Spotted an MQ9 Reaper today… is it common to see these drones around?

Not sure if this belongs here or not. Mods, please remove if this isn’t the right place. I saw a National Guard drone landing at Ellington Field, south of Houston, this morning. There’s been an MQ9 Reaper stationed out of Ellington since 2017, but this was the first time I’ve seen it in flight.

It’s a drone, right? Something tells me this one doesn’t follow the VLOS rule though.

LuisGil said:
It’s a drone, right? Something tells me this one doesn’t follow the VLOS rule though.

Yeah, I doubt the operator is anywhere near Ellington Field. I looked it up and found out there’s a mechanic based locally, but I couldn’t find anything about the operator.

West said:
@Paris
[deleted]

Most likely coming from Creech AFB in Nevada.

LuisGil said:
It’s a drone, right? Something tells me this one doesn’t follow the VLOS rule though.

I bet someone would be upset if you tried to bring it down.

LuisGil said:
It’s a drone, right? Something tells me this one doesn’t follow the VLOS rule though.

Check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rZm_yGnRIi4

LuisGil said:
It’s a drone, right? Something tells me this one doesn’t follow the VLOS rule though.

Rules are only for some people, it seems.

Does the pilot have his part 107? He’s definitely flying over people, someone should report him to the FFA!

Tallis said:
Does the pilot have his part 107? He’s definitely flying over people, someone should report him to the FFA!

The Future Farmers of America? What are they going to do about it?

@Joss
Maybe fine him 100 cows.

I never thought about how big these drones are. I was driving through the Nevada desert when I saw one flying low, probably landing at a military base nearby. It was an interesting experience.

Keir said:
I never thought about how big these drones are. I was driving through the Nevada desert when I saw one flying low, probably landing at a military base nearby. It was an interesting experience.

Yeah, you don’t get the full sense of how big they are unless you see them up close. The silhouette stands out though. I found an article from 2017 when these drones first started flying out of Ellington. It has a picture of one in its crate—it’s huge: Reaper Drone

@Paris
Have you been seeing other drones you can’t identify? It seems to be happening more often.

Uma said:
@Paris
Have you been seeing other drones you can’t identify? It seems to be happening more often.

This is the first one I’ve seen that I know of. I live pretty close to several airports, so I’m sure there have been other drones that I just assumed were small planes. Don’t get me started on helicopters—they’re everywhere.

@Paris

Been watching this for a week or so, something seems off, always around military bases.

Uma said:
@Paris
https://youtu.be/-yxDXqU9OQQ?si=1A4VWGr7Vu-DPl8h

Been watching this for a week or so, something seems off, always around military bases.

It’s probably a secret government operation (CIA or military). They won’t tell elected officials to keep it under wraps.

Uma said:
@Paris
https://youtu.be/-yxDXqU9OQQ?si=1A4VWGr7Vu-DPl8h

Been watching this for a week or so, something seems off, always around military bases.

Yeah, something is definitely going on.

Keir said:
I never thought about how big these drones are. I was driving through the Nevada desert when I saw one flying low, probably landing at a military base nearby. It was an interesting experience.

Makes you think, huh? Maybe most UFOs are just tiny and way closer than we think.

@Neely

Keir said:
I never thought about how big these drones are. I was driving through the Nevada desert when I saw one flying low, probably landing at a military base nearby. It was an interesting experience.

Yeah, it’s big and thick. I think I need to get laid…