Police seize drone that hindered emergency response to crash on I-75

[BigAl07]

I'm afraid until something actually "happens" these type of articles are going to be the "norm" going forward.

Police seize drone that hindered emergency response to crash on I-75

It should be interesting to see how this plays on going forward . . .

 

[LarBear360]

Given the fact the couple were stuck in traffic, I don't know if there was any way they could have known a helicopter had been deployed to the scene. Maybe they just wanted to see what the hold-up was. Would AirMap have alerted them?

Maybe common sense should tell everyone not to fly near emergencies. Period.

 

[TheKestrel]

I'm afraid until something actually "happens" these type of articles are going to be the "norm" going forward.

Police seize drone that hindered emergency response to crash on I-75

It should be interesting to see how this plays on going forward . . .

Wow! Go figger!

 

[With The Birds]

It’s likely a simple issue of awareness. Most who frequent this forum would probably expect an emergency and/or media helicopters might fly in to an incident on a freeway. I stopped a clown who was about to launch and fly over an active bushfire recently. Thought hadn’t crossed his mind they use helicopters and other aircraft to drop incendiary and water/fire retardant from low altitude.

 

[BigAl07]

Given the fact the couple were stuck in traffic, I don't know if there was any way they could have known a helicopter had been deployed to the scene. Maybe they just wanted to see what the hold-up was.

Situational Awareness is key in our industry and exactly what was lacking in this situation. Either they were flying well outside of the distance they could "safely" navigate (beyond ear shot and probably beyond VLOS) or they just were not paying attention. Coming from someone who works these type of events a MediVac doesn't "sneak up on you" in any way. They usually come in, make a clearing pass, and then "ease in" for a landing in the designated LZ. Now their departure is usually not an "easy out" type of maneuver but that's besides the point.

Would AirMap have alerted them?

Doubtful. No TFR's are issued for MediVac unless it's something major (mass casualty over a long period of time). They take a bit to get authorized and and put into place.

Maybe common sense should tell everyone not to fly near emergencies. Period.

Exactly and that's exactly what we have a massive shortage of in our industry (actually society).

If the couple just didn't know they couldn't fly with a helo in the area (assuming they heard/saw it approaching) then once again our SYSTEM has failed. This is yet another reason why some level of education/certification is needed. If you're flying and have at least been exposed to the rules etc and you still do this you get the whole book thrown at you and rightfully so.

 

[bhartwell]

Very unfortunate for all involved. It’s easy to jump on the drone owner, given most will assume that the drone pilot was after pictures and video of the event and was basically just being an idiot. Which may be true.

Or, it may be that the guy with the drone was sitting in what seemed like an endless line of traffic, which wasn’t moving and didn’t look to be starting to move anytime soon. So, he/she pulls out their drone and sends it up the road to see what’s going on. Was it such a good idea? Probably not. Is it completely unreasonable that a normal person would do the same thing given the situation? Probably not.

 

[BigAl07]

Or, it may be that the guy with the drone was sitting in what seemed like an endless line of traffic, which wasn’t moving and didn’t look to be starting to move anytime soon. So, he/she pulls out their drone and sends it up the road to see what’s going on. Was it such a good idea? Probably not. Is it completely unreasonable that a normal person would do the same thing given the situation? Probably not.

If He/She is going to own and operate an sUAS then He/She needs to do so in a safe, legal, and responsible manner regardless of their reasoning for putting the sUAS into the air.

Also wouldn't it seem to reason that if traffic is stopped and jammed enough to get out and fly an sUAS then the likelihood of an accident is more so than just about any other situation? If they happened to be flying from a Scenic Overlook and there was an accident below etc then "maybe" it was a bad coincidence but if you're stopped in traffic wouldn't you assume that it's very likely there is an accident causing this? It's not a guarantee but a very high likelihood IMHO.

Regardless there is no excuse for not flying in an AWARE and responsible way. Anything less is reckless and unacceptable.

 

[African wildlife]

More than one drone operator had to be told to “go” in the moor fires that happened during the summer in the north of England. They were apparently hindering the professionals fighting the fires. This was widely reported in the media, including main evening BBC and ITV news, again not exactly improving how many in the public view drones flown as a hobby.

 

[tcope]

Here is my take on how the FAA could better address this situation. The registration should never have been created. It was/is a lie by the FAA. One thing the FAA wanted to do with the registration was to obtain people's emails addresses and push information to these people.

Trash the registration in its current form (it could be kept if wanted). Instead, in order to fly "safely", each person needs to review an awareness program once a year. For example, you could go online and review some safety information and perhaps take a short quiz at the end. The slight problem with this is that no one would know for sure that the person took the quiz until they caught them flying. But that is the case for the registration as well.

IMHO, the _real_ problem is that people just don't understand how to fly in a safe manner. I get that. The _problem_ is that no one has really pushed this information to people. Instead people need to read articles like this to understand what they should not be doing.

 

[Nightwolf]

Good points. IMHO Registration does nothing but allow for responsibility after the fact (when it's already too late). My nature with things like flying drones or any hobby passion is to jump in and soak up information. Not everyone is wired like that so pushing information or a low level test (as in not as extreme as the 107) is needed

 

[Wilbur]

Here is my take on how the FAA could better address this situation. The registration should never have been created. It was/is a lie by the FAA. One thing the FAA wanted to do with the registration was to obtain people's emails addresses and push information to these people.

Trash the registration in its current form (it could be kept if wanted). Instead, in order to fly "safely", each person needs to review an awareness program once a year. For example, you could go online and review some safety information and perhaps take a short quiz at the end. The slight problem with this is that no one would know for sure that the person took the quiz until they caught them flying. But that is the case for the registration as well.

IMHO, the _real_ problem is that people just don't understand how to fly in a safe manner. I get that. The _problem_ is that no one has really pushed this information to people. Instead people need to read articles like this to understand what they should not be doing.

While I definitely agree with you that's a problem, I question whether that's the bigger issue or it's just that most people don't really care. I think a lot of people think they're smarter than they are and they can just fly however they want and it'll be fine. So I guess it's a combination of arrogance and delusion.

 

[tcope]

While I definitely agree with you that's a problem, I question whether that's the bigger issue or it's just that most people don't really care.

But until we eliminate one, we won't know. No one can eliminate stupid. We _can_ eliminate ignorance of the laws.

I don't disagree with you at all. I just can't fault people as much if they are not given the opportunity to know the difference. I _can_ easily fault a multi-million dollar government agency with the all of the power and resources... for not simply doing their job and instead lying to people.

 

[JohnWebb332]

I use an app called Flightradar24 gold which to my knowledge provides information on all manned aircraft in real time (or super close). I have watched flights overhead and they are shown on the app simultaneously.
In my humble opinion this is extremely necessary and helpful.

 

[BigAl07]

I use an app called Flightradar24 gold which to my knowledge provides information on all manned aircraft in real time (or super close). I have watched flights overhead and they are shown on the app simultaneously.
In my humble opinion this is extremely necessary and helpful.

You may want to read up on FlightRadar24 and how they acquire their data. If you happen to be in Europe your odds are greatly increased but in the US of A those numbers are significantly diminished.
Flightradar24 - Wikipedia

Just a portion:
Currently, about 65% of aircraft in Europe are equipped with ADS-B but only 35% in the US.

 

[JWH]

Just a portion:
Currently, about 65% of aircraft in Europe are equipped with ADS-B but only 35% in the US.

That is going to change shortly, with the looming 2020 deadline. However, all pilots, drone and aircraft alike, need to be aware that not all aircraft will be ADSB equiped. It is not required in all airspaces. It is mainly the areas that now require Mode C.

My cynical view is that this is a precurser to user fees. The FAA has wanted this for years. I see that being expanded to drones eventually.