Poll Should Hobbyists & Commercial Pilots Be permitted to fly over Crowds

[dirkclod]

 

[ac0j]

I guess I will just have to let you call me names like ignorant and childish. And still act like I am making it personal......
YET you keep fighting a dumb argument. I have repeated several times, I do not fly over even a single person, let alone a crowd. I dont say it is safe at all. I am just saying it is just a what if argument.
What gives you the power to tell anyone that they cant? In a Nation supposedly founded on freedoms, people should be able to make that choice for themselves. THEN pay the consequences if there is a problem. Just as the public could choose to stay indoors if they are afraid of drones falling on their heads.

 

[designamk1]

I guess I will just have to let you call me names like ignorant and childish. And still act like I am making it personal......
YET you keep fighting a dumb argument. I have repeated several times, I do not fly over even a single person, let alone a crowd. I dont say it is safe at all. I am just saying it is just a what if argument.
What gives you the power to tell anyone that they cant? In a Nation supposedly founded on freedoms, people should be able to make that choice for themselves. THEN pay the consequences if there is a problem. Just as the public could choose to stay indoors if they are afraid of drones falling on their heads.

Please stop putting words in my mouth. When did I say people can't do what they want? People can so what they like, that doesn't change anything. But yeah mate good day. You're clearly avoiding the obvious so I'm done. Peace

 

[Slim.slamma]

I guess I will just have to let you call me names like ignorant and childish

Shouldn’t have to come that
How do we reach a person by calling them idiot


@dirkclod thanks again for that jewel that’s gonna stick in my head no name calling just life experiences

 

[dirkclod]

OK guys this is the topic.
Poll Should Hobbyists & Commercial Pilots Be permitted to fly over Crowds
Now vote and say why but this is starting to get personal with several of you and it stops now.
Please don't make me have to come in this and clean up any name calling or arguminitive post .
No one will win if I do, carry on but Be Civil and stick to the topic.It is a poll.

 

[noosaguy]

This thread is officially out of control

 

[dannybgoode]

It’s about degrees of safety. A full sized AC has been through all manner of safety checks to gain airworthiness, continues to be serviced in accordance with a strict schedule etc and is flown by highly trained, very competent people. Yes they fly over people but the chances of one falling out if the sky and killing/injuring people if the ground is very remote. Yes it happens but very very rarely.

Commercial drone operators are trained, have to have operating procedures, emergency procedures, consider flight plans etc. They will also be properly insured and if something goes wrong they’ll know exactly what to do.

Hobbyists on the other hand - some are incredibly competent and sensible, have good situational awareness and wouldn’t panic in an emergency situation.

Others though seem to be perfectly capable of somehow letting an almost impossible to crash device fly off or spiral out of control in a death dive, fly with battery packs at 5%, fly behind trees and building whilst claiming they had 100% line of sight etc.

So, no - hobbyists should not be able to fly over crowds if they’re confident and good and have a reason to do so the should get their commercial credentials. If not there is just too much uncertainty as to what could go wrong.

 

[Slim.slamma]

It’s about degrees of safety. A full sized AC has been through all manner of safety checks to gain airworthiness, continues to be serviced in accordance with a strict schedule etc and is flown by highly trained, very competent people. Yes they fly over people but the chances of one falling out if the sky and killing/injuring people if the ground is very remote. Yes it happens but very very rarely.

Commercial drone operators are trained, have to have operating procedures, emergency procedures, consider flight plans etc. They will also be properly insured and if something goes wrong they’ll know exactly what to do.

Hobbyists on the other hand - some are incredibly competent and sensible, have good situational awareness and wouldn’t panic in an emergency situation.


Others though seem to be perfectly capable of somehow letting an almost impossible to crash device fly off or spiral out of control in a death dive, fly with battery packs at 5%, fly behind trees and building whilst claiming they had 100% line of sight etc.

So, no - hobbyists should not be able to fly over crowds if they’re confident and good and have a reason to do so the should get their commercial credentials. If not there is just too much uncertainty as to what could go wrong.

 

[dondi]

YEs, Yes, Yes,

 

[Ren57]

not even one SINGLE death by drone case in the whole world

That is absolutely correct. Let's keep it that way shall we....?

 

[Drgnfli]

As a hobbyist myself I would want to say yes but since there is a lot of reports about drone crashing and falling from the sky I would say NO. It will still be safe to keep some distance.

You only hear of the "crashing & falling from the sky" droners on this forum. Think of all the folks who fly uneventful day after day - like me! LOL!

 

[Drgnfli]

I guess my thing is that there should just be some common sense rules in place. For example, I think it should be expressly allowed to transit over people who might so happen to be in a flight path, but not allow steady hovering or stationary flight or sustained, repetitive flight over people or crowds. This would strike something of a balance between the risks error or malfunction while maintaining some common sense acceptance of the low probability of occurrence. Maybe not exactly stated like that...but something similar...and maybe just for Part 107 operators even.

There are already multiple "rules" about drones flying over anything & everything. You are always going to get the .01% dirtbags who screw it up for everyone. That happens with driving a car to fast, driving a boat in a "no wake" zone, skiing to fast in a "practice area", etc, etc, etc. We don't need more rules!

 

[WParm]

I

I have posted this elsewhere, but here it is again.
View attachment 52533
If you look close at this dense crowd, you will have to agree that the Skulls make up only 15% of the possible targets for a falling drone. So, It is fair to say that even if you crash over a dense crowd, you have less than a 20% chance of hitting someone in the head. Maybe 50 / 50 of hiting a person at all.

I would agree with this if the drone is falling straight down. Typically, unless a drone loses all power, a drone will erratically fly side to side trying to regain proper flight.

I am a registered and insured pilot and while I probably am in the minority, I don't believe you should be able to fly over a crowd. Insurance or not, I would feel horrible if someone got hurt due to a catastrophic failure of my drone.

 

[ac0j]

I




I would agree with this if the drone is falling straight down. Typically, unless a drone loses all power, a drone will erratically fly side to side trying to regain proper flight.

I am a registered and insured pilot and while I probably am in the minority, I don't believe you should be able to fly over a crowd. Insurance or not, I would feel horrible if someone got hurt due to a catastrophic failure of my drone.

BUT, as an actual pilot. You are OK with flying over people or population in a manned aircraft?
One with a much higher record of death and destruction?
Because the consequences of a mechanical failure on an actual aircraft are far more catastrophic than a cut or bruise that a small drone would cause. Whats good for the goose?

 

[Chip]

BUT, as an actual pilot. You are OK with flying over people or population in a manned aircraft?
One with a much higher record of death and destruction?
Because the consequences of a mechanical failure on an actual aircraft are far more catastrophic than a cut or bruise that a small drone would cause. Whats good for the goose?

I agree that regular aircraft pose a significant risk to everyone and everything on the ground. You cannot escape the crazies piloting these planes with very little accountability and nowhere near enough liability insurance. This is just another regular drive in the city anymore...

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[ac0j]

And to think, It seems the real pilots are the biggest fighters to keep drones limited for the sake of safety!

 

[dannybgoode]

BUT, as an actual pilot. You are OK with flying over people or population in a manned aircraft?
One with a much higher record of death and destruction?
Because the consequences of a mechanical failure on an actual aircraft are far more catastrophic than a cut or bruise that a small drone would cause. Whats good for the goose?

As a percentage though air travel is the very safest method of transport and given the very few accidents when planes have hit crowds, particularly accidentally, this is not a good argument. Also as I said in an earlier post the level of training a pilot goes through and the safety certification an aircraft goes through is very very different to that of a hobbyist and their drone.

If hobby drone flyers were allowed to fly over crowds you’d see the number of accidents increase considerably in all likelihood.

 

[ac0j]

But percentages are not applicable here. Airplane vs people has a higher body count by far over drones vs people which has a body count of zero. Not even a life threatening injury.

 

[Ren57]

[

Airplane vs people has a higher body count by far over drones vs people which has a body count of zero. Not even a life threatening injury.

I agree wholeheartedly. Of course if several tons of manned aviation comes crashing down in a public space, then people are inevitably going to die. The thing we have to consider though, is the public's perception. Manned aviation, no matter how dangerous it is if there is a crash, is just too useful a concept and people are always going to except the risks, no matter how many people die. Drones, on the other hand (as far as the majority of the public are concerned) are just a nuisance that are tolerated up to a certain point. And even though there has been (as you said) not a single death or even life threatening injury anywhere on the face of planet Earth thus far caused by a drone, the moment that there is, then the proverbial will hit a very large fan! So let's just try and mitigate that from ever happening by just not flying over crowds of people that aren't under our control....

 

[WParm]

BUT, as an actual pilot. You are OK with flying over people or population in a manned aircraft?
One with a much higher record of death and destruction?
Because the consequences of a mechanical failure on an actual aircraft are far more catastrophic than a cut or bruise that a small drone would cause. Whats good for the goose?

There is a HUGE difference between flying over a crowd at 3000 plus feet vs. 40 or 50 ft. You are comparing apples to oranges.