Was your drone knocked off its flight by a helicopter?

[m0j0]

I’d lock em all up
Vigilante pilot included

 

[m0j0]

Think again - this time from a standpoint of probability. Which type of aircraft is more likely to fail mid-flight? The $1000 drone piloted by some dude or the helicopter, piloted by a serious professional usually with thousands of hours experience?

Ok so lets look at this from another point of view. If that Mavic falls 1000 times from that height what is the probability that someone dies? I am going to say 0 times out of 1000. If that helicopter falls from that height 10 times what are the chances someone dies. I'm thinking 5-10.

 

[Weaponized]

I really get a kick out of manned pilots patting themselves on the back.

I was a Naval Flight Engineer and flight instructor. Part of my role was training pilots as a team with the instructor pilots. I've done a complete 360 on the runway, because of pilot error. Ive seen (and repaired) more broken airplanes than I could begin to count, because of pilot error. I've seen a pilot punch the runway so hard that it drove a main strut through the wing, burning a 4 engine reconnaissance plane to ashes, again...pilot error. And lastly, I saw 50 of my shipmates explode in a ball of fire over the pacific. They never found all of the bodies. It too was pilot error.

This is likely less than .005% of the stupid things I've witnessed from pilots so get over yourselves. I've seen the side of you that you don't want anyone to see. There's a large percentage that barely squeaked through flight training and apparently one of them just used a helo as a weapon.

 

[m0j0]

I really get a kick out of manned pilots patting themselves on the back.

I was a Naval Flight Engineer and flight instructor. Part of my role was training pilots as a team with the instructor pilots. I've done a complete 360 on the runway, because of pilot error. Ive seen (and repaired) more broken airplanes than I could begin to count, because of pilot error. I've seen a pilot punch the runway so hard that it drove a main strut through the wing, burning a 4 engine reconnaissance plane to ashes, again...pilot error. And lastly, I saw 50 of my shipmates explode in a ball of fire over the pacific. They never found all of the bodies. It too was pilot error.

This is likely less than .005% of the stupid things I've witnessed from pilots so get over yourselves. I've seen the side of you that you don't want anyone to see. There's a large percentage that barely squeaked through flight training and apparently one of them just used a helo as a weapon.

I think you have just become one of my favorite people on the board. A veteran (thank you for your service) a pilot (much respect) and humble (HOLY CRAP). I always had a positive view of pilots when I was a child - even wrote a third grade essay on how I wanted to be a pilot or an FBI agent. Didn't become a pilot but did become a federal agent ... I will brag that my agency is better than the FBI... Coming on this board I read a ton of condecending comments from pilots talking down to the posters here. For the most part I found their comments snobbish and pompous. It is incredibly refreshing to read comments from a navel flight instructor, who I understand to be the cream of the crop for aviators, who is has the pedigree and no reservation about calling out stupid actions even if it is another pilot.

Thank you

 

[Weaponized]

You're welcome. I have nothing against pilots. I've known many that I would share a foxhole with. But this notion that they are all beyond reproach is wet dream. There likely isn't day that goes by in this country where one doesn't taxi an aircraft into a piece of support equipment and it doesn't make the evening news.

But as soon as a drone operator farts, OMG Activate the launch sequence… the sky is going to fall and commies have hopped the wire. Please spare us this BS already. For every good pilot I've known there was another that couldn't find his own butt cheeks until he was informed that he was sitting on them.

 

[m0j0]

@Weaponized understood.

Still Pretty funny..

 

[deleted member 877]

But as soon as a drone operator farts, OMG Activate the launch sequence… the sky is going to fall and commies have hopped the wire.

It's unfortunate but that's the reality. Drone pilots, especially recreational ones, are very much under the spotlight at the moment so any bad publicity is not going to help the cause. Everybody needs to do their best to be squeaky clean in an effort to convince the FAA (and other airspace regulators around the world) that we would prefer not to have our hobby/sport/whatever you want to call it heavily restricted in the future.

 

[Pidgbug]

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

I was near griffith park in LA (many signs stating the prohibition of drones at the actual observatory just FYI. All over the place like I've never seen.) And one of those firefighter planes which drop all of that flame retardant material (is that no longer PC? Sry, 'flame with an extra chromosome smothering material') and I'd judge the height above my drone to be at least 900 feet, but just coming close to it cause enough rf disruption for the drone to wobble wildly for a brief moment. I live not to far from a small airport and due to the tx's from communications I can't quite fly 1k out, yet some areas nearby I can go a few kilometers out at least (all I've cared to attempt) with all stock MPP.

This is well understood, I just mean to put an emphasis on the possibility that the helicoptor pilot who flew over it could have downed the drone at the surfing competition because of it's overwhelming transmissions. In any case, that pilot deserves a piece of his helicopter stuck to his dome if he intentionally did that. Luddite bastards. '**** that much more efficient, safe, and cost effective way of doing what I do!!!'

 

[sar104]

I was near griffith park in LA (many signs stating the prohibition of drones at the actual observatory just FYI. All over the place like I've never seen.) And one of those firefighter planes which drop all of that flame retardant material (is that no longer PC? Sry, 'flame with an extra chromosome smothering material') and I'd judge the height above my drone to be at least 900 feet, but just coming close to it cause enough rf disruption for the drone to wobble wildly for a brief moment. I live not to far from a small airport and due to the tx's from communications I can't quite fly 1k out, yet some areas nearby I can go a few kilometers out at least (all I've cared to attempt) with all stock MPP.

This is well understood, I just mean to put an emphasis on the possibility that the helicoptor pilot who flew over it could have downed the drone at the surfing competition because of it's overwhelming transmissions. In any case, that pilot deserves a piece of his helicopter stuck to his dome if he intentionally did that. Luddite bastards. '**** that much more efficient, safe, and cost effective way of doing what I do!!!'

Just to be clear - radio transmissions from an aircraft are not going to interfere with your drone. Wrong frequencies, too little power etc..

And radio interference doesn't cause these drones to crash - just to lose uplink. The helicopter downwash took out this drone - it wasn't radio transmissions.

 

[Pidgbug]

I purchased my first drone so I could drop

Think again - this time from a standpoint of probability. Which type of aircraft is more likely to fail mid-flight? The $1000 drone piloted by some dude or the helicopter, piloted by a serious professional usually with thousands of hours experience?

I've had touch the blades of my MPP twice. Once on top unmodded ascent and the propellers gave me a small cut on the side of my hand,.,.. that was done on purpose after I touched the propeller on accident to grab it right when it landed and suffered no damage at all. The tip of my finger hurt only slightly, far less than having a door closed on it. Unless those propellers hit an eye, then I imagine they're pretty harmless.
So yes, a large helicopter flying low above people is far more dangerous. Your point is moot even if drones have an infinitely higher chance of dropping out of the sky at any time - which they do not - think about it.

 

[deleted member 877]

I purchased my first drone so I could drop


I've had touch the blades of my MPP twice. Once on top unmodded ascent and the propellers gave me a small cut on the side of my hand,.,.. that was done on purpose after I touched the propeller on accident to grab it right when it landed and suffered no damage at all. The tip of my finger hurt only slightly, far less than having a door closed on it. Unless those propellers hit an eye, then I imagine they're pretty harmless.
So yes, a large helicopter flying low above people is far more dangerous. Your point is moot even if drones have an infinitely higher chance of dropping out of the sky at any time - which they do not - think about it.

Be 100% assured that I have thought about it - my point is far from moot. When a helicopter loses power the pilot still has a measure of control on the way down - it doesn't just plummet like a rock. When a drone loses power for example when the battery fails (and this happens more often than you would know) the thing plummets like a rock.

By law, helicopters are checked and serviced on a strict schedule. There are no regulations governing the maintenance or airworthiness of drones (for recreational use) or viability of batteries. If a 700-gram drone falls on someone's head at terminal velocity what do think the outcome will be?

In any case, my whole point from the get-go has been about how such incidents are viewed by the FAA and general public regardless of what we may think. It started with a drone being in the wrong place - what happened after that doesn't matter one iota when it comes to judging the drone operator's actions.

 

[vjslof]

When a helicopter loses power the pilot still has a measure of control on the way down - it doesn't just plummet like a rock. When a drone loses power for example when the battery fails (and this happens more often than you would know) the thing plummets like a rock.

In this case at this low altitude there is no way the helicopter has time to initiate a safe landing. It just goes down like a brick before hitting the safe button...

 

[deleted member 877]

In this case at this low altitude there is no way the helicopter has time to initiate a safe landing. It just goes down like a brick before hitting the safe button...

So why bother nitpicking about this particular case? I was obviously making my point in general terms. The fact still remains that the incident WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED had the irresponsible drone pilot not been flying illegally in the first instance.

All he/she needed to do was stay 30 metres away from the people in the water and the FAA would have one less example to use when justifying new and heavier restrictions that are more than likely to be handed down some time sooner than later.

 

[FoxhallGH]

So why bother nitpicking about this particular case? I was obviously making my point in general terms. The fact still remains that the incident WOULD NOT HAVE OCCURRED had the irresponsible drone pilot not been flying illegally in the first instance.

All he/she needed to do was stay 30 metres away from the people in the water and the FAA would have one less example to use when justifying new and heavier restrictions that are more than likely to be handed down some time sooner than later.

Agreed @crystal-pete ... This is an example of all-round stupidity. But if the Helo' was filming surfers, then the last thing the pilot needs is a drone buzzing around that he's got to have eyes in the back of his head to track, while he's also tracking the surfer and while he's keeping altitude. It must have been so frustrating for the helo' pilot to know that the drone operator just didn't appreciate the work-load he/she was already under! I also find it amazing that the Mavic just hovered there while the chopper came over, and while things were thrown at it ... If the operator didn't have VLOS and the common sense to get the hell out of the way - then stupid as the whole event was, they shouldn't be flying a drone and the copter pilot actually did them a favour ...
The helicopter pilot would have found himself in a position where it was stupid to keep flying with a rogue drone in the same airspace, and also stupid to blow the drone into the sea. One of those choices though - keeps him airborne, his customer happy and pays his mortgage ...

 

[swings16]

COMMON SENSE.
DO NOT fly in a space that has professional specialized (flying) equipment being used in an event that could interfere with or very possibly injure the participants

Who is so special to have the B..Guts and stupidity to interfere with an event like that ?

I feel that the drone pilot was in the wrong place at the wrong time...STUPIDITY

COMMON SENSE...use your head...it isn't ALL ABOUT YOU ...

no pissing contests allowed...Fly SAFELY and use COMMON SENSE

Thanks All...Martin

 

[m0j0]

Be 100% assured that I have thought about it - my point is far from moot. When a helicopter loses power the pilot still has a measure of control on the way down.

Im not getting it. Somehow a potential 10,000 pound controlled crash of a helicopter is less of a danger than the potential 1 pound “plummet” of a Mavic? That is bad math. I don’t care how much more likely the mavic is to crash. You only need to move 4 inches to avoid it. Even if it heads right at you, chances are you can deflect it. The helicopter .... ummmm death. That maneuver was dumb by both pilots. The maneuver that posed the most risk was the helicopter pilots. To be honest how did the pilot know that flying like that wouldn’t cause the mavic to hit someone on the way down. Let alone flying 10,000 pounds over swimmers. No excuse for that.

 

[Weaponized]

Im not getting it. Somehow a potential 10,000 pound controlled crash of a helicopter is less of a danger than the potential 1 pound “plummet” of a Mavic? That is bad math. I don’t care how much more likely the mavic is to crash. You only need to move 4 inches to avoid it. Even if it heads right at you, chances are you can deflect it. The helicopter .... ummmm death. That maneuver was dumb by both pilots. The maneuver that posed the most risk was the helicopter pilots. To be honest how did the pilot know that flying like that wouldn’t cause the mavic to hit someone on the way down. Let alone flying 10,000 pounds over swimmers. No excuse for that.

I don't understand that logic either. Given that the drone operates on a battery, it would have left on its own accord likely within a few minutes. Knocking it out of the sky because it was "flying over people" is a new level of stupid that displays a complete ignorance of gravity. One could say, second only to defending the action. I won't say that because it would be rude. But one could.

 

[m0j0]

All he/she needed to do was stay 30 metres away from the people in the water and the FAA.

Unbelievable - you actually believe the FAA’s should/would use that video to exemplify what not to do With DRONES!

LOL - I am at a loss for words. You do realize that the FAA governs manned aircraft right. You know, the helicopter that was used to crash another aircraft. There absolutely has to be a law that prohibits that. In fact, I’m betting it is criminal to do it!

 

[Weaponized]

Unbelievable - you actually believe the FAA’s should/would use that video to exemplify what not to do With DRONES!

LOL - I am at a loss for words. You do realize that the FAA governs manned aircraft right. You know, the helicopter that was used to crash another aircraft. There absolutely has to be a law that prohibits that. In fact, I’m betting it is criminal to do it!

Its the equivalent of purposely crashing your car into someone else's for cutting you off in traffic.

 

[deleted member 877]

Did either of you guys (@Weaponized & @Mojo) read FoxHallGH's post #74 ? If not then please do. If so then why can't you understand his simple and clearly stated logic? Just let it go - your continued nit-picking over this particular incident never had legs and never will.