[omegant]

Well fair enough, I was talking about commercial pilots reports in final approach or take off. I guess that VFR flights are going to be less precise, also VFR flights are more probable to flight themselves in to a zone where drones can be flown legally. They are going to be sharing airspace much more than drones and airliners.

I haven't seen a drone yet, I do have like 12 or so laser reports under my belt. They are annoying (mostly kids being "funny") but not that dangerous, it's impossible for a person to track perfectly the cockpit at the speed and distance we are traveling for them, so you only get to see a short red or green flash and the laser beam moving around.

I eventually expect to have some air-miss with drones from dumb plane spotters or a guy that's taking some video from above without realizing that he is in a final approach zone. Not a big worry right now for me, my friends or other pilots I fly with.

But take into account that just a drone strike in an engine can cost more than 1 million dollars in repairs, or up to 5 or 6 of an entire engine depending on the damage. Plus the losses and delays caused by the plane being grounded for some days. Also although much more unprovable, it can lead to a crash or at least a runway excursion while landing, or total hull loss once stopped on the ground and with passengers evacuated, due to an unextinguished engine fire.

[Encosia]

Don't get me wrong. I don't in any way condone people flying drones in restricted airspace. There are so many other (safe) places to fly that it makes no sense to endanger people and/or property by flying in dangerous areas.

I don't even question that these encounters are happening occasionally, because there are always reckless morons out there to ruin things like this for everyone, but I do question the credibility of this recent hysteria around drones.

Speaking of the laser pointers, I got zapped in the eye with a green laser pointer at night once while sitting in the passenger seat. I happened to be leaning over and looking down at the ground right when they were targeting us. The intensity was much greater than I would have expected a few thousand feet up. It wasn't quite blinding, but super disorienting for a few seconds. Hard to believe that anyone would think it's okay to do that.