12/13/2024
Lots of questions asked of me about these . My best take at this point (insert shameless plug for www.mid-atlanticdroneservices.com):
What I think is happening here is we have some large commercial drones, possibly governmental or quasi-governmental. The sightings went viral, and now are being seen everywhere due to a combination of confusion with manned aircraft, smaller drones, etc. This creates the conditions for confirmation bias—- where every aircraft seen at night could be one of these drones. There is sort of a “mass psychosis” effect happening right now, at least in my judgment.  We may have some legitimate UAP sightings, unexplained drone sightings, manned civil aircraft, military aircraft, commercial drone operators, recreational drone operators, weather/natural phenomena all working in concert to create the GREAT DRONE PANIC OF 2024.
Let me be clear that I don’t *know* this is the case. But if you look at the footage and what authorities are saying about the drone’s behavior, the above is the simplest explanation.
SPECIFICALLY: The drones are extremely well lit, with strobe lighting and directional lighting indicators. Some appear to be fixed wing aircraft. As for size, I doubt that they are as big as an SUV in most cases. The night sky and lighting tend to exaggerate the size of drones. I’ve had people see me fly a drone at night and say there was a “big old drone in the sky.” The biggest drone I have weighs 2 pounds and has an arm span of no more than 12 inches.  I realize these are bigger. But they are likely under 55 pounds total …or at least under 110 pounds. I find it hard to believe that someone would go through all the trouble of having the appropriate nighttime lighting (which must be visible from three statute miles) just to completely defy regulations and licensing based on weight. Finally, I don’t believe there are any reports of the drones, actually violating restricted airspace. We instead get vague reports about hovering over people’s houses, or “flying “near sensitive installations” or “possibly over Trump’s property.” Every civil authority thus far has said they are not violating airspace restrictions. All authorities have said they are not foreign. Not that I trust much the government says, but we’re talking everyone from members of Congress to the FBI to the FAA to the military. That would have to be one heck of a conspiracy. 
PS: Speaking of conspiracies, one thing I’ve considered is there is a lot of pressure being put on DJI and Chinese drone makers. Most of this is pure politics, but it occurs to me much of this could be a false flag in order to build public support to ban DJI and “Chinese drones” (DJI is the biggest drone manufacturer in the world). Suffice it to say, this would have a devastating impact on the drone industry and our clients. The FAA and other regulators are already extremely behind in terms of allowing the industry to expand and reach its potential safely. It’s easier for a manned aircraft pilot to get permission to fly through a temporary flight restriction than it is for me, a commercial drone pilot, to inspect a roof in one. You can’t even fly a model airplane in restricted airspace. They already are hampering the industry with their visual line of sight rules, slow approvals and complexity. Banning the biggest manufacturer will just set us back further. And by us, I mean American technology as compared to the Chinese and other adversaries. 
PSS: I am extremely concerned about commercial operators and the safety of the public as this thing goes viral. Somewhere, someone is likely to take a shot at one of these drones soon. I’ve already had people recording me with their phones this week. I always walk up and talk to them—and they are reasonable. But the safety of the pilots is also a major concern. If you’re a recreational pilot, please be careful. And just to be clear, firing a weapon at a drone (even over your own property) is a federal crime. 
Stay safe out there!
Scott D. Walter
Mid-Atlantic Drone Services LLC

Mid-Atlantic Drone Services LLC Professional Aerial Photo and Video Inspections Using the latest 4K and Thermal Infrared (FLIR) drone technology, we conduct detailed inspections of roofs, infrastructure, utility lines, solar, construction progress monitoring and more. Search, Rescue and Security Usi...
