Drone pilot sees helicopter and flies straight to its flight path.
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Drone pilot sees helicopter and flies straight to its flight path.
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PDR1
I suggest you are jumping to a wrong conclusion based on what WillyP thinks...
WP
I think you are supplying "fake news"
It doesn't look intentional to me.
My opinion is drone pilot failed in his responsibilities and should have had an observer looking and listening for traffic and to keep out of it's path early enough to avoid any confliction.
Agreed - criminally stupid and indefensible. The owner/operator of that drone should be in jail.
WP
Drone pilot sees helicopter and flies straight to its flight path.
It doesn't look intentional to me.
My opinion is drone pilot failed in his responsibilities and should have had an observer looking and listening for traffic and to keep out of it's path early enough to avoid any confliction.
Twaddle. Look at the location - it was well out of any direct visual range (by which I mean too far out for a DV safety spotter) and so was operating solely on FPV in an area where helicopters track up the coast. I don't agree that he moved into the path of the helicopter, but he was clearly aware of it because he panned onto it. I would have expected (as a minimum) a "crash climb" to deconflict as soon as the heli came into sight. If he didn't see it he wasn't looking hard enough and should be jailed for negligence. If he did see it and still took no evasive action then he's a nutter who should be jailed for recklessly endangering an aeroplane.
Check my history - I'm often the one defending drone/RC-model operators, but there's no way I'm going to defend this pillock. Get me a pitchfork and a rope. This guy is bringing all FPV and DV model flyers into disrepute. Actually forget the rope - hanging is too good for him. Make it a can of petrol and a match...
€0.003 supplied, YMMV,
PDR
Check my history - I'm often the one defending drone/RC-model operators, but there's no way I'm going to defend this pillock. Get me a pitchfork and a rope. This guy is bringing all FPV and DV model flyers into disrepute. Actually forget the rope - hanging is too good for him. Make it a can of petrol and a match...
€0.003 supplied, YMMV,
PDR
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I’m not so sure they would have seen the 407 approaching. Try watching the video on your Cell phone at arms lengths outside in the sunlight. That is most likely what the R/C pilot saw. He or she should most definitely of heard the 407 approaching and reacted immediately.
I saw this video earlier today and when I saw this thread title assumed this would be different. He doesn’t move towards the helicopter - he pans around while stationary. I fully agree he should not have been in that piece of airspace, but does anybody honestly believe that at that height and distance from the shore it would have been possible assess relative heights and bearings to make an informed avoiding action? Not sure what the FAA rules are about VLOS but they vary from country to country, with some nitvsetting any range/height criteria and using the term literally. So it could very well be that this was VLOS. FPV is normally used by commercial operators anyway - is it? Not as the primary control method anyway.
All DJI consumer products are easily flown FPV, with all kinds of on screen data provided (height from take-off, distance from remote, ground speeds, vertical speeds...0 excuses for the drone pilot.
If he didn't see it, why did he also pan to track it's departure?
Sure looks deliberate to me.
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I think the SUAS might have been at 400 feet, and possibly not committing any offences in doing so. Without details of where and when this took place, it's hard to decide if there was any wrongdoing. The spotter, if there was one, ought to have heard and seen the approaching helicopter, but you should also consider that the operator may not have been looking at the view that you see here. Sometimes it makes more sense to look at the craft rather than the screen.
I accept that seeing it at 400 feet is tricky task, but local rules might differ to how the CAA demand that commercial operators do it here.
The data file that is linked to the video would make interesting viewing.
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Well, in my country the rules are:
-max 300 ft (special permission required if you want to fly higher)
-always in line of sight (no FPV unless 2nd person has line of sight or drone weighs less than .25 kg)
-drones always have to give way to manned aircraft
-max 300 ft (special permission required if you want to fly higher)
-always in line of sight (no FPV unless 2nd person has line of sight or drone weighs less than .25 kg)
-drones always have to give way to manned aircraft
