Drones shooting bushfires
 

Amazing footage here:
...and now CASA are debating charging the drone company according to some news reports:
Australian authorities warn about flying drones near wildfires ? drone journalism
What say you fellow ppruners?
Idiotic behaviour on behalf of RPV pilots... or are CASA being bureaucratic numpties?

I dont want to fan the fire but
 

much damage assessment can be carried out, and looking at the bridge that's a good perspective to check out initial damage.

Keep well away from rescue / fire fighters, and retardant drops, and get the footage.
In the barn was impressive flying, I just saw the cable crossing the barn....

Glf

There is a place and time for drones. Crossing a police line and going into the burnt out shed without permission could destroy evidence and filming the fire could potentially put fire bomber aircraft and their crew at risk. While the footage is impressive those responsible are idiots. CASA clearly needs to regulate this fast developing segment of the industry and where necessary prosecute those endangering others.

FYI CASA is after this chap who filmed this.

I hope they find him. This is the clearest example of a drone being used in an irresponsible manner potentially endangering people’s lives.

Look at 3:50 in the video. You can see the operator standing next to the firefighters.

Is there any chances he is actually a fire fighter using it to inspect the damage?

You know, that got me thinking..... (Rare I know)

It might be a good way to go looking for that 210 out near Newcastle.

If you look the operator can be seen in a number of shots. He even appears to be wearing the same clothes. If he was working for the fire fighters it would be public knowledge by now. What he really is, is a classic rubber necker with a high tech toy.

404, you're a classic ignorant troglodyte. What I saw appeared nicely flown, of interest to anyone remotely related to either aviation or the fires in question and hardly a threat to man or machine.

It made the papers and ninemsn two or three weeks ago under the headline "Firefighters use drones....."

The headline heavily inferred the RFS were trialling their use.

After I read the story and watched the video link I learned it was not official.

No real harm done, nice footage.

I couldn't find the story I mention above on ninemsn BUT I did find another story regarding the drone flying over the Sydney State Mine Fires. The RFS and CASA were not impressed by the footage.

See story here:--

Drones could block firefighters, RFS warns

A Work of Art
 

The video is a work of art, a record for posterity. The day will come when the drones are an integral part of fire spotting tactics and management. As usual the technology has left CASA far behind

Maybe but try telling that to a Helicopter Pilot that may come face to face with a unknown Drone lurking about a Fire. :=

These things need to be coordinated properly.:ok:

8888

You know, RC aircraft were my introduction to flying as a kid and I occasionally still fly them when I’m down in Australia. There is though a golden rule when flying them. You never, under any circumstances fly them over people and you never fly them where there may be a danger in a collision with a real aircraft. This guy broke both those rules.

By the way anyone can appear to fly one of these gyroscopically stabilised things nicely especially with a GoPro camera with image stabilisation.

give it time and the drone will be dropping the water

Oracle - I think you're dead right!
Interested by all your replies.
I can see both sides of the issue.
On one hand, RPVs like this present a great danger operating in proximity to Rotary or Fixed wing aircraft. The inherently limited field of view to the RPV pilot means he/she cannot see and avoid full sized aircraft outside of the narrow cone of vision of the camera. Also - a drone would be almost impossible for a FW/RW pilot to see until it collided with their chopper/plane - with predictably disastrous results. I wonder if it should be mandated that they have a bright white flashing strobe on them when they are operating near full sized aircraft?
Having said that, Cividrone seems to have been flying between 50 and 100 feet AGL, and his flight envelope didn't appear to be within that of a firefighting chopper - although I stand to be corrected by any rotary wing pilots reading this. I think he was probably more in danger of accidentally copping a tonne or two of water from above and being washed out of the sky!!
The reason I find this interesting is that for my sins, I have to deal with journos ocassionally. I was at a seminar yesterday where they were talking in detail about this footage, and were very excited by it. The potential of UAVs for cash strapped newsgathering operations and documentary makers is enormous, and they were clearly very interested.
Why pay $1800 an hour for a Squirrel when you can buy and fly your own machine for $10,000 and get footage that provides angles and perspectives a gyro stabilised mount or steerable camera turret never could?
CASA are going to have to wake up fast.
These things are cheap, highly capable and are coming our way big time.

i dont think having my shed burnt down gives anyone my permission for them to fly their camera through it.

If CASA get their way shortly, you will need some form of AOC to be able to operate these machines. As to what level of AOC will be required is being drafted at present.

VH-XXX - do you know if CASA will also mandate any kind of anti-collision strobe being fitted to them?
Those LEDs that cyclists use are very effective, highly visible and lightweight with low power draw.
I wonder if that could address two problems - make them much more visible to pilots of full sized aircraft, and a little easier to see by those on the ground who might not be aware they are being filmed.
This is the type of machine that appears to have been used in the bushfires.

I'd be interested in the legal angle that CASA are thinking of using against this guy.

FWIW, the FAA is launching a similar attack on the infamous Mr Raphael Pirker alleging reckless and careless operation of an aircraft. That's a fight that'll be entertaining to witness...

I think the risk of drones at this scale against manned fixed and rotary wing aircraft in the vicinity represents a level several orders of magnitude less than the risks pilots are already facing from natural forces, wildlife, their own misjudgments and mechanical failure.