Drone knucklehead . . . very UNCOOL stunt flying over HELICOPTER

[xspwhite]

The funny thing about this guy is that everytime someone comments about the video on his YouTube channel referring to the drone laws, he claims to be completely oblivious as to what they are talking about, and trys to place the blame solely on the dji geofencing system. I'm thinking in the future, the part 107 test might become mandatory for all drone pilots.

 

[skymonkey]

The funny thing about this guy is that everytime someone comments about the video on his YouTube channel referring to the drone laws, he claims to be completely oblivious as to what they are talking about, and trys to place the blame solely on the dji geofencing system. I'm thinking in the future, the part 107 test might become mandatory for all drone pilots.

I think it should for anyone operating in the NAS with the exception of hobbyists that would be able to fly exclusively in AMA fields.
Everyone that drives a vehicle on the public roadways is required to have a license

 

[xspwhite]

I think it should for anyone operating in the NAS with the exception of hobbyists that would be able to fly exclusively in AMA fields.
Everyone that drives a vehicle on the public roadways is required to have a license

That sounds pretty reasonable.

 

[3rdof5]

I'd like to make two separate statements. The first one is that I in no way condone flying illegally and against the rules especially when it involves putting human lives at risk.
My second statement Is that I am glad the geofencing is not so stringent that it keeps all drones in a perfect box at all times. We live in a world where we slide back and forth between freedom and safety. If you want to be one hundred percent totally safe you can live in a glass box. And if you want to have 100% total freedom you will live in a world of Anarchy. We need to be at a reasonable place in between. Yes we all need to be safe and follow the rules, but that doesn't mean we need to have big brother control our every move. That's the equivalent of selling car that will not go above the speed limit because it's illegal. I do not want to live in a world like that.

Well said. I've been watching this thread and being a Canadian, part 107 doesn't actually apply here but i agree with it. That being said, this pilot was clearly operating illegally, and imo, and more importantly, he was flying UNSAFE. I'll be the first to admit I've broken the rules/laws, I've taken off at night which currently is not allowed here until June 1st, and I've flown BVLOS in an area I knew to be free of any other air traffic. I use COMMON SENSE and I always fly safe. I never take any chances to interfere with manned AC or anyone on the ground. This pilot wasn't chasing the heli. But that excuses nothing. He shouldn't have been there to start with and the fact he posted this video and even went so far as to edit it to show just how close of a call it was, was cocky and stupid. It's almost as if he's proud he got that video. Imo he should be prosecuted for his actions.

 

[BigAl07]

I would guess that the operator was blissfully unaware of the helicopter. You seem to be suggesting that the UAS operator PURPOSELY flew close to the helicopter. i.e. "pulled a maneuver." Perhaps not???

The UAS operator appears to be a LOT higher than 400' AGL. I'd guess 1,000' AGL or more. Because of this great altitude, he may not of heard or seen the helicopter, which can be seen and heard extremely well @ 400' AGL. 3 or 4 times last year I dove down to 100' AGL when I heard a helicopter. I'm not excusing his behavior, I'm just saying that I don't believe he purposely played chicken with a helicopter. Perhaps you didn't mean to suggest that.

D

No the "maneuver" was flying so high and clearly in an unsafe manner. The helicopter flying so close to him was a direct result of his very actions. The moment he operated the aircraft in that particular area AND at such a crazy height everything that happens after that is a result of those poor decisions leading up to it. Thank goodness there was no incident and merely a shocking (yet very cool looking) video of the event and not a crash site.

I do not think he purposely flew near the helicopter mostly because I'm confident he had no idea it was even there in the first place. He and the people in the HELO are very fortunate.

 

[Raptorman0909]

For me, the most likely lethal situation involving a drone collision would be a drone hitting a helicopter rotor blade and causing it to either shatter or be deformed sufficiently that the imbalance destroys the rotor -- the end result would be certain death for anyone in the copter and also risks injury or death to others on the ground. There are risks to fixed wing AC, but I'd argue the single greatest risk is to helicopters given the generally lower altitude flown and the huge and vulnerable rotor blade that also has the tendency to hoover up a drone towards it. This video comes real close to precisely that threat and if the copter were a bit higher and moving forward more slowly it might well have sucked the drone into the rotors. Remember, even if the copter was hardly moving the rotor tips could be well over 500mph and an impact at that speed with a 1.5kg hunk of metal and plastic would be more than most rotor blades are designed to handle.


Brian

 

[PunaPhantom]

I am the first to call stupid on reckless pilots...
But it appears that from my estimation he was in legal airspace if he was less than 400ft agl
but yeah looking again it does appear he is much highe than 400...
The other video of chasing wildlife upsets me no end... in Hawaii here DLNR would throw the book at him...

 

[sar104]

I am the first to call stupid on reckless pilots...
But it appears that from my estimation he was in legal airspace if he was less than 400ft agl
but yeah looking again it does appear he is much highe than 400...
The other video of chasing wildlife upsets me no end... in Hawaii here DLNR would throw the book at him...

No - he was in restricted airspace, surface to 3500 ft, and at around 1100 ft AGL. You should have read the thread before posting.