Saw an MQ9 Reaper drone today… anyone else seen one?h

Not sure if this fits here, but I saw a National Guard drone landing at Ellington Field, south of Houston, this morning. There’s been an MQ9 Reaper based there since 2017, but this is the first time I’ve seen it fly. Pretty cool experience!

Well, it is a drone… but something tells me it doesn’t exactly follow VLOS rules.

mikey.47 said:
Well, it is a drone… but something tells me it doesn’t exactly follow VLOS rules.

Yeah, I don’t think the operator is anywhere near Ellington Field. I searched online and didn’t find much info. Maybe there’s a mechanic on-site, but the operator is probably somewhere else.

@Avery
Could be based out of Creech AFB near Vegas. That’s where most of them are operated.

mikey.47 said:
Well, it is a drone… but something tells me it doesn’t exactly follow VLOS rules.

Imagine trying to take that thing down… probably not a good idea!

mikey.47 said:
Well, it is a drone… but something tells me it doesn’t exactly follow VLOS rules.

Reminds me of this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZm_yGnRIi4

mikey.47 said:
Well, it is a drone… but something tells me it doesn’t exactly follow VLOS rules.

Rules for us, not for them.

Does the pilot have their Part 107? Flying over people? Better report them to the FAA!

Benn said:
Does the pilot have their Part 107? Flying over people? Better report them to the FAA!

FAA or Future Farmers of America? What are they gonna do?

Noor said:

Benn said:
Does the pilot have their Part 107? Flying over people? Better report them to the FAA!

FAA or Future Farmers of America? What are they gonna do?

Fine them 100 cows, obviously.

You don’t realize how big these drones are until you see one in person. I was driving through the Nevada desert when one flew right over me, probably heading to a nearby military base. It was huge, and I’ll never forget it.

@Winslow
The scale is definitely surprising when you see one up close. Here’s an article from 2017 when they started flying these drones from Ellington. It has a picture of the drone in its crate—massive! Reaper Drone

@Avery
Have you noticed other unidentified drones lately? Seems like these sightings are becoming more common.

Sable said:
@Avery
Have you noticed other unidentified drones lately? Seems like these sightings are becoming more common.

This is the first one I’ve seen that I could identify for sure. I live near a lot of airports and airstrips, so I probably see drones all the time but assume they’re small planes. Don’t even get me started on helicopters—they’re everywhere.

@Avery
I’ve been watching videos about this recently. Something is definitely going on, and it’s always near military bases. Check this out: https://youtu.be/-yxDXqU9OQQ?si=1A4VWGr7Vu-DPl8h

Sable said:
@Avery
I’ve been watching videos about this recently. Something is definitely going on, and it’s always near military bases. Check this out: https://youtu.be/-yxDXqU9OQQ?si=1A4VWGr7Vu-DPl8h

Probably some secret government operation. If it’s CIA or military, they’re definitely not telling anyone in Congress.

Sable said:
@Avery
I’ve been watching videos about this recently. Something is definitely going on, and it’s always near military bases. Check this out: https://youtu.be/-yxDXqU9OQQ?si=1A4VWGr7Vu-DPl8h

Yeah, something is definitely happening.

@Winslow
Makes you wonder if most UFOs are just drones we can’t recognize. Maybe they’re a lot closer and smaller than we think.

Landry said:
@Winslow
Makes you wonder if most UFOs are just drones we can’t recognize. Maybe they’re a lot closer and smaller than we think.

@Winslow
It’s so big… so long… I think I need to get laid.