Goodwin Fire Quad Operator arrested...

[Fester]

Arrest made in drone flights over Arizona wildfire

 

[hjscm]

i like this part of the article
An air attack pilot told Sheriff's Office detectives that he spotted the drone at his altitude and that when he tried to see where it was coming from, the drone began circling his plane, D'Evelyn said.
must be a [EXPLETIVE REMOVED] fast drone and good pilot. how can a drone circle a plane in flight

 

[Fester]

i like this part of the article
An air attack pilot told Sheriff's Office detectives that he spotted the drone at his altitude and that when he tried to see where it was coming from, the drone began circling his plane, D'Evelyn said.
must be a **** fast drone and good pilot. how can a drone circle a plane in flight

Probably a chopper, but regardless of the operators skill, he shouldn't have been there.

 

[hjscm]

circling a chopper would be hard too with the down draft of the rotors. but agree he shouldn't be there.

 

[Indiana_pyro]

I hope he gets what he deserves.

 

[BigAl07]

circling a chopper would be hard too with the down draft of the rotors. but agree he shouldn't be there.

Downwash from the rotor would only be a problem if very close (within diameter of the blade) to the helicopter. If the rogue drone operator made large circles around the helo it wouldn't be an issue.

Regardless it was a VERY bad idea.

 

[DefiantChild]

Apparently airspace was closed to all except fire operations aircraft. The violating airspace charge will likely stick. Whether or not the felony charges of endangerment and interference will stick remain to be seen since air-ops were winding down for the evening.

Here's an earlier article:

http://www.azcentral.com/story/news...unty-sheriffs-office-investigating/438190001/

Apparently he wasn't the only drone pilot whose craft was spotted during the fires. Another drone was seen in the no-fly zone but they haven't located the pilot (yet).

 

[Sundevilfan]

The Prescott Daily Courier reports that the drone operator Gene Alan Carpenter has been formally charged with 2 counts of felony endangerment. Also in the criminal complaint, Carpenter faces one count each of possession or use of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Each is a class 6 felony.

 

[Fester]

Not concerned about the weed, but the rest is quite heartwarming