Is that a drone or a plane? Experts help explain the differences

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Is that a drone or a plane? Experts help explain the differences

2024-12-17 07:26 Last Updated At：07:41

Up in the sky, is that a drone, a plane or a helicopter?

Experts who study unmanned aircraft systems — better known as drones — say it can be tough to tell from miles away. But there are clues.

A light in the sky at night can easily be misinterpreted, according to John Slaughter, director of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research and Operations Center at the University of Maryland.

“You can’t just walk outside and say, ‘Oh, that’s not a drone,’ or ‘That is one.’ All you can really factually say is ‘I saw a light in the sky,’" Slaughter said.

Dozens of mysterious nighttime flights first spotted in New Jersey last month and now being seen across the U.S. have raised concerns among residents and officials. Part of the worry stems from the flying objects initially being spotted near the Picatinny Arsenal, a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility, and over President-elect Donald Trump’s golf course in Bedminster.

Planes and helicopters all have a flashing lights and typically at least one red anti-collision light, often two. They also sport navigation lights, which are steady, red and green colored lights like the ones found on boats. Many will also have flashing white strobe lights at their wingtips. And they have bright landing lights.

Drones flying at night are only required to have one bright, anti-collision light that's visible 3 miles (5 kilometers) away. But drone owners can add other lights, so some have more than one. Drones are smaller, so when they have multiple lights they are close together, but at night it's often not possible to figure out precisely how far away they are.

"A light is just a bright point,” Slaughter said. “And it might be 100 yards (90 meters) away, it could be literally 40 miles (65 kilometers) away and it looks the same.”

Drones tend to be quieter and make a more high-pitched buzzing noise than what's generated by the jet engines or propellers that drive planes and helicopters. But bigger drones can be louder, and the sound may be difficult to discern from a distance.

Drones heavier than about a half-pound (0.2 kilograms) may have an identifying number displayed on the outside.

“You certainly wouldn’t see it at night, and you’d have to be up close to see it, you know, in the daytime,” said Paul R. Snyder, director of the Unmanned Aircraft System program in the University of North Dakota's Aerospace Sciences School.

Planes and even helicopters tend to move smoothly in the air, but multi-copter drones can stop on a dime, pivot 90 degrees and reverse course, Slaughter said.

“That kind of motion can give you a clue that you’re looking at a drone, not an aircraft," he said.

And the vast majority of drones will be operating below 400 feet (122 meters), following federal regulations.

Things to know about the shooting at a Christian school in Wisconsin

2024-12-17 07:37 Last Updated At：07:41

Two people were killed and others were injured Monday in a shooting at a private Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin. The shooting happened days before the Christmas break. Police said the student who opened fire was also dead.

Here are some things to know about the shooting in Wisconsin's capital city:

The shooting occurred late Monday morning at Abundant Life Christian School. Police said a teenage student opened fire, killing another student and a teacher. The shooter also was dead, likely by suicide, Police Chief Shon Barnes said. Responding police officers did not fire their weapons, Barnes said.

The shooter was a 17-year-old female student, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation and spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity.

Investigators believe the shooter used a 9mm pistol, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

The school website shows that Friday was to be the last scheduled day of classes before the holiday break.

President Joe Biden, in a statement, called the shooting “shocking and unconscionable,” and urged Congress to act immediately.

“From Newtown to Uvalde, Parkland to Madison, to so many other shootings that don’t receive attention -- it is unacceptable that we are unable to protect our children from this scourge of gun violence,” Biden said. “We cannot continue to accept it as normal. Every child deserves to feel safe in their class room. Students across our country should be learning how to read and write -– not having to learn how to duck and cover.”

Nine public schools in Madison were locked down for a few hours after the shooting as a precaution.

Abundant Life Christian School is nondenominational and has about 390 students from kindergarten through high school, according to its website.

"Prayers Requested! Today, we had an active shooter incident at ALCS. We are in the midst of following up. We will share information as we are able," the school posted on its Facebook page. “Please pray for our Challenger Family.”

The school's website said it was founded in 1978 “to offer students academic excellence in a Christ-focused context.” The website said the school is accredited through the Association of Christian Schools International.

The shooting comes less than two weeks after a gunman critically wounded two kindergartners at a tiny religious school in Northern California and then killed himself. Butte County Sheriff Kory L. Honea said Glenn Litton was mentally ill and believed that by targeting children on Dec. 4 that he was carrying out “counter-measures” in response to America’s involvement in Middle East violence.

Litton, 56, gained entry to the Feather River School of Seventh-Day Adventists in Oroville,, California, by pretending he wanted to enroll a fictitious grandson, Honea said. He used a handgun to shoot and critically wound two kindergarten boys, ages 5 and 6. Authorities said Litton was found dead afterward just yards (meters) from the school's playground.

It was unclear why Feather River School was targeted.

The website for the anti-violence organization Everytown for Gun Safety shows that there have been at least 202 incidents of gunfire on school grounds, resulting in 56 deaths and 147 injuries, in 2024. That data doesn't include the latest shooting in Madison.

The deadliest school shooting in 2024 happened in September at Apalachee High School in Georgia. Authorities said 14-year-old student Colt Gray opened fire with a semiautomatic assault-style rifle. Four people were killed and nine more were hurt, seven of them shot. A grand jury subsequently indicted Gray and his father Colin Gray — who was accused of giving his son access to the gun — on murder and other charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.

Last year, 45 people died in 158 school shootings, the Everytown for Gun Safety website shows. Sixty-seven people died in 181 school shootings in 2022, according to the data.

School shootings in recent years, including deadly ones in Newtown, Connecticut, Parkland, Florida, and Uvalde, Texas, have set off fervent debates about gun control and frayed the nerves of parents whose children are growing up accustomed to doing active shooter drills in their classrooms. But school shootings have done little to move the needle on national gun laws.

Firearms were the leading cause of death among children in 2020 and 2021, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues.