Posted on 08/20/2018 12:03:21 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd
HOLLYWOOD, Fla. - The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a YouTube video that shows a helicopter almost colliding with a drone off the coast of Hollywood.
In the video posted Thursday, the drone is facing west towards the beach before its camera turns south with the helicopter seen in the distance. The helicopter remains on a direct course with the drone, missing it by a few feet as it flies north.
The video was posted by Masih Persian, but has since been removed from the page. In a caption to the video, the user seemed to understand the magnitude of what had happened.
“Enjoying an afternoon flight with my drone around Hollywood Beach, FL. A private helicopter flew right into my drone. I guess I got lucky that day nothing has happened. Phewww.
An FAA spokesperson told Local 10 the agency was looking into the video after it was informed of its existence Friday.
FAA rules prohibit drones from flying near other aircraft and to be aware of FAA Airspace Restrictions.
One restriction states drones are not to fly over 400 feet. In the video comments, Masih Persian claims he was flying below that level.
Before it was removed by the user, most comments condemned Masih Persian for flying the drone irresponsibly.
"Grow up and be a decent pilot! You are messing this up for all of us!" a user named ProfiCNC commented.
A man named James Wright, who claims to be a helicopter and drone pilot, offered up a stern warning, "If there was a collision a court would find you responsible. You'd have more to worry about loosing (sic) your expensive drone."
Masih Persian.. ISIS operative? Terrorist-in-training? I think this should be taken seriously but perhaps not. This guy is probably on the FBI’s payroll.
What’s a near-drone?
Looks like a police helicopter.
Note the FLIR turret on the nose.
It’s doubtful the helicopter pilot saw the drone but highly likely the drone pilot knew there was a helicopter nearby. I was on a beach a few weeks ago. A small Robinson helicopter flew by at about 100’.
I heard it a good three minutes before it came into view.
Counting stories on the tall beachfront building (which the drone is flying higher than), it appears that the drone is over 500 feet in the air. The FAA should be able to pull the specs for the building and figure out that it is well over 400 feet.
A couple of things...
First of all, hobby drones, even those in the $1000 range are too lite and fragile to do any serious damage to a helicopter. They have substantially less mass than a seagull. The rotors are built to survive such collisions. And... the helicopter would have to fly under the bird (or drone) for that even to be an issue.
Second, most of the expensive ones have collision avoidance systems as standard equipment. If you tried to fly one into a telephone pole, it would stop before hitting it.
Third, if it approached the fuselage, the down-wash from the helicopter rotor would very quickly cause the drone to loose altitude and there would be no collision.
Jest saying... I spend a lot of time around hobby drones and even have a few of mi own.
The good drone captures the bad drone (with the bomb) in a net and brings it to a safe zone to explode the bomb.
If necessary, the good drone can return to capture a second, third drone etc....all on auto.
Thank you.
Very intelligent perspectives on the real situation.
Appreciate it.
“Third, if it approached the fuselage, the down-wash from the helicopter rotor would very quickly cause the drone to loose altitude and there would be no collision.”
At 100mph the oncoming speed of the helicopter is 146 feet per second. If the chopper’s blades have a radius of 20 feet the impact time between entering the direct rotor wash and the fuselage is less than 2/10ths of a second.
Is that enough time to prevent an impact?
Sometimes in the afternoon the gnats rise as a cloud in the yard and the dragonflies come out and dart about snacking on the critters. Fun to watch.
“Is that enough time to prevent an impact?”
Yes, and as I said, it lighter than a seagull...
Did you bother to watch the video?
yes.
Except for takeoffs and landings, the mininum height for a helicopters over congested areas. Over any congested area of a city, town, or settlement, or over any open air assembly of persons, an altitude of 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a horizontal radius of 2,000 feet of the aircraft.
A beach would be expected to be an open air assembly of persons. And the multistory buildings would appear to be within a 2000 foot radius of the helicopter.
Did you notice that the the drone was higher than the copter? How do your physics work, then, that downwash from the rotor would have pushed the drone away. “Third, if it approached the fuselage, the down-wash from the helicopter rotor would very quickly cause the drone to loose altitude and there would be no collision.”
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