Message posted by Georgeums on August 19, 2012 at 20:10:57 PST:
Sorry for this being OT, but I have a question for those of you who are more familiar with Predator drone operations: I live in Southeastern Michigan, and grew up seven miles north of Metro Airport, so I can identify aircraft relatively easily based on sound and/or sight. I currently live a little further out from Detroit's immediate vicinity, at a point where many military aircraft (fixed-wing and rotor) begin to use I-96 as a means of reference for transiting from Southeastern MI to the central or western sides of the state, and it's not out of the ordinary to see a Chinook or the occasional F-16 heading to or from Selfridge ANG. Over the past month, however, I have begun to see smaller aircraft following I-96 or traveling west to east utilizing only one navigation/collision light--either a steady or unblinking red light under the fuselage. I've seen formations of them on occasion but generally see single aircraft in transit. When they're close enough to hear engine noise, I hear a turboprop engine, so I'm *assuming* that these are Predator drones being used by the Air Force, Michigan Air National Guard or, most probably, our Department of Homeland Security office as we happen to have the busiest land border in terms of international trade in North America between Detroit and Windsor... But I continue to see aircraft utilizing single red navigational/collision lights following I-96 about every ten days or so, and I'm wondering if anyone who lives closer to a facility that employs Predators can confirm that I'm seeing drones.
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