Was your drone knocked off its flight by a helicopter?

[jeplane]

This Surfing Contest Used a Helicopter to Knock a Drone Out of the Sky

We’ve seen various methods of dealing with drones, including bigger drones with nets, special shotgun shells, bazookas, futuristic jammer guns, and even specially-trained eagles. A surfing event in Hawaii took a different approach: as seen in the video above, it knocked a drone out of the air using a helicopter.

“Like most sporting organizations the World Surf League (WSL) has been known to be quite protective in terms of its intellectual property rights,” tipster Andrew Grose tells PetaPixel. “This is especially with regard to its copyright laws, making professional filming or photographing within contest areas almost impossible unless directly contracted by the WSL.”
So when an unauthorized drone was caught flying directly over the contest area at the WSL big wave event at Jaws in Peahi, Hawaii, last year, the staff went to great lengths to stop it.
A number of Safety Water Patrol staffers were called in, and they began throwing swim fins and other objects up at the DJI Mavic from below.
When that failed to down the drone, a helicopter was called in. Swooping down toward the drone, the helicopter used its powerful downwash to blast the drone down into the Pacific Ocean.
“While some might argue that the drone operator was within the law to fly their drone in a public place, more responsible drone operators would be quick to point out the dangers associated with flying a drone directly over people as well as within close proximity to other larger aircraft such as a Helicopter in this instance,” Grose says.

 

[Just_nick]

That is pretty funny. Sucks for the drone pilot, maybe next time they'll not fly over people.

 

[RayOZ]

A number of Safety Water Patrol staffers were called in, and they began throwing swim fins and other objects up at the DJI Mavic from below.

Won't it be easier to throw swims fins and other objects at the drone pilot?

 

[Slim.slamma]

I’d lock em all up
Vigilante pilot included

 

[Lapeer20m]

Seems pretty dangerous for the helicopter pilot. I would imagine that placing the main rotor blades close enough to mavic to create enough force to cause the drone to crash would place the chopper in extremely close proximity.

I don’t know the maximum downforce mavic can overcome, but I don’t think a civilian helicopter could produce such winds from 100’ away.

 

[Slim.slamma]

A drone poses no threat to helicopters. That drone was knocked out of commission from about 100’ away.
And pilots fear for their lives when sighting sUAV

 

[Slim.slamma]

The drone pilot was obviously somewhere out of sight
Jerk

 

[sar104]

There's a video. The chopper is just a few feets away from the Mavic.

Based on measurements from the video, the Mavic is around 25 ft up and the helicopter is at around 60 ft.

 

[packnrat]

the helo pilot should face charges up to and including loss of his flying permit. as he used the helo in a very unsafe, unprofessional and possibly illegal way.
i was not there, as "just maybe" the drone pilot was keeping said drone away from people? but just close enough to get some video?
not condoning the drone pilot. just saying. whats good for the goose, is good for the gander.

 

[old man mavic]

i would not be surprised if the whole thing was staged to get media coverage

 

[ac0j]

That helicopter pilot should file a drone sighting with the FAA. And complain about how it was interfereing with his super low flyover of a crowd. He could have got a dent in his rotor blade.

 

[787steve]

Seems pretty dangerous for the helicopter pilot. I would imagine that placing the main rotor blades close enough to mavic to create enough force to cause the drone to crash would place the chopper in extremely close proximity.

I don’t know the maximum downforce mavic can overcome, but I don’t think a civilian helicopter could produce such winds from 100’ away.

Flying a drone over people is illegal and unsafe. It could crash or simply land and hurt someone. The answer is to fly a full sized helicopter to the same spot at low altitude and CAUSE the drone to crash. Brilliant.
Looks like an episode of "Dumb and Dumber." The helo pilot should definitely be violated. Safety violations. Wrongful destruction of property. Probably a few more. All to protect the filming rights of the WSL.

 

[Jackcutrone]

Actually helicopters get a special dispensation from the normal rule that manned aircraft cannot come closer than 500 feet to people. For helicopters FAR 91.119 says that helicopters may operate below minimums “if the operation can be conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface.” This is because helicopters can autorotate to a pinpoint landing in the event of an engine failure. Unquestionably if that heli’s engine had failed he would have endangered the people on the surface. I think the guy ought to be reported to the FSDO in Hawaii.

 

[Aussie Oldtimer]

The drone pilot was in breach twice by overflying people in the water and for not landing when the chopper was sighted and came into the area.

 

[Jackcutrone]

Not saying the drone pilot was flying in conformity with the FAR’s either but the heli pilot’s action were more dangerous

 

[SteveCA]

If there was no TFR, the drone pilot simply needed to yield to the heli not land immediately. This is not a smart move by the heli pilot and likely has been admonished by the FAA

 

[swooshdave]

The drone was flying over people? You mean over the crowds or over the surfers in the ocean? Because if it was the surfers I'd say that doesn't count. If I was the drone operator I'd sue the surf organization. And the helicopter pilot.

If I rented a helicopter and flew over the surf event would they try to crash me into the ocean with another helicopter?

 

[Jackcutrone]

The drone was flying over people? You mean over the crowds or over the surfers in the ocean? Because if it was the surfers I'd say that doesn't count. If I was the drone operator I'd sue the surf organization. And the helicopter pilot.

If I rented a helicopter and flew over the surf event would they try to crash me into the ocean with another helicopter?

Probably use an air to air missile.

 

[deleted member 877]

At the end of the day, whatever anyone thinks about who was at fault, the optics are not good for the Drone Pilot community. Indeed is anyone still in doubt in regard to the general public's perception of drones? How often does the press publish stories covering drone related incidents where the drone operator is not cast as the villain?

The FAA and most other civil aviation safety authorities (CASA in Australia) continue to put Drone Flight operations under the microscope and right now is a pivotal time as new regulations are currently being debated.

 

[Jackcutrone]

I’d venture to say that most of us who try to fly responsibly would not have done what the drone pilot did but I’d still say the heli pilot was the more recklessly

 

[old man mavic]

the more i watch it the more i think it was staged notice how the people on the jet skies are moving away from the point where the drone hit the water also the heli was not close enough for the prop wash to have downed the drone what do you think

 

[Chip]

...All to protect the filming rights of the WSL.

Yes, it seems crazy. I wonder if the event promoter even has the legal right to exclude the public from taking pictures in a public place whether by drone or otherwise? Where would such a right come from? I thought no one and everyone owned the air whether its over my backyard or the Pacific ocean or anywhere in between.