Originally Posted by
Chris Nicastro
So I guess the 5 drones that caused the aerial fire fighting crews to "dump their payloads and land" due to their interference in the airspace over the fire in California is just over reacting.
I guess these little aircraft pose no credible threat to full scale aircraft because jets have titanium fan blades and helicopters have stainless and titanium composite rotors. They will just chop these little drones into peices, this is just all over reacting Im sure.
NO, WRONG, IGNORANT, IRRESPONSIBLE
At a closing speed of just 100 mph a 5lb object weighs 500lbs at impact. At 200mph its a 1000lbs and so on and so on. Add to that the speed of the drone and the closing speed can exceed 300mph. No commercial aircraft windshield is designed for these impact loads and they are flying well within these speeds when dropping water on fires. Military aircraft can take some damage from debris and gun fire but they are not using A-10's as tankers here are they. Yes a drone can go thru a windshield and damage rotors and turbines.
A very good friend of mine is a Life Flight pilot, former fire fighting pilot, former logging pilot, former Blackhawk Army pilot. I have it on good authority what can happen if one of these careless drone pilots put one into a helicopter.
There are aircrews lives at stake as well as people and property at risk on the ground. Pull your heads out of your hole and stop flying these drones near full scale aircraft, just for starters!
I have 34 years, YEARS, INVESTED in radio control model airplanes, not to mention tens of thousands of dollars invested as well. Im not going to have you Drone Idiots provoke the FAA or whatever government agency BAN my hobby.
If you see drone pilots flying over fires, over airports, over areas that are private, CALL the Police!!! Take some responsibility and stop these people or our hobby is lost.
Sounds like you've been talking with Sport Pilot , Eh ?
Anyway , joking aside , you mentioned something worth expanding on , and that is the local authorities' ability to be able to deal with this . As we all here know , flying in any way that causes interference with full scale is illegal , the laws for interfering with a flight pre date even 9/11 . So here we have Mr. (or Ms.) flying camera operator , flying where they aren't supposed to , and the local police are called . Short of shooting the offending drone out of the sky , what are they going to be able to do ? It's not as if the idiot doing the flying is standing right there , waiting to be told to knock off the stupidity and land , no , they're likely far enough away as to be plenty concealed and not easily located . I really do think , what it's going to come down to , is that only commercial/military operations will be allowed to strap real time cameras to unmanned aircraft , and any model aircraft operations will be untouched except for the no camera mandate . I really do think this is coming . I highly doubt the entire RC hobby will be banned everywhere , but I'd bet a few $$$ that the days of " civilian camera flying free for all " are rapidly drawing to a close . It's too bad a few selfish jerks are gonna ruin camera flying for the majority who don't fly like jackasses , but that's the way things like this always seem to go . Soon it'll be " want to be involved in flying cameras ? Either join the Army or go to work for Amazon " ...... Count on it ....