Drones near airforce base and prison

[Flynz]

Drone pilots are causing problems in our part of the world too.

Whenuapai Air Force base warns locals after drone incidents close airspace

 

[packnrat]

Sounds like the government needs to rethink this exclusion zone garbage.

Sure there are places drones should just not be, but come on just a blanket ban, everywhere in a 5 mile circle. I bet most of said circle is not even used by maned aircraft.
Like a five mile circle around a helipad for a hospital, that is not even used once a month. ( I see the less the better~ as people have not gotten hurt bad) I can see a one mile circle of total ban. But five miles?
Or a 5 mile keep out zone around a seasonally ( used only 3 months a year) used ag field.

 

[DanMc]

...and if you live within that zone, that means that you can't take your little bird and send it up 30 feet in your back yard? If you collide with an aircraft at that altitude, then it's probably microseconds before that aircraft collides with your house!

 

[ac0j]

There is no reason for an aircraft to be below 500' until they are within a mile or two of an airport or airstrip. Unless they are crashing, but it that case a drone hit is the least of their worries.
Helipads allow for vertical takeoff and landings, so that zone should be (basically) directly over the helipad only. As they could require Helicopters to stay above 500' until they are over the pad, and stay above the pad until they reach 500'
BUT pilots all seem to be pretty whiney and possessive of the airspace that we all have equal rights too.

 

[packnrat]

I have no problem with giving space or “ right of way” to any maned or emg aircraft.
Just a five mile circle is a bit way too much. Seeing as how 90% of it will never be used by any maned aircraft.
A true glid path no problem.
But if you are a mile to the right of the runway...
Sure keep away from any military base, not just the airfields.
A prison only needs a mile air space. As they do not have air patrols. Or need of it at all.
Hospitals for the emg helos. But in truth how often is it used close to where you live?

Reasonable rules, not exclusions are needed here.

 

[FoxhallGH]

Whenuapai is an RNZAF (AirForce) base ... It's pretty amazing that drone flights are allowed to take place around it at all!
Can you imagine any Air Force in the world saying "Well we had to wait to launch the Intercept squadron due to recreational Drone activity around the Airbase - but that's OK".
By their nature, Airbases can't guarantee that flight schedules can be either published or maintained ... They have every right to be whiny & possessive of their airspace, just like the RAF and USAF would be ...

 

[Mr. Salty]

Like a five mile circle around a helipad for a hospital, that is not even used once a month.

In the U.S. there are not 5-mile NFZs around helipads.

A prison only needs a mile air space. As they do not have air patrols. Or need of it at all.

The concern with prisons isn't other aircraft, it's that drones are being used to drop contraband into the prisons.

 

[ac0j]

Whenuapai is an RNZAF (AirForce) base ... It's pretty amazing that drone flights are allowed to take place around it at all!
Can you imagine any Air Force in the world saying "Well we had to wait to launch the Intercept squadron due to recreational Drone activity around the Airbase - but that's OK".
By their nature, Airbases can't guarantee that flight schedules can be either published or maintained ... They have every right to be whiny & possessive of their airspace, just like the RAF and USAF would be ...

I agree, WITHIN a couple miles of the airbase, but what about evrywhere more than 5 miles away from airports and bases? That is what I am referring too.

 

[Flynz]

The zone is 4 kilometres or 2.5 miles in NZ.

And yes even helicopters have to stay above our 400' ceiling unless on final approach. Thing is they can approach from any direction.

In reality towers and helipad operators do give permission to fly a drone if there is no traffic in your area. However legally you have to be licensed which for us is Part 102. Only professional$ are...

You can fly sheltered which means as high as the closest tree or structure.

All of the CBD for our biggest city, Auckland, is off limits as there are three helipads. One has a lot of commercial operators and the Police choppers, another air ambulance and the other is not used. But there are some high points with parks and big trees so all is not totally lost.

 

[Flynz]

I agree, WITHIN a couple miles of the airbase, but what about evrywhere more than 5 miles away from airports and bases? That is what I am referring too.

In New Zealand it is 4km or 2.5 miles.

 

[Flynz]

There is no reason for an aircraft to be below 500' until they are within a mile or two of an airport or airstrip. Unless they are crashing, but it that case a drone hit is the least of their worries.
Helipads allow for vertical takeoff and landings, so that zone should be (basically) directly over the helipad only. As they could require Helicopters to stay above 500' until they are over the pad, and stay above the pad until they reach 500'
BUT pilots all seem to be pretty whiney and possessive of the airspace that we all have equal rights too.

Helicopters only climb a short distance vertically as it is not their most secure way of operating. You will see that they quickly nose down and start moving forward. When they hit a critical speed (16-24 knots) their rotor creates lift like an aircraft wing. This is called effective transitional lift or ETL. So they tend to both climb out and approach a landing with forward movement as it is safer and provides more options in the event of a failure.

 

[packnrat]

In my town it is the county seat. So all gov things here, including the chp, cal fire, etc.
But as far as I know only the hospital has a heliport. And I can say even though the hospital is the other end of town. I can not remember the last time they got in a life flight. As most would just go down to the valley to the major hospitals.
But yes I do believe stay clear of this place.
Just a full five miles? That is too much open space, in a big city yes you would see a lot more traffic emg air lifts. But even then the wind says how they approach the place.

 

[Taylor1430]

One area that I never see mentioned is fly aways. Regularly there are threads of “My drone just flew off” or the pilot saying they didn’t otherwise have control of it. Now do that near an airport and a big buffer makes sense. It’s the seasoned pilots that usually complain about the NFZ’s but my belief it’s to keep the idiots from doing idiotic things.

 

[dannybgoode]

Whenuapai is an RNZAF (AirForce) base ... It's pretty amazing that drone flights are allowed to take place around it at all!
Can you imagine any Air Force in the world saying "Well we had to wait to launch the Intercept squadron due to recreational Drone activity around the Airbase - but that's OK".
By their nature, Airbases can't guarantee that flight schedules can be either published or maintained ... They have every right to be whiny & possessive of their airspace, just like the RAF and USAF would be ...

My boss’s nephew is a Red Arrow. I am so waiting for my invite to fly and film at Scampton during training

 

[packnrat]

One area that I never see mentioned is fly aways. Regularly there are threads of “My drone just flew off” or the pilot saying they didn’t otherwise have control of it. Now do that near an airport and a big buffer makes sense. It’s the seasoned pilots that usually complain about the NFZ’s but my belief it’s to keep the idiots from doing idiotic things.

Not to worry. As they will just make a better idiot.

No problem with a “buffer” but in some cases it can be smaller or just not a circle.
Different airports do/should require different rules. Busy ones get the bigger buffers. The ones close to where I live maybe only one mile at most. ( look up calaveras county, ca airport).

But then every inch of ground around them for more than one mile ( maybe more than five miles) is privet and fenced.

 

[Taylor1430]

Around me, we have a small but rather busy airport....then a bunch of random “airports” that don’t exist anymore. One is a for a water plane. I’m 45 now and a plane hasn’t been there since I was in elementary school....but still shows as restricted.

 

[packnrat]

Around me, we have a small but rather busy airport....then a bunch of random “airports” that don’t exist anymore. One is a for a water plane. I’m 45 now and a plane hasn’t been there since I was in elementary school....but still shows as restricted.

Lots of little “airports” that just do not truly exist any longer, cause gramps died. Or the farmer planted housing not grain.

 

[TR Ganey]

How are "crop dusters" handled? The fly only feet from the ground.

 

[packnrat]

“Handled”
As in what?

I just know to fly them you have to have a death wish. seen many of them ( fixed and rotary wing) they do this day and night in Norther ca.The pilot, and one ground crew with a flag in the day light, bright light at night.

 

[TR Ganey]

“Handled”
As in what?

I just know to fly them you have to have a death wish. seen many of them ( fixed and rotary wing) they do this day and night in Norther ca.The pilot, and one ground crew with a flag in the day light, bright light at night.

As in, they fly in the same airspace as drones so how does the FAA handle it? Do they issue a temporary NFZ for all the fields that the crop duster is planning of working that day or is it every man for himself? Just wondering how that was handled.