Coming from a family of pilots many of whom are heli pilots, myself I'm fixed wing, I can tell you with pretty good authority that any thing striking a rotary wing in flight can cause immense damage even a crash. Your right, that drone would not fly upward into the rotor wash. The most likely scenario for a main rotor collision would be a heli making a banking turn into the the path of the drone. A tail rotor strike would be less catastrophic but in low altitudes autorotation landing becomes more and more difficult. This whole conversation veered off in a different direction than how it started, but it is still one worth having. The fact is, that helicopters and drones are often flying in the same altitudes and a collision is in no ones interest. And the helicopter would always get the worst of it. Replacing a drone will cost couple thousand, replacing a single main rotor blade can cost 30K with installation and re-balancing. And in the event of a crash, you cant replace a life.
USA How is this legal?
- Thread starter Hank
- Start date
I did not mean any disrespect Sir.
Point is that contrary to your first statement that FAA force consist only of 1500 aviation inspectors, resources to monitor conduct besides Flight Examiners & FAA designee's (as you corrected yourself) include Any person can report any pilot misconduct to the FAA.
(and as an ATP at the age of 49 I hardly qualify to be called sonny, but will accept it out of respect)
- Joined
- Jun 28, 2016
- Messages
- 223
- Reaction score
- 91
- Age
- 62
Touché. What happens when a bird strikes a rotary wing? Let's say a 10 lb. goose, because they're migratory and are almost always flying in a group, I would think collision would be fairly common. As we all know, these geese brought down an entire 747.
This really is my main point. Regardless of the effect a drone has on a helicopter, all that is moot if a drone is flying where a helicopter would never fly. And as you pointed out, above the drone simply means the drone would be crushed under the thrust of the helicopter rotors.
Touché. But I think we can agree there would be no "banking turns" 100' AGL over a fire.
Touché. But, as we're all very well aware, helicopters crash a LOT withOUT the aid of drone collision. Lives are lost. Property is damaged. In the case of the original post, the drone got footage SAFELY where a helicopter would have impeded operations and would be much more dangerous hovering over houses and people. For some reason, these very profound, very valid points seem to get lost in the "drones are unsafe" / "FAA rules say..." rhetoric.
D
If both were licensed and the drone was under 400 feet in an unrestricted in the USA it's just an accident?
An accident is defined as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft that takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, and in which any person suffers death or serious injury, or in which the aircraft receives substantial damage.
An incident is an occurrence other than an accident that affects or could affect the safety of operations.
What's the difference between an accident and an incident?
Last edited:
Here are some state mandated rules or laws pertaining to a drone's proximity to an emergency scene, such as a house fire.
Florida (§ 330.41), Oregon (§ 837.385), North Carolina (§ 15A-300.2), Texas (Gov’t Code § 423), and others criminalize or create civil penalties for operating within ~500 ft–1,000 ft of an incident or “in a manner that interferes” without permission.
The FAA has no distance limit to an emergency scene. They mearly state that the drone should not interfere with the emergency operation that is occuring. Just as the state rules use the term, in a manner that interferes, but they add 500 to 1000ft. Regarding that airport that is close by, the further away you get from a major airport , your allowable flight AGL increases. The pilot was probable a good distance away from the airport. By the way, firefighters, when dealing with the usual structure fire, don't call the FAA to issue a TFR. So, you don't have to worry about that. Given what I have read, and reffering to the AI software I used to get it's analysis of what is legal, safe, or just common sense, DO NOT EVER GET CLOSER THAN 500 FT. Less than 1000 ft horizontally may get you in trouble in some states, but if you flying maybe 700ft close to the scene, you should stay low, and stay in an area that won't distract emergency personell, be aware and in VLOS. Pick a spot to record the scene, like an empty uninhabited field or forested area, or maybe an empty parking lot, in which you can maintain situational awareness, VLOS, and know if any manned aircraft are approaching to aid operations or life flight someone out of the scene. BE STEALTHY, DON'T BE SEEN, DON'T INTERFERE, DON'T GET NOTICED! The FAA is only going to get involved, if you are reported as interferring with the emergency operations or creating a danger risk to others or yourself. Remember, the FAA hasn't made a distance rule, but if the distance is close enough to cause responders concern and you get reported to the FAA and then they see your video on TV, THEY WILL LIKELY TRACK YOU DOWN. If embers or flying burnt debri are near you or your drone, you are obviously way too close.
CHEERS
