Yesterday a CHP helicopter from the Golden Gate Air Ops division had a VERY close call with a drone at 700-800 ft. It so happens that these good men and women who work for this division are my neighbors at our local airport. Unauthorized drone activity has been posing a serious threat in the Bay Area and it's only getting worse. Fortunately the incident is gaining legs rapidly through the media. My good friend Jim Andrews was quoted brilliantly in this article and I thought it was worth sharing:
[...]
Andrews, also a CHP helicopter pilot who was off duty Saturday, acknowledged that he has a personal interest in keeping drones out of the way of piloted aircraft.
“If your level of aircraft experience is that you ordered something from Amazon,” he said, “you ought to stay out of the federal air traffic system.”
Original Article:
CHP copter avoids hitting drone in Martinez - SFGate