SAFETY CONCERN

[gtmoulds]

SERIOUS RANT...SORRY.

Hi All...Portsmouth UK here and I have a huge concern with safety. Over here we bang on about safety and lets be honest some of these things can do serious damage to a Human Being and also lets be honest they are legally classified as Aircraft.

My Issue is 'Hand Launch / Recovery'.

I believe the first Legal case in UK involved a teenager being hit in the face with a very small drone........make unknown. I also believe that it caused permanent damage to his eyesight.

My point here is that under the new rules 01/21 generally you must maintain a minimum distance of 50m from uninvolved persons for take off and landing which can be reduced to 30m under certain circumstances.

Why then is it even remotely considered that launching from one hand whilst struggling with a controller in the other....( clearly not having control of the Aircraft ) safe to do just that. Right in front of your face.

How the ( Mod Removed Language)does that even feature in your Risk Assesment. and how is it acceptable.

More recently a toddler had his eyeball sliced in half.

What is the point of any rules or certification if we are to promote launching the bloody thing from your hands in front of your face,.

I am dumbfounded at the amount of people who do not see a problem here. ITS EFFING DANGEROUS...hence the 50 m take distance.

 

[Ars3nal3432]

I agree with your concerns, My MA2 has been very predictable on take off. That is, it goes straight up like it's supposed to. Some drones don't have the auto take off feature like the MA2, hence some of the injuries.

I will never take off / land from the hand and I hope some of the members that do on this forum change their minds. I have a launch pad, sure its a little more work, but I value my hands. It's too often that we realize something was a bad idea until it's too late.

 

[Phantomrain.org]

Your idea of safety is warranted however , in the world we live in risk assessment is part of life,
If you ride a motorcycle your much more likely to get injured in a crash and yet its legal.

There have been thousands of people that do hand catch without injury , but nothing can stop people from taking off in front of the Xmas Tree with there drone but common sense.

I always thought fishing together on a boat was nuts, with the hooks swinging around in front of people faces , common sense you take a step back away from the hook,

So the numbers have it, thousands will catch and launch just fine. , hundreds will have close calls and a few will take a chop to the hands and some poor souls will take it in the face. and under the black moon when there is an eclipse someone will loose an eye.

Implementing the 50 m Rule is just a way of saying be careful.
but i dont think anyone is going to march off 50 m , these things are just not going to happen .

Until the FAA makes it a law that you cannot take off by hand, people will keep doing it as the majority
will make it work and be ok with the Close calls.

Hand Catching the Phantom 4 made sense for us but did not make sense for the Mavic Drones as
we fly in extreme weather and that increased the Risk.


Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain an Land on water.

 

[BigAl07]

We rarely ever land the aircraft on the ground. I'd say 99% of the time it's Hand Catch. It's no more dangerous than many other things we do each and every day. You carefully position it, come in at an angle, grasp it and it's a DONE deal. I'd say I have probably in excess of 10K hand catches with various aircraft ranging from Whoop style to Inspire and H520's.

 

[Cymru]

I am dumbfounded at the amount of people who do not see a problem here. ITS EFFING DANGEROUS...hence the 50 m take distance.

Because hand launch and recovery isn't remotely dangerous if you do it correctly.
You can make anything dangerous if you do it badly enough.

 

[gtmoulds]

Your idea of safety is warranted however , in the world we live in risk assessment is part of life,
If you ride a motorcycle your much more likely to get injured in a crash and yet its legal.

There have been thousands of people that do hand catch without injury , but nothing can stop people from taking off in front of the Xmas Tree with there drone but common sense.

I always thought fishing together on a boat was nuts, with the hooks swinging around in front of people faces , common sense you take a step back away from the hook,

So the numbers have it, thousands will catch and launch just fine. , hundreds will have close calls and a few will take a chop to the hands and some poor souls will take it in the face. and under the black moon when there is an eclipse someone will loose an eye.

Implementing the 50 m Rule is just a way of saying be careful.
but i dont think anyone is going to march off 50 m , these things are just not going to happen .

Until the FAA makes it a law that you cannot take off by hand, people will keep doing it as the majority
will make it work and be ok with the Close calls.

Hand Catching the Phantom 4 made sense for us but did not make sense for the Mavic Drones as
we fly in extreme weather and that increased the Risk.


Phantomrain.org
Gear to fly your Mavic in the Rain an Land on water.

I am UK so the FAA wont make any difference to me. Either way it is not safe.

 

[gtmoulds]

Because hand launch and recovery isn't remotely dangerous if you do it correctly.
You can make anything dangerous if you do it badly enough.

Jesus.......

 

[Cymru]

I am UK so the FAA wont make any difference to me. Either way it is not safe.

Rubbish.
It happens every single day many many times in the UK and outside.
Its perfectly safe.
If you dont think you're safe to do it then dont. But the rest of us will do it with no issue at all.

Do you have any data showing a safety concern? If so, im sure HSE would review it.
But if not, stop claiming something with no demonstrable safety issue is in fact unsafe.

Someone having a drone fly into their face has absolutely no connection with hand launching or hand catching.

I'll wait for you to supply your evidence of people being hurt purely due to hand launch and hand catch in any large numbers.

 

[old man mavic]

@gtmoulds ,there is nowhere in any training or instructions that promotes the use of hand launching or landing ,and no one who values their eyesight, or the risk of injury would promote the idea , the videos on the web that show people doing such things are perhaps not the best message,to be sending out, to not only new pilots ,but any pilots ,it is purely an individuals decision to do it.
with regards to the separation rules for take off landing, they are there for the safety of uninvolved people ,who are not aware that a drone is about to take off /land,and if when you are doing such things you will have looked all around you to assess if it is safe to do so ,and in the case that there are people close by, then all you need to do is inform them of your intensions ,the safety of you the pilot ,and any involved members of your flight team, is something that each individual ,takes on their own shoulders ,after having been briefed before the flight

 

[maelstrom]

Implementing the 50 m Rule is just a way of saying be careful.
but i dont think anyone is going to march off 50 m , these things are just not going to happen .

Just because you don’t obey or agree with the regulation, doesn’t stop it being a legal requirement.

 

[dirkclod]

SERIOUS RANT...SORRY.

Hi All...Portsmouth UK here and I have a huge concern with safety. Over here we bang on about safety and lets be honest some of these things can do serious damage to a Human Being and also lets be honest they are legally classified as Aircraft.

My Issue is 'Hand Launch / Recovery'.

I believe the first Legal case in UK involved a teenager being hit in the face with a very small drone........make unknown. I also believe that it caused permanent damage to his eyesight.

My point here is that under the new rules 01/21 generally you must maintain a minimum distance of 50m from uninvolved persons for take off and landing which can be reduced to 30m under certain circumstances.

Why then is it even remotely considered that launching from one hand whilst struggling with a controller in the other....( clearly not having control of the Aircraft ) safe to do just that. Right in front of your face.

How the ( Mod Removed Language)does that even feature in your Risk Assesment. and how is it acceptable.

More recently a toddler had his eyeball sliced in half.

What is the point of any rules or certification if we are to promote launching the bloody thing from your hands in front of your face,.

I am dumbfounded at the amount of people who do not see a problem here. ITS EFFING DANGEROUS...hence the 50 m take distance.

Just to correct you on the kid it was a Accident and it was a P2V
and was not more recently but like in 2015 .

I am UK so the FAA wont make any difference to me. Either way it is not safe.

Maybe not for you but guess i’m just more coordinated than you because that’s what I have always done.
Sir your rant is unjustified.

 

[Cymru]

Just because you don’t obey or agree with the regulation, doesn’t stop it being a legal requirement.

The 50m (30m A2) rule is for uninvolved people.
Anyone involved in hand launch/catch is by definition an involved person so the rule doesnt apply.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

Simple solution, if you feel it is unsafe do not attempt it.
Use a lanyard etc. to suspend the controller from your neck, it improves control.
And yes I hand catch and the only time I have been nervous was an M2P in wind when I was concerned about prop strikes to the fingers or forearm or bicep.
In fact I think hand catching a phantom in the wind is safer then trying to land it and risk it flipping and going bananas. Arm's length, grasp a leg and all above eye level.

 

[gtmoulds]

Rubbish.
It happens every single day many many times in the UK and outside.
Its perfectly safe.
If you dont think you're safe to do it then dont. But the rest of us will do it with no issue at all.

Do you have any data showing a safety concern? If so, im sure HSE would review it.
But if not, stop claiming something with no demonstrable safety issue is in fact unsafe.

Someone having a drone fly into their face has absolutely no connection with hand launching or hand catching.

I'll wait for you to supply your evidence of people being hurt purely due to hand launch and hand catch in any large numbers.

Perfect demonstration of why we need rules and laws so that selfish, mindless people like you can be prosecuted once you do hurt someone. Oh, forgot to mention. Its about caring in the first place. Health and Safety is all about prevention not afterthought. Ohhh dont let me near any naked flames.

 

[Deleted member 103366]

I am sorry, I am losing track of what you are advocating, mandatory protection for uninvolved people (which I doubt anyone disputes) or the pilot or ...........what?
Hand catching does not involve uninvolved people.
I begin to wonder if there is any point to this thread?

 

[Tomk_]

Perfect demonstration of why we need rules and laws so that selfish, mindless people like you can be prosecuted once you do hurt someone. Oh, forgot to mention. Its about caring in the first place. Health and Safety is all about prevention not afterthought. Ohhh dont let me near any naked flames.

I realize that you started off stating that this is a rant. Rant's are not necessarily designed to be logical, but be that as it may...

You started off stating your concerns. Perfectly valid. But now you want a law to forbid a person from doing what they want with their own drone because you feel it is unsafe for you to do it? You are concerned that a person who chooses to do something that you feel is unsafe for you to do because of the risk to their own person is now a risk to innocent bystanders. Furthermore you have devolved to name calling of anyone who doesn't fully embrace your views and opinions.

You, sir, have entered the twilight zone.

 

[old man mavic]

i am closing this thread ,as it has no relevance any more and has become unpleasant