Oklahoma drone experts are speaking on a recent flurry of sightings provoking concern. Theories are swirling around drones mostly spotted in northeastern states.
Worries on social media run the gamut from foreign involvement to conspiracy theories. Project Blue Beam holds that powers aiming to abolish Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are lurking, and some say the drones are heralding such a new world order.
The FBI says it recently received more than 5,000 reports of drone sightings but no public safety threats have so far been identified. Lawmakers have asked the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to deploy special high-tech radar as they investigate the drone sightings that began in mid-November.
Drones are something Tulsa knows a little about. The city received millions of federal dollars for autonomous vehicle projects.
Jamey Jacob of Oklahoma State University has spent decades in aerospace research. He told Public Radio Tulsa a lot of what people are reporting as drones are actually manned aircraft, and that drones are easy to conceal.
“Looking at potentially bad actors, if you’re going to use a drone for nefarious purposes, the first thing you’re going to do is turn off the navigation lights because then it makes the drone almost invisible at night. Very, very difficult to see and very difficult to hear. Most drones are going to be relatively quiet when they get to 400 feet and above,” said Jacob.
Jacob noted that population density and drone use closely track, meaning that residents of an area are probably piloting drones where they live.
Aaron Baker with Osage Nation’s Skyway 36 program says drones are here to stay and strides are being made in Green Country.
“The ecosystems that we have here focuses a lot on the positive capabilities of the aircraft and using them for good: for first responders, for medical deliveries, for finding missing persons, all the way to things like delivery, to one day transporting people,” said Baker.
Drones are required to emit unique signals and officials say better ways for the public to identify operators are coming soon.
Public Radio Tulsa is your Green Country nonprofit news source. Consider a donation if you find our coverage valuable.
