Drone vs. Police Helicopter in my own hometown

[CaveDrone]

Officials identify suspect after drone flies close to Columbus police helicopter

Larry

L O C K H I M UP !

 

[Skyewalkr]

eh, that story is kind of hilarious. it lost all sense of credibility for me here:

Harris says the drone essentially played "chicken" with the chopper, flying within about 200 feet of it. Lt. Harris says that was dangerously close, and, because the choppers fly without doors in the summer, the drone could have flown right into the cockpit.
"Every day, when we fly, that’s a question that goes through all of our minds as pilot-in-command — what if somebody’s flying a drone? What if they don’t know how to fly a drone or lose control of the drone? How do we respond?" Lt. Harris said.

every day they're worried about drones? every day? exactly how many ppl there own drones? what percentage are willing to break the law? now idk about this particular situation, but drones are supposed to be 400ft AGL. so unless they're flying at that height, drones should never be a concern. also, the whole "doors open, one might fly in" stuff. they're not worried about birds doing this? seems like it would be far more plausible and i can guarantee you without a shadow of a doubt that there are 10000x more birds up there than drones

 

[sar104]

eh, that story is kind of hilarious. it lost all sense of credibility for me here:

Harris says the drone essentially played "chicken" with the chopper, flying within about 200 feet of it. Lt. Harris says that was dangerously close, and, because the choppers fly without doors in the summer, the drone could have flown right into the cockpit.
"Every day, when we fly, that’s a question that goes through all of our minds as pilot-in-command — what if somebody’s flying a drone? What if they don’t know how to fly a drone or lose control of the drone? How do we respond?" Lt. Harris said.

every day they're worried about drones? every day? exactly how many ppl there own drones? what percentage are willing to break the law? now idk about this particular situation, but drones are supposed to be 400ft AGL. so unless they're flying at that height, drones should never be a concern. also, the whole "doors open, one might fly in" stuff. they're not worried about birds doing this? seems like it would be far more plausible and i can guarantee you without a shadow of a doubt that there are 10000x more birds up there than drones

Birds tend to avoid helicopters, and seldom attempt mid-air boarding maneuvers.

 

[deleted member 877]

eh, that story is kind of hilarious. it lost all sense of credibility for me here:

Harris says the drone essentially played "chicken" with the chopper, flying within about 200 feet of it. Lt. Harris says that was dangerously close, and, because the choppers fly without doors in the summer, the drone could have flown right into the cockpit.
"Every day, when we fly, that’s a question that goes through all of our minds as pilot-in-command — what if somebody’s flying a drone? What if they don’t know how to fly a drone or lose control of the drone? How do we respond?" Lt. Harris said.

every day they're worried about drones? every day? exactly how many ppl there own drones? what percentage are willing to break the law? now idk about this particular situation, but drones are supposed to be 400ft AGL. so unless they're flying at that height, drones should never be a concern. also, the whole "doors open, one might fly in" stuff. they're not worried about birds doing this? seems like it would be far more plausible and i can guarantee you without a shadow of a doubt that there are 10000x more birds up there than drones

But the drone was at 800 feet and one could safely assume that a metal drone with four spinning propellers is going to do a lot more harm than a bird made of flesh and feathers but that's nitpicking.

It doesn't matter what percentage of drone operators are willing to break the law - that is totally not the point or even relevant. The drone involved in this particular incident was spotted flying at 800 feet - end of story.

 

[Skyewalkr]

Birds tend to avoid helicopters, and seldom attempt mid-air boarding maneuvers.

As do drones. They cost a lot more to replace

 

[sar104]

As do drones. They cost a lot more to replace

This drone apparently didn't avoid the helicopter - hence the news report.

 

[deleted member 877]

As do drones. They cost a lot more to replace

But not the one seen by the police in the police helicopter. That one was allegedly following the helicopter.

 

[Skyewalkr]

But the drone was at 800 feet and one could safely assume that a metal drone with four spinning propellers is going to do a lot more harm than a bird made of flesh and feathers but that's nitpicking.

It doesn't matter what percentage of drone operators are willing to break the law - that is totally not the point or even relevant. The drone involved in this particular incident was spotted flying at 800 feet - end of story.

You mean the spotter who was blinded and suffered eye damage just a day or so earlier? Yeah I mean ppl tend to say all sorts of things when it needs to fit a narrative. Anyway I'd assume the drone had some sort of telemetry tracking, so proving/disproving the 800ft thing should be easy enough

 

[Skyewalkr]

This drone apparently didn't avoid the helicopter - hence the news report.

Key word = "tend"

 

[Skyewalkr]

But not the one seen by the police in the police helicopter. That one was allegedly following the helicopter.

Again, seen by the pilot who miraculously healed himself of eye damage?

 

[deleted member 877]

You mean the spotter who was blinded and suffered eye damage just a day or so earlier? Yeah I mean ppl tend to say all sorts of things when it needs to fit a narrative. Anyway I'd assume the drone had some sort of telemetry tracking, so proving/disproving the 800ft thing should be easy enough

Yeah - why don't we wait until the court case is finalised? I will go out on a limb here and guarantee that they will totally throw the book at the drone operator. Guilty on all counts.

 

[Thomas B]

Biggest defense may be the inability of a drone to navigate the hurricane force downward propwash of the helicopter. But...

If at 800 ft altitude —-> strong penalties!

 

[fisheralan.af]

I’m thinking kinda fishy. To many holes in all points of view. Was drone pilot doing stupid stuff maybe. The plus side they used a drone for the footage of the news broad cast. So they own one too. Lol

But perhaps they keep flying within regulations.

 

[sar104]

Yeah - why don't we wait until the court case is finalised? I will go out on a limb here and guarantee that they will totally throw the book at the drone operator. Guilty on all counts.

There's absolutely no point arguing with someone who has already made up his mind that the police and eyewitness reports are false and it's fake news.

 

[g36pilot]

• Most news reports are inaccurate to those intimately familiar with the subject. They are usually written by someone who is not familiar and wasn't there to personally witness the event.
• The helo was reportedly following the drone. It could appear that the drone was either successfully chasing or maneuvering to escape the copter. It's all about about witness perspective & opinion repeated to someone else.
• A responsible helicopter pilot would not attempt to down a drone for two reasons: 1) Collateral damage in a populated area. 2) Damage to the helicopter itself potentially caused by the drone getting sucked into the rotor intake downwash or thrown toward the tail. Add to this that night time VLOS air-to-air isn't easy so all told a mitigation attempt was unlikely.
• Though not well known as of yet, the new FAA regs have a strict process for when, how, and by whom a drone is to be mitigated.
• Sounds like the normal preflight inspection made in the schoolyard was mistaken for a collision damage inspection. All aircraft should be given at least a cursory external inspection prior to every flight.
• Yes, the pilot report of laser injury could be resolved in short order. The pilot may have experienced temporary symptoms, if any. Regardless, most operators recommend seeking treatment after exposure just to be sure.
• To find out more about the LEO side, request a police report from Columbus PD. It's probably available now.
• What appears to be a valid & verified drone "incident' is to be resolved in the legal system... as it should be.

 

[seawolf]

Seems pretty clear the PIC of the drone was well beyond VLOS (1). He/she was over 800ft (2) and sounds like operating after sunset (3). The base lights on the M2P do not satisfy the 3 mile requirement (4). When the helo was encounter, the remote PIC continued in proximity versus landing (5). Those are just the federal FAA likely pending charges, unknown what class airspace violations took place. Then there will be careless and reckless endangerment by following the helo (6). Top it off with evading the police in the air and on the ground and you’ve got multiple felonies. If that helo had crashed due to an unintended accident landing in the school yard, he/she could be charged appropriately, no different than a car chase endangering multiple people and property.

All that said, why have manned police helos anyway? Seems ripe for unmanned aircraft - better sensors, longer flight durations, quieter, and does not put officers at risk. Opportunities for all involved to learn from this.

 

[larryc43230]

• Most news reports are inaccurate to those intimately familiar with the subject. They are usually written by someone who is not familiar and wasn't there to personally witness the event.
• The helo was reportedly following the drone. It could appear that the drone was either successfully chasing or maneuvering to escape the copter. It's all about about witness perspective & opinion repeated to someone else.
• A responsible helicopter pilot would not attempt to down a drone for two reasons: 1) Collateral damage in a populated area. 2) Damage to the helicopter itself potentially caused by the drone getting sucked into the rotor intake downwash or thrown toward the tail. Add to this that night time VLOS air-to-air isn't easy so all told a mitigation attempt was unlikely.
• Though not well known as of yet, the new FAA regs have a strict process for when, how, and by whom a drone is to be mitigated.
• Sounds like the normal preflight inspection made in the schoolyard was mistaken for a collision damage inspection. All aircraft should be given at least a cursory external inspection prior to every flight.
• Yes, the pilot report of laser injury could be resolved in short order. The pilot may have experienced temporary symptoms, if any. Regardless, most operators recommend seeking treatment after exposure just to be sure.
• To find out more about the LEO side, request a police report from Columbus PD. It's probably available now.
• What appears to be a valid & verified drone "incident' is to be resolved in the legal system... as it should be.

To clarify a couple of points made here:

I can't find any actual report (other than claims in this thread) that the helicopter followed the drone. It was the other way around, the drone was either behind the helicopter or under it according to the pilot. If you have evidence otherwise, please provide the source.

There is also no claim in any report, other than in this thread, that the helicopter attempted to "down" the drone. The chopper followed the drone to the ground and confiscated it when it landed. If you have evidence to the contrary, please provide it.

Larry

 

[rxgeek]

I'm local to this story, too and also appalled at the drone owner was putting the copter in danger. I'm sure, however, that the facts were not accurately reported. They almost never are as anyone witnessing news realizes

 

[sar104]

I'm local to this story, too and also appalled at the drone owner was putting the copter in danger. I'm sure, however, that the facts were not accurately reported. They almost never are as anyone witnessing news realizes

How can you be appalled at the drone endangering the helicopter if you don't accept the accuracy of the report? Perhaps there was no drone. Maybe no helicopter either. Personally I have serious doubts that this town, Columbus, actually exists. Sounds made up to me.

 

[larryc43230]

How can you be appalled at the drone endangering the helicopter if you don't accept the accuracy of the report? Perhaps there was no drone. Maybe no helicopter either. Personally I have serious doubts that this town, Columbus, actually exists. Sounds made up to me.

Good lord, you mean I've been living in a fantasy world (and a fantasy city) all these years?



Larry