Whoa phantom near miss with low flying heli

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Ps not my phantom not my video
 
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he is too low, i thought they were supposed to stay over 500 feet-but i suppose you'd be the one blamed if something went wrong? that is an important piece of footage, thanks.
 
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(d) ·Helicopters. ·Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed In paragraph (b) or (c) of this section if the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface. In addition, each person operating a helicopter shall comply with routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the Administrator.

·Helicopter operations may be conducted below the minimum altitudes set for fixed-wing aircraft. The reason? The helicopter's unique operating characteristics, the most important of which is its ability to execute pinpoint emergency landings during power failure. Further, the helicopter's increased use by law enforcement and emergency medical service agencies requires added flexibility in the application of many FAA provisions.

Good reason to fly within line of site.
 
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(d) ·Helicopters. ·Helicopters may be operated at less than the minimums prescribed In paragraph (b) or (c) of this section if the operation is conducted without hazard to persons or property on the surface. In addition, each person operating a helicopter shall comply with routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the Administrator.

·Helicopter operations may be conducted below the minimum altitudes set for fixed-wing aircraft. The reason? The helicopter's unique operating characteristics, the most important of which is its ability to execute pinpoint emergency landings during power failure. Further, the helicopter's increased use by law enforcement and emergency medical service agencies requires added flexibility in the application of many FAA provisions.

Good reason to fly within line of site.
Yeah, in this case, to me it just looked like a jackass!
 
Right on point!
If the copter pilot saw the quad I suspect he had a couple of well deserved descriptive names for him also. The comment at the end of the video speaks volumes about the idiot operator.
 
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Manned aircraft ALWAYS have right of way. End of story.

Flying out of LOS means the drone pilot was the JA. (As it appears here, not certain however)

Just because we now have toys that fly does not mean we rule the sky.
Because of the edits and such how do we know his line of sight? I can't tell for sure. Do we really believe this copter flight was approved? I don't know but my gut says no...maybe I rushed to judgement on it my initial thought was the copter was not flying where he was supposed to be.

I'm not going to get into the toy argument but will say both are under FAA rules and both should be in compliance. End of story for me.
 
Orlando,
Here's the thing.....Manned aircraft have the right of way.....Period.

If you are flying your Phantom at a designated Drone airpark....and a Cessna comes to make an emergency landing (or even approaches) YOU the Phantom pilot must yield way. Never, ever the manned aircraft.

Doesn't matter who is "right or wrong".

Human lives trumps hobby flights every time.
This is the exact reason the FAA clearly says visual unaided Line of Sight MUST be maintained at all times.

I'm all for this hobby, but I would crash my Phantom without a second thought if it meant getting out of the way of a manned aircraft.
 
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Here is a screen grab from the video. It looks like the quad pilot is on the top right well within line of site.
Screen Shot 2016-01-23 at 10.30.46 AM.png
 
Unfortunately for us, given the recent Los Angeles area news regarding prosecution of UAV pilots, any incident would likely be blamed on the UAV pilot and (depending on exactly where that pilot's UAV was), they would likely try to say the UAV was less than 5 miles from the nearest airport (see attached pdf) and the UAV pilot failed to give property notification.
City of LA recently passed municipal code 56.31 and Manhattan Beach is about to pass a similar code. Although that video appears to be just outside the City of Palos Verdes Estates.
 

Attachments

  • Zamperini Field - Torrance CA.pdf
    196.9 KB · Views: 288
  • LA City Drone Ordinance - Municpial Code 56-31.pdf
    75.5 KB · Views: 515
Orlando,
Here's the thing.....Manned aircraft have the right of way.....Period.

If you are flying your Phantom at a designated Drone airpark....and a Cessna comes to make an emergency landing (or even approaches) YOU the Phantom pilot must yield way. Never, ever the manned aircraft.

Doesn't matter who is "right or wrong".

Human lives trumps hobby flights every time.
This is the exact reason the FAA clearly says visual unaided Line of Sight MUST be maintained at all times.

I'm all for this hobby, but I would crash my Phantom without a second thought if it meant getting out of the way of a manned aircraft.
Ok, let me be clear... I dont disagree with anything you have said. I said JA because it looked like to me maybe the copter shouldnt be there, that low. Not that he couldnt be there, that low. Safety is paramount in my book too.
 
Ok, let me be clear... I dont disagree with anything you have said. I said JA because it looked like to me maybe the copter shouldnt be there, that low. Not that he couldnt be there, that low. Safety is paramount in my book too.

No worries. I was just putting some info out there. I have no objections to anything you said. If you feel he was a JA then that's your opinion :)
I was just emphasizing that we (as uAV operators) have to be very diligent and careful especially when it comes to aircraft carrying warm bodies.

Be safe.
 
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Here are the FAA rules on altitude:
  1. Anywhere: an altitude allowing a safe emergency landing without undue hazard to person or property on the ground;
  2. Over Congested Areas: an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal distance of less than 2,000 feet;
  3. Over Populated Areas: an altitude of 500 feet AGL;
  4. Over Open Water or Sparsely Populated Areas: an altitude allowing for a linear distance greater than 500 feet from any person, vessel, vehicle, or structure;
  5. Helicopters: If without hazard to persons or property on the surface, an altitude lower than in definitions 2, 3, and 4 above, provided in compliance with any routes or altitudes specifically prescribed for helicopters by the FAA.
So there you have it. The helicopter was over water, well over 500 feet from persons, vessels, vehicles or structures. So he was absolutely legal.
Our responsibility is to see and avoid HIM, not the other way around. Once us junior birdmen learn those lessons, everybody's life will be less stressful.
The guy who posted that video is the JA, in my opinion.
 
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If you ever feel a manned aircraft is operating illegally or recklessly, you can copy its N number and report it to the nearest FAA office. Just be very sure you want to do that.
 
Just be very sure you want to do that.

Curious as to why you would state that.

Some years back I did report some very unsafe flying (nothing drone related) to the FAA (near a GA airport). The FAA refused to acknowledge my complaint letter. They passed it on to the airport who had their public relations person contact me. They fed my a line of BS which never answered my questions or addressed my concerns.

The only downside I found to making a complaint was the usual frustration of dealing with a large government bureaucracy.

What are the potential repercussions of making a complaint?
 
Because of the edits and such how do we know his line of sight? I can't tell for sure. Do we really believe this copter flight was approved? I don't know but my gut says no...maybe I rushed to judgement on it my initial thought was the copter was not flying where he was supposed to be.

I'm not going to get into the toy argument but will say both are under FAA rules and both should be in compliance. End of story for me.
Manned aircraft always have the right of way.
Regardless.
 

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