Unmanned Aerial Vehicle The latest drone news
The Academy of Model Aircraft (AMA), representing a big neighborhood of drone operators, has issued a assertion on the lately launched National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report on the collision between a civilian (DJI Phantom) and a Black Hawk helicopter close to Staten Island, New York this September.
The report – and the blame, on this case – is obvious. The drone operator was totally chargeable for the incident. The operator wasn’t solely breaking each fundamental rule within the guide – he was completely unaware of most of them.
The drone operator admitted to flying over 400 ft and at a distance of two.5 miles away – nicely past visible line of website in an space that he understood was steadily shared. He had no concept that was an issue.
“… even though the sUAS pilot indicated that he knew there were frequently helicopters in the area, he still elected to fly his sUAS beyond visual line of sight, demonstrating his lack of understanding of the potential hazard of collision with other aircraft,” says the report. “In his interview, the sUAS pilot indicated that he was not concerned with flying beyond visual line of sight, and he expressed only a general cursory awareness of regulations and good operating practices.”
A “general cursory awareness” is perhaps a very beneficiant evaluation. There was a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) in impact for the realm: the pilot, relying on the DJI GO app on a pill with out mobile connection functionality, was completely unaware of it. The collision occurred instantly earlier than the top of civil twilight (2 minutes) however the pilot was unaware of any guidelines about night time flight, saying that his drone had 4 lights. He’d had no coaching, and didn’t even understand that his drone had collided with a helicopter till contacted by authorities. (He assumed the drone had simply crashed into the ocean when he misplaced sign.) The 10-page report is a humiliation to accountable drone operators and an trade struggling to work with lawmakers on affordable regulation.
Chad Budreau, Public Relations and Government Affairs Director on the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), made the next assertion concerning the report, calling on the FAA for training and accountability.
“Careless and reckless operators must be held accountable. The rogue drone operator concerned on this incident violated Part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations and a brief flight restriction, amongst different irresponsible habits. The FAA ought to educate and maintain this individual accountable for these actions.
“AMA members observe a strict set of security pointers in accordance with Section 336, the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. Section 336 gives a leisure various to Part 107 for accountable mannequin aviation and drone fans who observe the rules of a community-based group. It is vital to notice that the drone operator concerned on this incident was not a Section 336 operator.
“We support stricter enforcement of existing laws against careless and reckless drone operators. This incident also underscores how regulation alone will not prevent some people from flying where they shouldn’t. More education will help those who may be new to flying drones understand what they can and cannot do. We continue to work with UAS stakeholders on the Know Before You Fly campaign to help educate this group on how to fly safely and responsibly.”
