Be careful of helicopters even when below 400 feet

[eatpasta]

FWIW, you can search the N Number and identify the owner. Then start googling the owner or business. Doing so shows that his tourism service pilot has been before an FAA judge for safety violations. Easy to see why. This video however, is from 2010.

Oh yeah, that's old news. The pilot has long lost his license for that - I just thought i would share it

 

[10X]

This is correct. However it's also the responsibility of the pilot of the plane to avoid your drone too. That's a question on the 107 test. It's both pilot's responsibility to avoid each other.

I would have to respectfully disagree with this statement. The question on the test is related to 2 UAVs. Both pilots must maneuver to avoid each other. It's the UAV pilots responsibility to avoid maned aircraft, period.

 

[John Locke]

I would have to respectfully disagree with this statement. The question on the test is related to 2 UAVs. Both pilots must maneuver to avoid each other. It's the UAV pilots responsibility to avoid maned aircraft, period.

Well, I got the answer right! I thought for sure it mentioned a plane in the question. I don't think you're right about the question. I think the FAA doesn't care as much about two drones hitting each other versus a plane with passengers. The 2 drone scenario is less risk to injure someone.

So it is your opinion that a manned aircraft pilot has no responsibility of missing something else flying in his flight path? None? So if a Cessna or helicopter was flying at 300' above the ocean (which is OK per FAA guidelines) and he sees a drone, you'd saying he has no responsibility to avoid the drone and save his passengers?

 

[RW-1]

So it is your opinion that a manned aircraft pilot has no responsibility of missing something else flying in his flight path? None? So if a Cessna or helicopter was flying at 300' above the ocean (which is OK per FAA guidelines) and he sees a drone, you'd saying he has no responsibility to avoid the drone and save his passengers?

Certainly we do, however I'll point out that it is almost next to impossible to see your drone if below the horizon relative to my aircraft in cruise speed until I may be on top of it. Have someone take you up to see for yourself.

Man, I've been reading more and more here lately, and to tell the truth, I will take the 407 (2.5 Million lightly equipped) and pax and avoid your 1.5K drone, but happily I'll show you what a 407's rotorwash will do to it in the process of that near miss.

The impetus is upon you to avoid other aircraft (which you will hear and see easily, being on the ground looking up, or having observers seeing where you can't) and yield. Sounds to me like you're looking for a way out of that plain fact.

 

[10X]

Well, I got the answer right! I thought for sure it mentioned a plane in the question. I don't think you're right about the question. I think the FAA doesn't care as much about two drones hitting each other versus a plane with passengers. The 2 drone scenario is less risk to injure someone.

So it is your opinion that a manned aircraft pilot has no responsibility of missing something else flying in his flight path? None? So if a Cessna or helicopter was flying at 300' above the ocean (which is OK per FAA guidelines) and he sees a drone, you'd saying he has no responsibility to avoid the drone and save his passengers?

There's so much foolishness in this post I won't even respond to the questions. I think RW-1 summed it up quite well.

 

[mrkrag]

Holy cow! I was just coming back on the very last <1k feet from home of this flight
HealthyDrones.com - Innovative flight data analysis that matters when from around a bend in the river a helicopter came up and started to ascend and follow the river out. I know there is no way he would have seen me. At best the white shape over the dark water might resemble a seagull. I definitely didn't see, or hear, him until what could have been too late. Fortunately I was already descending and on a beeline home so I was even lower than the chopper, who must have been all of 100 feet off the water at the time.
Even at that, the second I heard his rotors I mashed that left thumb down. I was only at about 90 feet and didn't want to fly very low off the water, but at the sound of a chopper down I went.

 

[deltamike]

Where I live in the UK the training helicopters from RAF Shawbury fly through the hills local to me, sometimes lower than 150 feet. I cant hear them until they are on and past me so I don't fly unless I get permission to fly from their ATC.

The electricity choppers too fly VERY low - enough to rattle the chimney pots.

So it pays to keep both ears alert and to practise an emergency descent with the left stick hard down. I did it once from 130 feet and it fell like a stone but at roughly 50 -60 feet I throttled back up and the P3A recovered, then I went home to change my pants. Nice to know I can descend quickly and not break my toy though.

 

[elsapo2001]

If I hear choppers I wont take off, and if I hear a chopper the bird is gonna land.