Here we go again

[Mike Griffin]

The idiots flying these things are going to bring our hobby down.  Meanwhile, Model Aviation keeps on promoting them.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/california-drought/drones-hampered-firefighters-battling-blaze-torched-cars-calif-freeway-n394516

[john e. holliday]

Can't the helicopters get above the so called drones and put them to the ground.   Better yet find who is controlling them an hit them with the flame retardant.

[Perry Rose]

So which news drone took the shot of the tanker fly-by? I don't believe this story. Why didn't the police/firefighters watch where the drones landed and get the perps? No film of the drones doing the deed either? It sounds too fishy to me.
  I'm as against drones operated by anyone as we all are. I'm also against false news stories more than drones.

[Jim Carter]

I think I have to agree with Perry, this doesn't sound right!  It's conceivable that members of the news media, fire services and or even local police may just as well been operating those drones to give better tactical information back to their specific command centers who make minute by minute decisions on how and where to deploy resources. There are a number of governmental agencies looking for ways to incorporate these capabilities into their protective services and intra service communications may not be properly assured.  It doesn't seem logical that given the relatively short range and the need for some sort of visual eyes on the drone itself, a "hobbyist", who would ultimately be within the ring of danger him or herself, would be flying around for the fun of it.  Remember even the best of these things can only operate for about a half hour and that area looks like it was somewhat in the boonies but I could be wrong! Nevertheless, to be on the safe side the pilot/operator, assuming FPV flight, would need to be at least 5 minutes flight time from target, with 5 or 10 minutes time over target then 5 minutes flight time back to base.  I just don't see anyone who lives near the fireline worrying about taking pictures when their house could be in the next to catch a spark.  I'm pretty sure folk out there as here have all heard how these wild fires, sparks, and winds can and will shift in a moments notice or jump fire lines ..... something about the story needs a bit more research and investigation.

[Mike Griffin]

Guys it really doesnt matter if NBC, CBS,ABC, FOX  all of which have reported this story are sensationalizing or making this up because in todays world perception becomes reality. 

Mike

[Perry Rose]

You are correct Mike. And from the "reality" comes new laws restricting more freedoms which I believe is the main reason for the hype.

[Mike Griffin]

Amen Perry

[Bill Johnson]

Just to set the record straight, drones were spotted in the flight path by CalFire flight crews as well as Forest Service spotters. The flight brief included just about everything typically encountered on these missions, except unmanned aerial vehicles. Fixed wing crews had specific primary and alternate ingress and egress flight corridors. Rotary wing crews were dispatched, on site and on call to the Forest Service spotters for emergencies.

Once the corridors were compromised, aircraft and crews were pulled out of the immediate vicinity and circled nearby or dropped their loads on alternate targets and refueled and/or refilled with water and retardant.

It's speculative but we believe the drone operators were from outside the area, drove as near as possible to the fire zone near the freeway and dispatched their vehicles to get film of the fire and the disaster on the freeway.

This is from a briefing received last night. We operate and maintain the aircraft for the CalFire, SMFD, Australia Firefighting and FireWatch in California.

This is a very dangerous business. We lost Craig Hunt last year on a mission and don't want to lose anyone else.

[Jared Hays]

Drone actually able to keep up with full size aircraft to "pursue" it....what was it a pylon racer 

[Randy Cuberly]

Drone actually able to keep up with full size aircraft to "pursue" it....what was it a pylon racer 

I've recently witnessed a couple of fairly small "Drones" flying very fast in the park that has our flying field.  I would say well over a hundred mph and the operators said they could go faster if the area wasn't so full of trees like the park was.

I'm sure larger drones could go quite a bit faster.

Randy Cuberly

[Perry Rose]

A plane that size with a load has to be going over 150 knots. Speed limit below 10,000 is 250 knots. If the authorities didn't pursue the drones to the flyers they allowed it to occur.

[Bill Johnson]

A plane that size with a load has to be going over 150 knots. Speed limit below 10,000 is 250 knots. If the authorities didn't pursue the drones to the flyers they allowed it to occur.

That's absolutely wrong. 

Most of the planes are S-2Ts and rotary wing. They have a specific mission which does not include chasing down illegally operated UAVs in their flight corridor.

I don't know how some of you guys dream up these scenarios where the tanker crews "chase" down illegally operated aircraft but it just doesn't work that way. The tankers are at max gross weight flying low and slow. You try and maneuver with a UAV, you'll end up exceeding the flight envelope.....and dead.

[peabody]

"Drones", like Control Line or Radio Control, can be a menace. When the RC guy thought it would be "cool" to buzz a Goodyear Blimp, and hit it, tearing the covering, ALL flying of any sort was stopped at a great site at Giants Stadium. When the giant scale RC plane ended up in a swimming pool near the RC field, it was closed.

Many things jeopardize air-modeling.

"Drones", in trained hands familiar with the rules, are proving to be far more beneficial to the public than anyone imagined. Here in Sarasota County firefighters use them to determine scope of fires. Farmers use them. Cops want to utilize them as well. The civilian sector has many, many uses for them.

I am familiar with 5 (primarily) RC flying sites locally: one does a BUNCH of "drone" flying, another welcomes them (and they fly when fixed wing aren't, similar to heli policies). The other three are exclusionary. Yet, the local hobby shop reports that the vast majority of their sales are "drones".

Manufacturers must be encouraged to supply AMA membership applications with their product; vendors should recommend joining the AMA and flying at AMA sites. Best Buy has recently jumped into the "drone" business (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/toys-games/aerial-drones-accessories/pcmcat369900050001.c?id=pcmcat369900050001). Do you think that one of the techies there has a clue about the AMA?

It's up to the airmodeling community to educate both vendors and fliers of these things to join the AMA and to learn to fly them responsibly.

[Randy Cuberly]

"Drones", like Control Line or Radio Control, can be a menace. When the RC guy thought it would be "cool" to buzz a Goodyear Blimp, and hit it, tearing the covering, ALL flying of any sort was stopped at a great site at Giants Stadium. When the giant scale RC plane ended up in a swimming pool near the RC field, it was closed.

Many things jeopardize air-modeling.

"Drones", in trained hands familiar with the rules, are proving to be far more beneficial to the public than anyone imagined. Here in Sarasota County firefighters use them to determine scope of fires. Farmers use them. Cops want to utilize them as well. The civilian sector has many, many uses for them.

I am familiar with 5 (primarily) RC flying sites locally: one does a BUNCH of "drone" flying, another welcomes them (and they fly when fixed wing aren't, similar to heli policies). The other three are exclusionary. Yet, the local hobby shop reports that the vast majority of their sales are "drones".

Manufacturers must be encouraged to supply AMA membership applications with their product; vendors should recommend joining the AMA and flying at AMA sites. Best Buy has recently jumped into the "drone" business (http://www.bestbuy.com/site/toys-games/aerial-drones-accessories/pcmcat369900050001.c?id=pcmcat369900050001). Do you think that one of the techies there has a clue about the AMA?

It's up to the airmodeling community to educate both vendors and fliers of these things to join the AMA and to learn to fly them responsibly.

Yeah...and "It don't rain in Indianapolis in the summer time!!!"     Good luck on this quest!!!

Just get ready for another slew of restrictive laws and regulations.

Randy Cuberly

[Jim Carter]

The irony here is it may well have been members of the "news" media flying them to get a story. They are crazy, ever watch them in a pack?  Never polite, pushy, rude, in the way and think they have rights no one else does.

Ain't 'dat 'da truth!!   

[Greg McCoy]

Would ingesting a drone mess up a turbine engine?

[Mike Griffin]

Greg if a bird can bring down a plane , I would think these things could too.

Mike