Close Call with Helicopter

[freeskier989]

It was a hazy day, Cinelike -1 -1 -1 used, post correction done in FCPX

 

[Ziggy01]

It was a hazy day, Cinelike -1 -1 -1 used, post correction done in FCPX

Yep.

Negative sharpness is not a great idea IMHO. Made worse by less than optimal conditions.

Glad nobody and no drones were hurt in this video.

 

[Grey Wolf]

Manual everything. 2.7k. Style:Cine/none. Plus 1 sharpness. 0 or minus 1 contrast/saturation.
The internal Mavic N.R is a clarity killer.

I always shoot in 4K for maximum quality. None of this 2.7K stuff, it's not a real standard anyway.
I have recently begun to also set my sharpness to Plus 1 as well and keeping colour and saturation in the minuses.

 

[KiterTodd]

@freeskier989 thanks for sharing the story and video.

It's a shame these threads always degrade into angry debates, I'm sure it keeps others from sharing their footage. Obviously, warnings should be made regarding flight restrictions and it sounds like the OP was being careful, considering.

 

[jeplane]

Wasn't this flight within a 5NM of SNA airport?

Was a waiver obtained from ATC class C airspace, which covers the area where the video was filmed?

 

[erkme73]

Wow is this thread a drone police orgy or what? I'm finding myself becoming less and less interested in visiting this forum because of all the 'debbie downers'... What a shame.

 

[jeplane]

Not drone police per say, but certainly education so that we can share the sky in a friendly manner for all aircrafts.

 

[Andrew F]

Yeah there were about a half dozen drone operators out there... many who didnt have prime visual location and prob didnt even know there was that heli around. I was flying for the race organization to capture footage, all others just recreational flyers. I did wonder if the pilot even had a thought that big event would mean many drones flying around and thus, be a potential problem for him/her.

With all due respect, something is seriously wrong if you don't notice a helicopter flying around. I'm skeptical about this comment.

 

[tangoseal]

Everyone here is an attorney with a JD
in aviation law.

Glad you didnt lose your drone. That helo would have absolutely destroyed it and the pilot would probably be mad he would have to get his little bottle of touch up paint out when he landed to fix the scuff in his paint job. Besides being sucked into a turbine people act like these things are flying 30KT warheads launched off a naval destroyer.

 

[rydfree]

Everyone here is an attorney with a JD
in aviation law.

Glad you didnt lose your drone. That helo would have absolutely destroyed it and the pilot would probably be mad he would have to get his little bottle of touch up paint out when he landed to fix the scuff in his paint job. Besides being sucked into a turbine people act like these things are flying 30KT warheads launched off a naval destroyer.

Don't underestimate what a solid object the size of the Mavic would do if it were to get caught up in the tail rotor or main rotor linkages . To play it down is simply irresponsible .

 

[RC5728]

Everyone here is an attorney with a JD
in aviation law.

Glad you didnt lose your drone. That helo would have absolutely destroyed it and the pilot would probably be mad he would have to get his little bottle of touch up paint out when he landed to fix the scuff in his paint job. Besides being sucked into a turbine people act like these things are flying 30KT warheads launched off a naval destroyer.

Agreed.

Lots of completely idiotic comments in this thread.

On a drone enthusiast forum it's shocking to see so much ignorance.

 

[Strafe1]

Don't underestimate what a solid object the size of the Mavic would do if it were to get caught up in the tail rotor or main rotor linkages . To play it down is simply irresponsible .

You must mean "understatement", not "irresponsible". Of which neither would be accurate anyway.

 

[kona]

Your comment wins the internet for today.

Everyone here is an attorney with a JD
in aviation law.

Glad you didnt lose your drone. That helo would have absolutely destroyed it and the pilot would probably be mad he would have to get his little bottle of touch up paint out when he landed to fix the scuff in his paint job. Besides being sucked into a turbine people act like these things are flying 30KT warheads launched off a naval destroyer.

 

[geigy]

I think it's accurate. If the Mavic got sucked into the tail rotor it could cause the blade to fracture, with a loss of control.

There is a lesson to be learned from this dangerous situation, and I think the OP acknowledged that. We need to learn from it, and not pretend it's OK to fly when a helicopter is nearby. It's not.

 

[RC5728]

Get sucked into the tail rotor? Seriously?

What a bogus, made up scenario.

If that was true, what would prevent one of the countless birds flying around in the air from doing the same thing any day of the week?

 

[moonlitnite]

'Tis a shame some feel the need to judge harshly in a forum most hoped would be a supportive collegial guild. Quoting Part 107, FAR, ACs, etc is all fair game - aggressive judgments and penetrating question, not so much.

As an aside, I look forward to the day the FAA realizes that sUAV PICs have EARS and (unlike airborne pilots) can detect approaching aircraft, including taking countermeasures. Hopefully soon P107 testing will someday include appropriate questions addressing the sUAVs ability and duty to listen for and evade oncoming fixed wing and rotary aircraft.

 

[vinhidalgo]

Was out shooting last Friday and i notice when going through the footage there was a helicopter shadow pass right over me... as it was a yacht race, there was a heli with pontoons that was flying as close as 10 feet to the water, and even landed in the ocean. Not sure if this low flying is completely legal, but i had to constantly keep an eye out for this thing. You can see the fly over shadow and the heli itself in the following shot in the video:

Amazing production!!

 

[Stuart Wood]

Amazing production!!

Agree! Big difference btw education and criticism.

 

[burnheart]

To all the anti drone police comments and people downplaying the risks here, get used to a community that wants its users to obey set laws so they don't get harsher for all of us. Neither side has to be mean about it, but when you post a video of yourself clearly breaking said laws, expect pushback.

So - I'm not here to police, but you have to know that if there is a heli in the area, which you would be able to hear, you get out of the way. And it's in 2 of your shots so you should have heard/seen it.

Yes you need a commercial license if the story is correct
Yes you are flying over people how are not involved in the filming, and are also quite low.
Yes, I believe you are within 5 miles of John Wayne airport, which you would have to receive a waiver from FAA to fly commercially there.

Production - I think you could improve your shots by only showing smooth camera movement and not the movement and stops. Good mix of shots and perspectives though. Maybe bump the saturation in post a bit to make it pop

There, gave constructive criticism, and pointed out the legality of the flight. This needs to happen so new pilots on the forum don't see this and think they are going to go do the same. We need to educate ourselves because they legal info can sometimes be difficult to understand. Just play nice because I see both sides get power hungry with comments. Thanks

 

[moonlitnite]

To all the anti drone police comments and people downplaying the risks here, get used to a community that wants its users to obey set laws so they don't get harsher for all of us. Neither side has to be mean about it, but when you post a video of yourself clearly breaking said laws, expect pushback.
<clip>
Production - I think you could improve your shots by only showing smooth camera movement and not the movement and stops. Good mix of shots and perspectives though. Maybe bump the saturation in post a bit to make it pop

There, gave constructive criticism, and pointed out the legality of the flight. This needs to happen so new pilots on the forum don't see this and think they are going to go do the same. We need to educate ourselves because they legal info can sometimes be difficult to understand. Just play nice because I see both sides get power hungry with comments. Thanks

Many thanks for your thoughtful, well balanced remarks - very helpful for our community