WTF, flying drone potential terror killer . . .

[Carsman]

. . . . .it will only be a matter of time before a drone like this in the wrong hands becomes a killer

[Duchess]

A drone kept a plane from being in the air last night out in California. The plane was being used to fight a wildfire but someone had their drone out there too and the plane had to be brought down until the owner of the drone was found.

[Donovan]

They were probably trying to fly my amazon order to me.

[Cutz]

Kindof a rudimentary flying death machine. The Hobgoblin's glider was way cooler.

[Maggot]

The Goblins ride was a great idea, I can imagine him flying around in bare feet with sandals glued on to the wings.

[Donovan]

Except for that terrible design flaw in the rider stance. No arm support and legs locked in a permanent crouch? Goblin's knees must have been killing him, no wonder he was so grouchy.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Yea I saw that vid the other day, wondered when someone would be stupid enough to post a vid like that. Scare the shit out of people and watch as the restrictions get piled on, asshole.

[Carsman]

Drones in the hands of responsible people can be used for many good deeds, and help mankind immensely. However, drones used in the wrong hands can be very destructive.

[Duchess]

They'll be like so many other things. A segment of society will fuck it up for everyone else.

[HairOfTheDog]

There was bad fire here in California this weekend.

Some numbskulls flew their drones over the area which caused emergency workers to back off and delayed their work.



Of all the elements they must battle in a wildfire, firefighters face a new foe: drones operated by enthusiasts who presumably take close-up video of the disaster.

Five such "unmanned aircraft systems" prevented California firefighters from dispatching helicopters with water buckets for up to 20 minutes over a wildfire that roared Friday onto a Los Angeles area freeway that leads to Las Vegas.

Helicopters couldn't drop water because five drones hovered over the blaze, creating hazards in smoky winds for a deadly midair disaster, officials said.

The North Fire torched 20 vehicles on Interstate 15 and incited panic among motorists who fled on foot on the freeway Friday. The wildfire continued to burn uncontrollably Saturday, scorching 3,500 acres with only 5% containment in San Bernardino County, officials said.

Drones hovering over wildfires is a new trend in California, and on Saturday, fire officials condemned the operators of "hobby drones," as officials labeled them. It was unclear Saturday whether authorities would launch an investigation into the five drones.

"Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities to report, but the 15 to 20 minutes that those helicopters were grounded meant that 15 to 20 minutes were lost that could have led to another water drop cycle, and that would have created a much safer environment and we would not have seen as many citizens running for their lives," said spokesman Eric Sherwin of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/18/us/califor...eway-fire/

[Maggot]

Chuck Norris could kick all those drones with just a cold hard stare.

[Blindgreed1]

There was bad fire here in California this weekend.

Some numbskulls flew their drones over the area which caused emergency workers to back off and delayed their work.



Of all the elements they must battle in a wildfire, firefighters face a new foe: drones operated by enthusiasts who presumably take close-up video of the disaster.

Five such "unmanned aircraft systems" prevented California firefighters from dispatching helicopters with water buckets for up to 20 minutes over a wildfire that roared Friday onto a Los Angeles area freeway that leads to Las Vegas.

Helicopters couldn't drop water because five drones hovered over the blaze, creating hazards in smoky winds for a deadly midair disaster, officials said.

The North Fire torched 20 vehicles on Interstate 15 and incited panic among motorists who fled on foot on the freeway Friday. The wildfire continued to burn uncontrollably Saturday, scorching 3,500 acres with only 5% containment in San Bernardino County, officials said.

Drones hovering over wildfires is a new trend in California, and on Saturday, fire officials condemned the operators of "hobby drones," as officials labeled them. It was unclear Saturday whether authorities would launch an investigation into the five drones.

"Fortunately, there were no injuries or fatalities to report, but the 15 to 20 minutes that those helicopters were grounded meant that 15 to 20 minutes were lost that could have led to another water drop cycle, and that would have created a much safer environment and we would not have seen as many citizens running for their lives," said spokesman Eric Sherwin of the San Bernardino County Fire Department.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/18/us/califor...eway-fire/

Can somebody help me understand why drones prevented the helicopters from responding? Is it a radar thing? You can't see how big the aircraft is? Those Helicopters that dump water are pretty husky rigs. Seems like they could mow over a few tiny drones without an issue.

[Jimbone]

Can somebody help me understand why drones prevented the helicopters from responding? Is it a radar thing? You can't see how big the aircraft is? Those Helicopters that dump water are pretty husky rigs. Seems like they could mow over a few tiny drones without an issue.

I'd think the prop wash of those helicopters would down or displace recreational quadcopters before they were ever a danger.

That fire was pushed by 40+mph winds. Shit was going to burn either way.

Not sure how they managed, because it would be tough to fly a quadcopter in winds that high.

[Blindgreed1]

Can somebody help me understand why drones prevented the helicopters from responding? Is it a radar thing? You can't see how big the aircraft is? Those Helicopters that dump water are pretty husky rigs. Seems like they could mow over a few tiny drones without an issue.

I'd think the prop wash of those helicopters would down or displace recreational quadcopters before they were ever a danger.

That fire was pushed by 40+mph winds. Shit was going to burn either way.

Not sure how they managed, because it would be tough to fly a quadcopter in winds that high.

That's what I was thinking and those hauling copters are BEASTS!

[HairOfTheDog]

Can somebody help me understand why drones prevented the helicopters from responding? Is it a radar thing? You can't see how big the aircraft is? Those Helicopters that dump water are pretty husky rigs. Seems like they could mow over a few tiny drones without an issue.

Fighting wildfires from the air is a dangerous business. Aerial firefighters routinely dip down to drop thousands of pounds of fire retardant, and can quickly be thrust higher into the air. They can approach fires from any direction, and must quickly change course as the hot spots in the fire move. After they release the heavy retardant, tanker planes are relatively vulnerable and unstable, and running into a small object could be disastrous.

“If this gets into our engine or hits our wings, there’s no doubt we are going down,” said Mike Eaton, a forest aviation officer for the San Bernardino and Cleveland National Forests in Southern California, who had to stop the air operations he was overseeing during a fire this month.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/20/us/hob....html?_r=0

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Can somebody help me understand why drones prevented the helicopters from responding? Is it a radar thing? You can't see how big the aircraft is? Those Helicopters that dump water are pretty husky rigs. Seems like they could mow over a few tiny drones without an issue.

I'd think the prop wash of those helicopters would down or displace recreational quadcopters before they were ever a danger.

That fire was pushed by 40+mph winds. Shit was going to burn either way.

Not sure how they managed, because it would be tough to fly a quadcopter in winds that high.

That's what I was thinking and those hauling copters are BEASTS!

Yea, it COULD happen that way...
Or, more than likely that little 5 or 6 lb flying Bomb could easily go into the engine intake, frag the turbine and kill the crew when the plane or Helo impacts the ground at speed.
The batteries we use on these birds are LiPo batteries, 5000ma C50 or so. That is a SHITLOad of energy and they do not fare well when damaged. They will spontaneously combust for the hell of it sometimes even if you take all the precautions your supposed to.
Bottom line is it is irresponsible and dangerous if not illegal to operate in a disaster area with other manned aircraft. There is too much going on already, the pilots do not need to be worried about that special kind of jackass that just has to get a little closer.
There is a lot of good that can be done with drones, great photo opportunities, SAR work, all kinds of things. But when the real aircraft with real people in them that are there to help you need to get your toys out of the way, period.

[HairOfTheDog]

There is a lot of good that can be done with drones, great photo opportunities, SAR work, all kinds of things. But when the real aircraft with real people in them that are there to help you need to get your toys out of the way, period.

I agree.

It's not cool that fire fighters' efforts/lives and the lives of potential victims are being put at risk by drone-owners.