Drone near miss NSW
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Drone near miss NSW
Those in the SAAA would have received an email about this already and it is to be submitted to the ATSB.
A pilot was flying his Gyrocopter at 500ft coastal when he spotted a hexacopter dead ahead and was unable to alter course in time. It passed one meter below his rotor.
Not your average toy, but rather a 1 meter wide job with 6 engines. He was unable to find where the drone came from.
This happened 1nm north of Byron Bay.
This would have to be the closest near miss that has been reported in Australia. God help whoever runs into one, let alone in a gyro or helicopter... Ouch.
A pilot was flying his Gyrocopter at 500ft coastal when he spotted a hexacopter dead ahead and was unable to alter course in time. It passed one meter below his rotor.
Not your average toy, but rather a 1 meter wide job with 6 engines. He was unable to find where the drone came from.
This happened 1nm north of Byron Bay.
This would have to be the closest near miss that has been reported in Australia. God help whoever runs into one, let alone in a gyro or helicopter... Ouch.
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This would have to be the closest near miss that has been reported in Australia
the mediahave reported many near misses, but none have materialised into actual reports.. i suspect quite a few birds are now being called drones.
i have seen a video, made in the USA, by a university, using drones and crop dusters, to see if pilots can actually see a drone from the air, the drones were flown at 400 ft,in one paddock, the pilots, knowing where the drones were, flew at 500 ft, around the paddock. not one reported actually seeing the drones.
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The vertical separation in that experiment was not the actual distance.
Even if it was, 100ft is not exactly a near miss in that environment.
Point is, with a drone it is a preventable element of risk.
I have yet to see one while working. Entirely possible they have been there.
Outside of maybe three wingspans to the front and one to the side against a solid background one would be hard pressed to see a drone.
Perhaps more if above the horizon.
Even if it was, 100ft is not exactly a near miss in that environment.
Point is, with a drone it is a preventable element of risk.
I have yet to see one while working. Entirely possible they have been there.
Outside of maybe three wingspans to the front and one to the side against a solid background one would be hard pressed to see a drone.
Perhaps more if above the horizon.
It might help if the gyro blokes decided to fly a little higher than the legal minimum, too. Just because you're in permanent auto-rotation doesn't guarantee a safe arrival if the engine quits.
Altitude is your best friend, and the view from 2000 feet is a bit better than at 500 feet...and so is the amount of time you have to sort out a few things in an emergency.
Altitude is your best friend, and the view from 2000 feet is a bit better than at 500 feet...and so is the amount of time you have to sort out a few things in an emergency.
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I've seen a drone while flying before - I was at about 700ft climbing to 1000ft over water adjacent to a popular lighthouse and I saw the blinking lights and white body of the drone which I think was a DJI phantom, flying parallel to me. I'd say it would have been over land and at 500ft, and my passenger spotted the operator as well. Wouldn't have been very good to hit in the prop but was well clear.
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It might help if the gyro blokes decided to fly a little higher than the legal minimum.... Snip
A few years ago it would have been " i was flying my C172/182/206/210 (insert appropriate lighty) at 500 ft coastal and had a near hit with a gyrocopter.
The height limit for model aeroplanes - be they quad/hex/octo copters, electric fixed wing, turbine powered model jets etc is 400ft as far as I am aware, and given that they don't typically have accurate altimetry (many have telemetry that shows some parameters but altitude is usually just GPS altitude not barometric) and it is damn near impossible to accurately pick how high the model is flying at, the difference between 4 and 500 ft is pretty small.
The height limit for model aeroplanes - be they quad/hex/octo copters, electric fixed wing, turbine powered model jets etc is 400ft as far as I am aware, and given that they don't typically have accurate altimetry (many have telemetry that shows some parameters but altitude is usually just GPS altitude not barometric) and it is damn near impossible to accurately pick how high the model is flying at, the difference between 4 and 500 ft is pretty small.
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actually all DJI multirotors have barometric pressure altimeters. when powered up, they record the QNH, and using GPS, can tell their altitude quite accurately. just how accurate is the 45 yr old altimeter in most GA bugsmashers today?
The DJI probably has more technology than the average GA bugsmasher 
Ultralight, didn't realise the DJI's had barometric altimetry - do they have altitude in telemetry?
The model aeroplanes these days are very advanced - including one with automated holding patterns and auto land for around 4-500 bucks!
Ultralight, didn't realise the DJI's had barometric altimetry - do they have altitude in telemetry?
The model aeroplanes these days are very advanced - including one with automated holding patterns and auto land for around 4-500 bucks!
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The height limit for model aeroplanes - be they quad/hex/octo copters, electric fixed wing, turbine powered model jets etc is 400ft as far as I am aware
There was rumour of new legislation regarding remote aircraft/drones/quadcopters (specifically commercial ops <2kg) being released prior to the end of this year, I guess given the track record we might see it around 2025...
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The DJI probably has more technology than the average GA bugsmasher
Ultralight, didn't realise the DJI's had barometric altimetry - do they have altitude in telemetry?
Ultralight, didn't realise the DJI's had barometric altimetry - do they have altitude in telemetry?
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Anonymouspilot - that's not quite right.
In controlled airspace you cannot operate either above 400 ft or within 3nm without permission from the airspace arbiter/aerodrome operator and ATC. So you can't be at 7nm and operate above 400ft without permission.
Same in class G. You shall remain below 400ft unless in an area approved by CASA. (CASR 101.030).
In controlled airspace you cannot operate either above 400 ft or within 3nm without permission from the airspace arbiter/aerodrome operator and ATC. So you can't be at 7nm and operate above 400ft without permission.
Same in class G. You shall remain below 400ft unless in an area approved by CASA. (CASR 101.030).
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Highflier - on your first point I agree, careless use of 'and' on my part. You're correct the limit is 400ft anywhere in CTA.
On your second point tho, I don't believe there's anything forbidding operation above 400ft as long as the other requirements are met (clear of CTA, aerodromes, populous areas etc etc.) This is spelt out in the advisory circular AC101-3 8.2.1 "While this rule means that a model aircraft may be flown above 400 ft AGL clear of these areas..." I know its just an AC, and I'm not arguing its a good idea, but that's the way its written at the moment.
On your second point tho, I don't believe there's anything forbidding operation above 400ft as long as the other requirements are met (clear of CTA, aerodromes, populous areas etc etc.) This is spelt out in the advisory circular AC101-3 8.2.1 "While this rule means that a model aircraft may be flown above 400 ft AGL clear of these areas..." I know its just an AC, and I'm not arguing its a good idea, but that's the way its written at the moment.
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i call BS on the 8000ft sighting.. with a max climb rate of about 400ft/ min, and a max battery life of about 15 to 20 mins.. not to mention a loss of single safety kicks in about 1000ft away...
though i have seen hang gliders at 8000ft + above the blue mountains west of Sydney..
though i have seen hang gliders at 8000ft + above the blue mountains west of Sydney..
i call BS on the 8000ft sighting.. with a max climb rate of about 400ft/ min, and a max battery life of about 15 to 20 mins.. not to mention a loss of single safety kicks in about 1000ft away...
However the next level up in expense and sophistication (and not all that large) are quite capable of reaching 8000 and higher, have quite good battery life (technology is improving all the time), and also have the smarts to be programmed to track via a set of lat/longs, do things enroute (e.g. take pix) then return to a point of origin or somewhere else and land.
Legally, such ops being above 400FT and beyond VLOS require prior CASA approval of course, and they would issue a NOTAM.
Last edited by CaptainMidnight; 31st Dec 2015 at 04:51.
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Seen YouTube lately? Scores of kids are sending balloons and other devices into space (close enough anyway) and back again... Then go and find their "aircraft" with GoPro fitted via Satellite tracking. Impressive what you can do these days for a few hundred dollars. You'd only have to fit an extra battery pack to get to 8k even on a cheap model. I have a $60 one that would get to 3,000 ft easily on a single 3.8 volt batt.
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