Unreal close call with helicopter IN THE NEWS

[SanCap]

I am not using the base of of the buildings in my totally unscientific calculations I still think both aircraft were below 400 feet.

 

[slim.slamma]

Im guessing this person had the drone in LOS.

I normally drop like a rock the moment I hear anything coming. This person judt adjusted his camera. Odd
Thankfully he didn't descend, from a distance it's hard to gauge a building coming up. Maybe he just froze and thought to pan the camera.

I would've crapped me dungarees.

Either this was staged or he was in a building somewheres.

 

[slim.slamma]

A longer clip

 

[Mixchief]

You know, the more I look at this the more I see that there was plenty of time, unless he coincidentally turned the camera towards the oncoming helicopter that he wasn't aware of, for him to see and react to the helicopter. That makes a good point for training, those of us, yes I include myself, that haven't had formal training, should not be flying at such altitudes for any reason. I am not saying we should all be part 107, but that at this point in time I find it necessary that government steps in and requires formal training for anyone that registers a drone capable of such range and height and carries any weight considered potentially damaging to any manned aircraft. I'm always more nervous flying my Inspire than flying my smaller drones just for this reason. Training will make it automatic for us to react correctly to a situation like that, no training brings on freezing. Training allows one to calculate distances and direction better and to react accordingly, sometimes holding ground (air) is best, sometimes moving in another direction is, without training one just has seat of the pants, which as slim,slamma so eloquently states, probably will be soiled by an untrained pilot.

 

[natnatroswell22]

Almost got hit

 

[licensed pilot]

You know, the more I look at this the more I see that there was plenty of time, unless he coincidentally turned the camera towards the oncoming helicopter that he wasn't aware of, for him to see and react to the helicopter. That makes a good point for training, those of us, yes I include myself, that haven't had formal training, should not be flying at such altitudes for any reason. I am not saying we should all be part 107, but that at this point in time I find it necessary that government steps in and requires formal training for anyone that registers a drone capable of such range and height and carries any weight considered potentially damaging to any manned aircraft. I'm always more nervous flying my Inspire than flying my smaller drones just for this reason. Training will make it automatic for us to react correctly to a situation like that, no training brings on freezing. Training allows one to calculate distances and direction better and to react accordingly, sometimes holding ground (air) is best, sometimes moving in another direction is, without training one just has seat of the pants, which as slim,slamma so eloquently states, probably will be soiled by an untrained pilot.

I'm a strong believer in training. However, no amount of training will fix stupid. By the looks of the area there is probably a high volume of helicopter traffic around and should be expected.
You can't fix stupid. (that heli pilot probably needed to change his shorts after this)

 

[licensed pilot]

Yes but who can file a NOTAM in the USA? Part 107 or hobby fliers??

If the "drone" flier is not a licensed 107 operator, they are still allowed to fly in class G (below 400 ft) for "hobby" purposes.....

OK we are on a "Certified operator blog" so everyone here should be able to have a NOTAM filed on their behalf (by the FAA), for the Things that NOTAMS are issued for (check the fine print), flying off the beach, below 400ft and not within 3NM of a controlled aerodrome/airfield may not be a "NOTAMable" activity... fun...

Anyone can file a NOTAM
ENII

While we are on the subject of NOTAMs, their intended purpose is to warn (only those pilots who bother to check) of unusual/unexpected hazards to navigation. For UAS pilots filing NOTAMs for long periods of time only to fly once for an hour are about as useless as tits on a bull. I know one public safety agency that was too lazy to take the time to file a NOTAM before each mission so they had the brilliant idea to file a NOTAM for a radius of 8 nautical miles around the city for a year.

"sometime over the next 12 months we may be flying somewhere in this 16NM diameter circle, so you've been warned. " As a manned aircraft pilot, to me that NOTAM is useless.

A little common sense can go a long way.

 

[Kestrel]

I’m familiar with blufly and several other apps, that’s me, most drone pilots refuse to read their operations manual. Sooner or later it’s going to happen.

I play cowboy sometimes, in the suburbs now. I posted some NYC pics over the East River and I worked on a building in the area. No excuse I still know right from wrong. But I do my homework on the area. Around 5am it’s not much traffic. So I got my shot.

Let me see if I understand, are you saying you feel you have the right to interpret how and to what extent laws apply to you?

 

[Kestrel]

We need more affordable high intensity strobe lights to be available: double sided tape, replacable battery, Easy,,...

The red / green lights that manufacturers put on craft are not only ineffective at distance in daylight, also, not as per aviation regs. (Red Right / Port, Green Left / Starboard..

Me too.

 

[Kestrel]

Of course, it is like when a car hits a pedestrian. the car is automatically "judged" as being at fault (Judge may not agree). Is a manned aircraft collides with an unmanned aircraft, the Unmanned pilot is in the wrong.... Just as if a powered aircraft hits a glider, power is in the wrong. glider with balloon, same story. Priority in the air, manned has priority over unmanned no matter what....

Rhetorical construct.....
Seems another analogy/thought-experiment is the case when someone runs a redlight t-boning a car being driven by a drunk driver. Who gets the ticket? If someone in the first car dies? Who is charged with vehicular manslaughter?

 

[Kestrel]

A longer clip

Almost seems as if he was there specifically to film the fly-by of the helicopter. If he was “local”, he’d know that tour helicopters fly up and down that beach all day. All he had to do was get in position and wait.

 

[slim.slamma]

Almost seems as if he was there specifically to film the fly-by of the helicopter. If he was “local”, he’d know that tour helicopters fly up and down that beach all day. All he had to do was get in position and wait.

That’s what he basically did.

That’s on him and the FAA and he’s about to learn the hard way.

Let me see if I understand, are you saying you feel you have the right to interpret how and to what extent laws apply to you?

Negative

 

[jakejhonson44]

Even the pilot of the helicopters couldn't see the drones whenever it is near to them