from more populated areas.
Absent a pilot, a mechanical or communications failure means the craft could end up anywhere.
Park stewards are unfazed by the prospect of the drone flights.
Their acceptance can be summed up in two words: "high and quiet," said Neil Woodworth of the Adirondack Mountain Club.
Historically, jet-powered B-52 bombers, A-10 Warthogs and F-16 Falcons from Hancock and the defunct Plattsburgh and Griffiss Air Force bases have flown over the park.
B-52 flights in the region were so loud the area farmer's cows miscarried, spurring airspace and altitude restrictions.
Reapers, by comparison, are propeller-driven - and carry out missions as high as 52,000 feet.
Historically, pilots of unarmed A-10s and F-16s would train the plane's targeting cameras on buildings and vehicles on the ground for practice.
The Reapers will do the same, and all data will be destroyed after missions.
But if the planes caught someone breaking the law, the unit would save the footage and give it to the cops, said spokesman Maj. Jeff Brown.
The Air National Guard has consulted the state's Adirondack Park Agency on which parts of the park to avoid, in particular populated and sensitive wilderness areas, said agency spokesman Keith McKeever.
[email protected]
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011...l#ixzz1Puwa9oJR
An MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle, like the one pictured above, could be flying above Adirondack Park this summer.
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's … an MQ-9 Reaper drone?
Vacationers and wildlife-seekers enjoying the serenity of Adirondack Park this summer may see a rare bird indeed: unmanned aerial vehicles prepping for war overseas.
The descendents of the battle-tested Predator are assigned to the Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing, based at Fort Drum in Watertown and Hancock Field in Syracuse.
Flights are now restricted to Fort Drum. If Sen. Chuck Schumer, gets his way, they'll be free to roam over some of the park's nearly 6 million acres.
Schumer and colleagues from around the country are pushing the Federal Aviation Administration to open up airspace - and are vying for millions of defense dollars.
Bills authorizing changes have cleared both houses of Congress.
While civil libertarians balk at the UAVs over perceived privacy threats, its safety that has kept them from more populated areas.
Absent a pilot, a mechanical or communications failure means the craft could end up anywhere.
Park stewards are unfazed by the prospect of the drone flights.
Their acceptance can be summed up in two words: "high and quiet," said Neil Woodworth of the Adirondack Mountain Club.
Historically, jet-powered B-52 bombers, A-10 Warthogs and F-16 Falcons from Hancock and the defunct Plattsburgh and Griffiss Air Force bases have flown over the park.
B-52 flights in the region were so loud the area farmer's cows miscarried, spurring airspace and altitude restrictions.
Reapers, by comparison, are propeller-driven - and carry out missions as high as 52,000 feet.
Historically, pilots of unarmed A-10s and F-16s would train the plane's targeting cameras on buildings and vehicles on the ground for practice.
The Reapers will do the same, and all data will be destroyed after missions.
But if the planes caught someone breaking the law, the unit would save the footage and give it to the cops, said spokesman Maj. Jeff Brown.
The Air National Guard has consulted the state's Adirondack Park Agency on which parts of the park to avoid, in particular populated and sensitive wilderness areas, said agency spokesman Keith McKeever.
[email protected]
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2011...l#ixzz1Puwa9oJR
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