Near miss with helicopter at South Hollywood beach, Florida.

[gnirtS]

"Do helicopters like this broadcast a signal that you can use an app to follow? I think there is something for commercial airlines but I don't know how up to date it is."

Try FlightRadar24 app.

Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!

Except currently most small and GA aircraft don't broadcast ADS-B and also FR24 filter out a lot of aircraft (all military and lots of others).
That means its no real use as a safety feature for drone users.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

It lured you out of your mother's basement.

Haven't hit your "Quota of "E-Arguing" today yet?

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Except currently most small and GA aircraft don't broadcast ADS-B and also FR24 filter out a lot of aircraft (all military and lots of others).
That means its no real use as a safety feature for drone users.

It will still give people an idea of just how many planes are actually in the air at any given time. I don't think most people realize that. The sky is loaded with aircraft.

 

[gnirtS]

It might give an idea yes but there is a danger of them actually thinking its useful to drone flying or "theres nothing in this area" when it can't show the exact type of aircraft a drone is likely to come into conflict with.
I've seen people think its ultra-reliable and plan from it before now. The site even blocks bog standard flights like AF1 and private jets that request it.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Sorry, I am not convinced

View attachment 44058

Maybe they blurred the company logo?

 

[gnirtS]

All i'm seeing are compression artefacts no deliberate blurring.

 

[raymo]

Nick, I find this to be one of the better points made in this thread. To which I would add: helicopter pilots, especially news, fire and sightseeing pilots ARE AWARE nowadays that drones are *out there* ~ especially along a populous beach, such as the one in this video. It baffles me that sightseeing and private heli pilots are not self-regulating and incorporating their knowledge of drones into their flight plans; even just as a matter of common sense.

A year ago I flew over a deserted beach in northern Oregon state, early in the morning. I had changed my initial takeoff location, as I was within four miles of a sightseeing helipad. I contacted the sightseeing company at 6:30am, even though I had moved to a location that was six miles north of them, only because of the altitudes at which I had seen them flying the previous day; easily below 400ft (no BS), right on the shoreline. My call was sent to voicemail, as they did not open until 9:am. I left a message, letting them know of my location and intended flight plan ~ to launch from a deserted beach six miles north of them at 7:30am, maintaining an altitude not to exceed 200ft. The beach was mildly foggy that morning. As I was taking my Mavic out of its case, one of their copters flew very low, inland from the shoreline by at least a hundred feet - at an altitude of, I can only guess, around 300-400ft. I canceled my flight - but was baffled. Assuming they never got my message - they still left themselves no room for error, and no room for a known variable: drones. I continue to wonder when such pilots and organizations are going to realize that their former version of reality has changed, and they must take steps to allow for it.

Now, before I get pissed on here... No, I don't expect fire scoopers (copters) to plan for drones, but they must certainly be aware of them (and shame on any drone operator who launches during an active fire event to get footage). But when every safety precaution was taken by me with regards to the sightseeing company and they continue to be ignorant of the *possibility*.......... The industry is just waiting for its first drone related fatality.

The reality is that commercialization and retailing by use of drones is coming, and the density of those commercial ventures could be huge (millions of drones). Sightseeing helicopter operators will have to deal with pizza and gift deliveries by UAVs at some point. Both those operations will be controlled by FAA regulations and what is the heli operator going to do when smacked by a pizza? Those operations will be along beachfront properties, at least that's how I see it at this stage, and heli operators will be required to be aware of the possibility that they will encounter UAVs along their flight paths. These are still things the FAA and in Canada, TC are grappling with.

Having been in a situation where flying with manned aircraft present has honed skills to function like Radar on MASH. It's also another reason why a second set of eyes and ears helps to spot possible conflicts. It will not always be perfect, as we know from programs like Mayday. Uncontrolled military aircraft crossing commercial, controlled airspace, and still having fatal collisions. One would think it should not happen, but it did in the LA area. We waited for a long time to hear of a confirmed incident (military Blackhawk vs UAV) and now we will see if there will be at some time a fatality. We hope, never, but it seems inevitable, even with the low level of real risk.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

That's both pointless and ridiculous. It's just a compression artifact.

Possibly blurring the company logo?

 

[Weaponized]

Haven't hit your "Quota of "E-Arguing" today yet?

I was long over that 1 until you decided you needed a leg to hump. Don't be an ankle biter.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

It's not his response to the approaching helicopter that was the issue - the situation has already gone badly wrong at that point because he was clearly not in a position to see/hear it early enough from his position on the ground. So his mistake was flying at that location in the first place. That's what was stupid.

As for suggesting that he should be commended for saving a few lives - that takes stupidity to a whole new level.

Let's keep the name calling out of this forum. There have been several warnings in this thread, If this keeps up it will be closed.

As for the video, if the operator notified the local tower, of which there are a few, and was under 400', the Helicopter would have known about his presence. I assume the operator did not notify the tower of his plans which is not a smart move on his part.

​

 

[raymo]

"Do helicopters like this broadcast a signal that you can use an app to follow? I think there is something for commercial airlines but I don't know how up to date it is."

Try FlightRadar24 app.

Flightradar24.com - Live flight tracker!

FlightRadar doesn't always work correctly in terms of actual tracking and timing sometimes is quite delayed, for whatever reason. I would not use it for attempting to track potentially problematic interference flights.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

It lured you out of your mother's basement.

Right... going to be talking about Kool Aid soon?

 

[Cheech Wizard]

FlightRadar doesn't always work correctly in terms of actual tracking and timing sometimes is quite delayed, for whatever reason. I would not use it for attempting to track potentially problematic interference flights.

Yeah, I get that. When I first checked out the app, I was amazed at how much aircraft is around. And that is only approximately 70% of all planes in the air that use that technology. It won't show military aircraft either. But it's better than nothing and being 100% ignorant of what's in the air around you.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

It might give an idea yes but there is a danger of them actually thinking its useful to drone flying or "theres nothing in this area" when it can't show the exact type of aircraft a drone is likely to come into conflict with.
I've seen people think its ultra-reliable and plan from it before now. The site even blocks bog standard flights like AF1 and private jets that request it.

It is useful if it shows planes in the area though....yes? And no, It's NOT 100% accurate, and people should research the apps they are using to know what they do. I live between NYC and Boston. There is a ton of useful information in the app if you know how to use it.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

I was long over that 1 until you decided you needed a leg to hump. Don't be an ankle biter.

Why is it always new members causing ill will?

 

[Cheech Wizard]

I was long over that 1 until you decided you needed a leg to hump. Don't be an ankle biter.

Why don't you take a look at this and learn something:



Community Rules



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  15. The Forum Owners strongly encourage users to obey all federal and local laws and regulations when flying. It is a helpful service to the community when members guide others in understanding and following the regulations. Meanwhile, fully understanding all international rules and regulations is complex and it is not the responsibility of the forum owners, moderators or community members to police and enforce these rules and regulations. Any violation of another community rule, even if in the context of attempting to help enforce flying laws and regulations, is prohibited.
  

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[gnirtS]

It is useful if it shows planes in the area though....yes? And no, It's NOT 100% accurate, and people should research the apps they are using to know what they do. I live between NYC and Boston. There is a ton of useful information in the app if you know how to use it.

Not really, given a drones general operating altitude it shows almost no conflicting aircraft. And has a time delay. People don't and won't research the apps.

If you want an accurate, real time ADSB display you'll need to build one yourself for about $30. Then it'll show everything that sends it and in real time. (and still miss a lot of the stuff that currently doesn't send).

A far better method would actually have a VHF radio tuned to either the local tower and/or unicom to actually hear what is in the area and its routing.

 

[Weaponized]

Why don't you take a look at this and learn something:



Community Rules



Registering and participating in the MavicPilots Forum constitutes agreement to abide by the Profound Interest Network Terms of Service. (Profound Interests, LLC is the company that owns this forum). We reserve the right to modify these rules at any time without prior notice. There is no charge for joining this Forum. This is a community of individuals who share a common interest in DJI's Mavic Aircraft. Please think before you post and keep your comments limited to the topic at hand and above all - be nice. If you come across any violations to these guidelines or have any problems navigating the site, do not hesitate to let us know.



General Rules
We aim to ensure that the forum is an enjoyable place that people want to visit repeatedly. The MavicPilots Forum should be a virtual reflection of how we all hope the community of Mavic drone enthusiasts would act in the real world. Treat each other with respect just as you would if you were meeting in person for coffee before enjoying a day of flying together in shared airspace. This is a community of friends and partners who are collaborating to encourage and support a growing DJI Mavic community.

• 
  1. Our rules extend to all sections of the website including private messaging.
  
• 
  2. Personal attacks on others will not be tolerated. Challenge others' points of view and opinions, but do so respectfully and thoughtfully. Excessive sarcasm, belligerence, insults, profanity, anger, offensive comments about race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and national origin, are not acceptable.
  
• 
  3. Do not post libelous remarks or misleading information.
  
• 
  4. Stay on topic by keeping discussions relevant and on-track.
  
• 
  5. Participants may not post or bump threads to pad post counts. Bumping is posting useless information, posting one-liners or any other action to deliberately keep a thread hot.
  
• 
  6. Do not post the same discussion more than once or in more than one forum.
  
• 
  7. Posts containing rude, explicit, obscene or vulgar language or abbreviations, images or links to websites with adult content/images or special characters designed to "trick" our obscenity filter may be removed.
  
• 
  8. Be mindful of yourself and others. This forum is not a democracy; it is privately owned and we determine the rules. If rules are violated we retain the right at our discretion to remove, edit or delete posts and if necessary ban or remove members. Any abuse toward our team may result in immediate suspension of your account.
  
• 
  9. Public discussion about moderation or moderator decisions is not allowed. If a moderator deletes or edits one of your posts and you disagree with the action, contact the moderator concerned. Do not repost deleted material.
  
• 
  10. NO SPAM! Our user base is not a resource to be "mined" by individuals, groups, or businesses, for profit or not for profit. Participants (excluding paid advertisers) may not post affiliate links or links to direct others to any pages at their own commercial website or website in which they have a commercial interest. Exceptions to this may be found in the Classifieds or other explicitly designated commercial areas.
  
• 
  11. Do not use posts to promote your blog, videos, surveys, polls or contests. This includes Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, etc. You may place a single link in your signature to an outside website. Fundraising topics (GoFundMe, etc), must be approved by an administrator.
  
• 
  12. Trolling and cyber stalking are not allowed and are grounds for account restriction or banishment. Trolling includes posting controversial and often irrelevant or off-topic messages with the intention of baiting other users into an emotional response or to generally disrupt normal, harmonious on-topic discussion, especially when a pattern of such posting is apparent.
  
• 
  13. Discussions about politics, weaponry and religion are permitted only in association with the topic of this forum or in the “off-topic” section and will be closed or removed if they become disruptive.
  
• 
  14. We take the "be nice" rule VERY seriously! We do not tolerate discourtesy or disrespect.
  
• 
  15. The Forum Owners strongly encourage users to obey all federal and local laws and regulations when flying. It is a helpful service to the community when members guide others in understanding and following the regulations. Meanwhile, fully understanding all international rules and regulations is complex and it is not the responsibility of the forum owners, moderators or community members to police and enforce these rules and regulations. Any violation of another community rule, even if in the context of attempting to help enforce flying laws and regulations, is prohibited.
  

• 
  16. For everyone's safety, we do not condone the manipulation of the manufacturer's software or firmware (software/firmware hacks), and may, (at our discretion), delete without warning any content that violates or promotes this type of activity.

I just learned that you can find the rules, but apparently don't think they apply equally to you, that you don't understand definition of the word hypocrite, and I'm pretty sure while you've been preoccupied with trolling me...your windowless van just got towed out of the school parking lot.

 

[Cheech Wizard]

Not really, given a drones general operating altitude it shows almost no conflicting aircraft. And has a time delay. People don't and won't research the apps.

If you want an accurate, real time ADSB display you'll need to build one yourself for about $30. Then it'll show everything that sends it and in real time. (and still miss a lot of the stuff that currently doesn't send).

A far better method would actually have a VHF radio tuned to either the local tower and/or unicom to actually hear what is in the area and its routing.

I have tracked planes in real time and VLOS, first heard the planes then started the app... and there they were!

 

[Cheech Wizard]

I just learned that you can find the rules, but apparently don't think they apply equally to you, that you don't understand definition of the word hypocrite, and I'm pretty sure while you've been preoccupied with trolling me...your windowless van just got towed out of the school parking lot.

Maybe you will grow up if you are just ignored... but I doubt it.