Drone nearly clips police copter at G.W bridge

[Meta4]

The problem these jerks are gonna run into is the laws that prohibit photography of the bridges due to 9/11.

What laws? Why would you imagine that you can't photograph bridges?
Too many people have voluntarily given up freedom with imagining stupid laws that don't exist.
It's bizarre in what used to be called the land of the free.

http://everydayaperture.com/law/

 

[gppms]

Also, the article claims they paid 400-600 for the drones...they would have been better off, just landing the **** thing..wherever it was in the hudson river...losing the drone for a 600 dollar loss....running away..they would have had a difficult time finding them...now they had to hire a lawyer..how much is that going to cost..and they have a potential of a huge fine...maybe 5000 dollars..my question to all..is isnt it kind of reckless for a helicopter to fly after a drone thats coming down in a residential neighborhood...they could have caused alot more damage if the copter would have clipped a building? no...so where why is it okay for them to be irresponsible..and chasing the drone.they could have collided with it also..near the GW. The whole thing is a dog and pony show for the NEW YORK POST. which is out to put an end to drone flying..they are coming out with a negative drone article about every other day now...it sells newspapers.

+1

 

[meow man]

Bad news there idiots, there are a lot of helicopters that fly that route,

 

[SkysTheLimit]

Being in the area these guys are in...... There are a lot of great shots to capture... BUT.. Being in NY Metro Area, especially where they were is very busy with air traffic.. 2 Major Airports (LGA, JFK) and also Newark not far away, and 3+ other small ones on Long island.. and countless Helicopter services (tours, emergence services, etc...) A PD chopper was bound to spot one sooner or later...

For the most part I stay low, and as responsible as I can... BUT, that doesn't mean a police officer can claim that i'm being reckless..

This whole story (being in my area) has put a damper on my day...

Enjoy shot from the Worlds Fair... Taken at a modest height

 

[dragonash]

they are saying they have cell phone evidence of the cops chasing them.

http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video ... ydailynews

however...why they havent shown that evidence yet remains to be seen.

as a display of responsibility, they launch the phantom from the middle of a street :roll:

 

[SilentAV8R]

I loved the mid street take off as well!! This should make the "bone heads" reel. But this also demonstrates the what and who of the types of people who are ruining for us all. Clearly just some guys that thought they were "cool toys" and have not got clue one about anything. Sucks. I enjoy mine, but these morons, and others like them, make us all look like a bunch of Yahoos.

 

[dragonash]

I just saw the cellphone video on the news.

It was very brief. And it could have been at the end of the flight.
However, buildings were surrounding the phantom and it was nowhere near 2000ft. It wasnt even close to 300 ft.

The Chopper was almost directly over the Phantom in what looked like a residential area.

The guy was using a P2 with no camera. I fail to see the value if going 2000ft with no FPV.

Again, the video was brief and could have been at the end of the flight as he was landing, but it definitely shows him within legal and safe flying conditions

edit:

FOUND THE VIDEO!
http://www.suasnews.com/2014/07/30015/n ... ox-update/

Bottom of the page.

 

[Suwaneeguy]

Just adding my two nickels worth.
The ground video shows the truth. The drone was nowhere near enough to come in contact with the full fledged manned helicopter.
Since the drone's lights were clearly visible, it was flying under 200 feet. I can't see mine at 200 feet in daylight.
The regular pilot said the drone was within 800 feet of their craft and posed a danger to their craft.
Horsehockey. The drone pilot could see the regular helicopter and made attempts to avoid it.

IMO, the NYPD aviation department has no jurisdiction over hobby aircraft.
If these two are smart, and get a good lawyer, then they should point this out to the judge that there are no current laws restricting the use of hobby aircraft.

This will be a good case to keep track of.

 

[QYV]

Suwaneeguy did you read the Forbes article on page 1? While flying the drone itself isn't illegal, it is possible to break the law using it for example if they really did fly towards the helicopter or otherwise harass it, that could be considered reckless endangerment. Do I think that happened in this case? doubtful. More likely we have a captain america pilot (didn't some of the tower chatter comment that he thought it was "military"?) combined with a "arrest/charge first ask questions later" police force.

some articles are saying "came within 800ft of the helicopter" others are saying the incident occurred at 800ft altitude... NY Post reporting is about on par with NYPD policing

 

[duckdogs007]

They were OUTSIDE of the restricted airspace...and BTW...this DJI link is great, everyone should watch this video to understand the latest Firmware Update and the Airspace Classifications A & B...cheers!

http://www.dji.com/fly-safe/category-mc

 

[ianwood]

What DJI classifies as no fly zones has no bearing on what the FAA considers to be restricted airspace. Furthermore, DJI does not cater for TFRs or other common sense situations which would mandate a no fly situation.

 

[GoodnNuff]

TBH, for the prices paid, experience (or lack thereof) of the operators, it's a strong possibility that they are phantoms

The video of the two pilots in the article you linked to show that it is a Phantom.

The video also shows the pilots launching the Phantom from the median strip in the center of a 4 lane highway which makes me question their intelligence even more.

 

[GoodnNuff]

J

I wonder if the the hobby enthusiasts were receptive to the cops or complete butts. Maybe their reaction could have saved them from this situation.

Who knows!

Judging by the video of them in the linked article, they were probably butts.

 

[GoodnNuff]

This is what Shep Smith just reported on Fox was being flown. They mentioned the DJIP2. I would just love to know why it's 'Ok' for a NYPD heli to chase a 'Drone' in the first place and at what cost?

Yes, the video shows the pilots with a Phantom 2.
We have the police saying that they had to change course to avoid a collision, and the pilots saying their drone was chased by the copter.
I doubt either party is telling the full truth...

 

[IrishSights]

This thread was news in July 2014 when it was started. I think the thread has outlived the story. Time to put it down?

 

[GoodnNuff]

LOL, It pays to check the date of the original post, eh? I didn't look at dates, thought this was current news.
Where is the emoticon for "feeling foolish?"

 

[who]

Yeah almost a year ago....anybody got info about their charges stick?