Never too experienced to learn

[Ralph thompson]

The FAA used to issue an aviation safety letter years ago, I believe anyone with a pilots license, even in Canada, would get a copy each month. It was mainly aimed at inexperience pilots. Under the header it had a phrase something like one of the most dangerous times for an emerging pilot is around 100 hrs (student pilots typically get their private pilot licence at around 40 hrs). You've got your license and a few hours under your belt and you thing your an expert.
I've been flying drones since 2012 with the first Phantom, I had a couple of Inspires and a couple of Mavics. I have several hundred hours of drone time according to Airdata (Healthy Drones) which I joined in 2015. I've had some hairy moments, a few minor incidents. I consider myself cautious. I have past the Canadian Advanced Pilot Certificate in July 2019 and operate drones several times a week.
I always follow my preflight checklist but in cases where it all seems to be a straight forward, a simple operation, the checklist gets a quick skim, confirm the Home point, as I did a couple of days ago when I was photographing a commercial building roof. A saw the trees and hydro cables (already identified on Google Earth prior) but the sun was bright and low on the horizon and in my face. Up went the drone, a few jiggles to confirm the controls were operating correctly then higher .........then I saw it just in the nick of time. A fine wire strung between two tall lamp posts (high lamps to illuminate a car park). There was no indication that the vertical sensor add picked up the wire, highly unlikely, it was just luck that the wire flicker in the sun as the drone got within inches. Even now that I knew it was there, it was very hard to see. It wasn't a thick electric cable, it must have had a flag or banner hung on it at some time. Just another reminder that experience doesn't make you immune to hazards. I am now back to going down every step of the checklist thoroughly, no exceptions.

 

[GFields]

Thanks for sharing

 

[dronerdave]

I always follow my preflight checklist but in cases where it all seems to be a straight forward, a simple operation, the checklist gets a quick skim, confirm the Home point, as I did a couple of days ago when I was photographing a commercial building roof. A saw the trees and hydro cables (already identified on Google Earth prior) but the sun was bright and low on the horizon and in my face. Up went the drone, a few jiggles to confirm the controls were operating correctly then higher .........then I saw it just in the nick of time. A fine wire strung between two tall lamp posts (high lamps to illuminate a car park). There was no indication that the vertical sensor add picked up the wire, highly unlikely, it was just luck that the wire flicker in the sun as the drone got within inches. Even now that I knew it was there, it was very hard to see. It wasn't a thick electric cable, it must have had a flag or banner hung on it at some time. Just another reminder that experience doesn't make you immune to hazards. I am now back to going down every step of the checklist thoroughly, no exceptions.

A common problem in my line of work is when a newer employee becomes complacent after reaching some sort of learning milestone. I call it an apprentice-journeyman level. I've trained a lot of workers in my life and many unseasoned workers go through it as they advance...even I did. The more situations that you deal with coupled with time on the job makes you feel more confident that you know the routine inside and out when sometimes you don't. We all can make mistakes and you have to guard against it at any level of skill you've achieved. It is a reason to have a tailboard (even working by yourself) on the job hazards, safety aspects, and how you plan to perform the job. I'd think the NTSB looks at this closely during an aircraft crash investigation. There is a reason why certain jobs require a checklist. Depending on the risks of your job, a sloppy tailboard can mean the loss of expensive equipment or the possibility of injury or death. And while I don't consider flying a drone as a hazardous job, it is your responsibility to fly as safely as possible and not cop an attitude of "the chances of that happening to me are minimal" as a reason to skip safety protocols. Also while performing my job, if I feel or find that something isn't quite right or out of the ordinary, I stop and re-evaluate the situation. This applies to me when operating any RC aircraft as well.
Glad you didn't wreck your drone.

 

[MavicFlyer2]

How true in getting complacent and not taking the time out to do your checklist ! Hast makes drone waste when things aren't gone through and checked before that stick movement starts it flight.
Thank you for the personal check up !!! ...Fly safe everyone.