Rescue helicopter escapes disaster at Hospital after drone
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Stuff
www.stuff.co.nz
Crazy stuff, no wonder we are coming under more and more scrutiny in the hobby.
Thats a great example of how DJI is getting stricter & stricter with their updates.....Stuff
Soon DJI will make it soo you can only fly your drone 25 feet up and 50 feet distance...
Stuff
Rescue helicopter dodges disaster as drone flies perilously close to hospital
A rescue helicopter carrying a patient to Dunedin Hospital came perilously close to a drone.An Otago rescue helicopter narrowly escaped disaster after a drone was flown just metres from its landing site.
This media coverage is just freaking ridiculous!!!! There is absolutely no data to reflect this type of fear mongering.
with so much else to report on they take a story and run with lies to again make things seem to be the end of the world/sky is falling once again. Should drone have been there? Certainly not, was there a drone actually there...who knows?? Gatwick Airport anyone????
This type of sensationalism in reporting is just nuts made just for a read. No Facts it's like a National Enquirer tabloid special. It never ends and feeds the ignorant who unfortunately tend to make up the rules. How the heck did it Dodge disaster when it was already landed? Narrowly escaped disaster??? Really? Given what data..the three known drone helicopter/Drone encounters with no such outcome? So we have Data that shows what? Foolishness at its best.
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..
Media spins everything, it gets clicks / views, and sells advertising.
Not much will change that.
Loads of scenarios I guess, but if the drone lost control (and we know signal loss can lead to such things), then it could strike a landed heli, rotors still going ? Many helis at hospital heliports unload and take off immediately the patient is unloaded.
Yes, there are literally a handful of actual incidents from manned aircraft / drone interaction, but the very fact manned aircraft are involved = near miss type situation, and all airspace authorities treat that very seriously.
No one wants it to get to the stage of something happening before common sense rules are applied.
The fact we share airspace with manned aircraft is enough to make needing rules a fact of life.
If one assumes the heli pilot was correct in seeing a drone that close, that puts the drone within range of possible incident / damage at a lot more risk than if it were the required distance away from the heliport.
It's funny though, we can fly pretty close to hospitals here in Oz, just the warning that if a manned aircraft is seen approaching land asap etc.
Still other rules like keeping away from people, built up areas, and VLOS regs = most pilots wouldn't be near such a place, and what's to film there anyway ?
If this was a drone as reported, maybe they were (stupidly) wanting to film the heli ops.
Media spins everything, it gets clicks / views, and sells advertising.
Not much will change that.
Loads of scenarios I guess, but if the drone lost control (and we know signal loss can lead to such things), then it could strike a landed heli, rotors still going ? Many helis at hospital heliports unload and take off immediately the patient is unloaded.
Yes, there are literally a handful of actual incidents from manned aircraft / drone interaction, but the very fact manned aircraft are involved = near miss type situation, and all airspace authorities treat that very seriously.
No one wants it to get to the stage of something happening before common sense rules are applied.
The fact we share airspace with manned aircraft is enough to make needing rules a fact of life.
If one assumes the heli pilot was correct in seeing a drone that close, that puts the drone within range of possible incident / damage at a lot more risk than if it were the required distance away from the heliport.
It's funny though, we can fly pretty close to hospitals here in Oz, just the warning that if a manned aircraft is seen approaching land asap etc.
Still other rules like keeping away from people, built up areas, and VLOS regs = most pilots wouldn't be near such a place, and what's to film there anyway ?
If this was a drone as reported, maybe they were (stupidly) wanting to film the heli ops.
Yes there are tons of Scenarios. But those are just guesses, like what ifs, if you will, but no factual data, in fact the actual data is the opposite of reported. One can't go though life guessing and speculating. As far as rules that is the opposite of everything that at least the FAA has shown. There are literally hundreds of aircraft incidences annually none involving drones where there are no rules governing manned aviation craft that result in fatalities and severe injury. Yet they still are given less interest than the FAA is promoting to the "Drones" which to date have very little in injuries and no fatalities. IT just amazes me that the media gets away with such stories. At what point do we know that had this drone been on scene or close and waited till it landed and just rose over a wall nearby and popped up? Certainly a huge mistake and should be punished, but to speculate a what if and turn it into peril?
Again I don't condone such actions, but we already have rules and regulations for such action, there is no need for any more as apparently we are headed for. Rules are for the law abiding and don't seem to ever apply to those who wish to do what they want. They serve only as a deterrent and some wish to challenge even that. It is just the fear mongering that I take issue with I guess, it isn't helping our cause and record as the one highest form of aviation with a near 100% saftey record sans two (That I have heard) r/c heli incidences resulting in fatalities and given the amount of flights globally done daily with these little fun flying gizmos, I think we should be given the earned credit deserved. Oh well...enough venting nothing will change, well except our hobby with such reporting. Good day to all
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Exactly, it just makes any risks higher, getting closer than we're supposed to.
Particularly doing so on purpose.
I agree, the media dramatises everything to make $.
Stuff
Sorry, but what hyperbole. “Disaster was nearly averted”?
The only thing we actually know is that after the helicopter was on the ground they saw a drone 20m away. Disaster was NOT nearly adverted. They don’t even know if the drone was in the air at the same time the helicopter was in the air.
Headlines get clicks. Clicks get advertising revenue.
Best,
Math.
DronePhotosNZ
Well-Known Member
Hey guys ( and girls )
In this instance it wasn't a media beat-up
I live about 120 miles north of that hospital and the helipad is on top of the main hospital building, 9 or 10 floors up
( above the street )
Here is a later news report, Make up your own minds.....
By the way, at this time of year, in Dunedin, at 6.40pm, it's almost completely dark, so the lights would be visible on the drone
Cheers, Stu
This report was in the New Zealand Herald 17 hrs ago :-
A chief helicopter pilot is fuming over the reckless behaviour of a drone operator.
Police are investigating a person who was seen flying a drone near the Dunedin Hospital helipad as a helicopter was coming into land last night.
Otago Rescue Helicopter chief pilot Graham Gale said the consequences could have been catastrophic with the drone coming as close as 7 metres to the chopper.
"We are travelling at very fast speeds, about 2 miles a minute and we are covering a lot of ground quickly.
"The drones are very small and we have no way of seeing it. Absolutely dumb on dumb from the idiot who was flying it."
The Civil Aviation Authority has been made aware of the incident and is hoping to investigate if more information about the drone operator can be uncovered.
Deputy Chief Executive Dean Winter said the incident highlighted the importance of drone users following key Civil Aviation Rules which were designed to keep them and other people safe.
"Its crucial that drone operators share the skies safely with other aircraft, so it's disappointing to hear of last night's incident.
"One of the most important rules for drone users is to stay more than 4km away from aerodromes to help keep other aircraft safe when they take off and land."
The rule covers helipads at most hospitals, including Dunedin Hospital, as well as larger and more obvious aerodromes such as Dunedin Airport.
• Anyone with information about the incident or any other drone incident should contact the inwards safety information team at [email protected].
A police spokeswoman said they were notified of a drone near the Dunedin Hospital helipad at 6.40pm on Wednesday.
A Kingsgate Hotel guest said they saw the drone being flown nearby before landing on a balcony of one of the rooms.
They said it looked like the culprit was a very skilled drone operator.
I'm surprised geofence allowed the flight, but perhaps it was not a DJI drone, or perhaps it was modded. But regardless, the headline is an eye-grabber for sure and reflects SO poorly on our hobby.Stuff
Not to say it isn't possible, but if the limit is no closer that 4km (2.5 miles) to a heliport, I have a hard time imagining some drone malfunction that would account for this. It seems exceedingly likely that pilot error (or just awful judgment ) was the cause.
Sensationalism or not I feel like the drone pilots who follow the rules of safety/ethics lose out either way: first, the people operating where they shouldn't be, ie. in State and National Parks, over busy highways/crowds, near a landing pad, etc. receive all sorts of accolades for their "Great shot!" when they get them, and second, the rest of us eventually bear the brunt in the form of new regulations or even just the person who wanders up to us when we're working to say: "Did you hear about the guy who...? You all need to be more careful!". {sorry....rant over}
I was reading today, friday your time they aren't going to change him. are you from ChCh
While I couldn't agree more that any unauthorized flight near commercial or civilian air operations is a definite no, the headline on this story are totally spun. There was no accident. The piolet didn't even know the drone was present, just like the errant drone piolet likely didn't know the helicopter was present. It is very unlikely that much of anything life threatening would have occurred even if there would have been contact. Likely the largest threat would be from pilot distraction. The sky is a very large place. Birds don't obey traffic regulations.Stuff
While I agree the title and theme of the story are heavily "inflated" that does not diminish the gross negligence of the operator flying anywhere near a MANNED aircraft let alone a MediVac. I don't know how it's handled over there but here in the USA if the pilot had spotted the UAS, his approach to land would most likely have been aborted and he would have been re-routed to another medical care facility. If you or someone you care for was on that heli and and in dire need of URGENT medical care (if it wasn't urgent they probably wouldn't be utilizing a Helicopter to begin with) and it was delayed/rerouted because of UAS activity how would you react? Even with no "Incident" lives can be affected and there is ZERO excuses for this type of behavior.
If the OPERATOR of the UAS was within VLOS he/she would have seen and HEARD the helicopter come in and land. It's not like they come in quietly, land quickly, and go silent. If you're anywhere in the vicinity you'll hear and see the helicopter.
I realize this is redundant but not unlike “ambulance chasers” (ex wife lawyer lol). The temptation, in some, to chase helicopters and planes for an interesting “shot” is just not rationale thinking in my opinion. I follow the rules. Basically rules I would have followed if I did NOT know what they were. It behooves me to see this over and over. Ignorance is one thing, stupid is just really tough to take back. That’s my take. Now, ready to be edited. Lol. -Godspeed. Play nice it’s not that hard. And btw I’m a fairly counter culture dude and don’t get polarized by the classic ways. I was a flight medic. I’m also a drone buff. But common sense just so obviously over rules and give those a break for those who live this as their life’s distraction. -Godspeed
I’m sorry but I’m reviewing a piece of unwanted history In my head. Yes those who do this, will, mostly continue this activity. If nothing is said then nothing is done. We speak up and I’m going to believe it can make a difference. In NY I was on the American Airlines flight 800 ditch off JFK, the Nassau county Avianca crash and SAR twin towers, along with numerous fires etc. No drones. And if there were, they’d be caught and made drone less and so be it. That my take and as I enjoy this mega forum, I see I’m far from alone. Godspeed always.
On “jobs” I was in most NY newspapers. Long Island NEWSDAY, and others rarely get the situation correctly. In fact take great liberties in the making of the news to be story worthy. I sued a reporter and paper as she (I suppose I won’t name names) not only totally misquoted me but added a few very controversial and potentially volatile statements that I never said. In reference to our NYC police Cheif whom I treated emergently. I was about to be degloved by administration. I was put on paid suspension! She wouldn’t retract it. It involved alcoholism, not on my part. Hospital lawyers handled it well. They make the news,Misleading, and bold faced lies, fabricating the true weaved in with untrue. (that’s by far the very worst). I have a binder full of articles of jobs I was on that that reported falsely. Strange scrap book I know but it leaves me, still with my mouth hung open and shake my head. This has been my personal and shared experience. Statements during my career, on the whole, were either magnified or often minimized! Sorry for the ramble. But it hit a nerve. -Godspeed. For many years I do not listen to the news. I get a 5 things you need to know today from CNN. ??
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