Drone Delays Air Ambulance From Landing!

[Denali]

http://www.12newsnow.com/story/26385...at-oh-hospital

An unexpected drone in the area around Dayton, Ohio's Miami Valley Hospital prevented a CareFlight helicopter from landing, with a "significantly hurt" patient onboard.

"Picture yourself driving down the highway and something flies in front of you. That's the same for us It's very very difficult," says CareFlight pilot John Berthy.

Berthy wasn't in the cockpit Monday night, but he knows what it's like to have something blocking his path.

"We already contend with birds and bird strikes and other civil aircraft operating out there," he explains. "So, drones add another dimension to an already complex set of rules and regulations in air space."

Beth Calcidise, the Program Manager of CareFlight, said there was an extra sense of urgency Monday night when a drone got in the way.

"One of our flight nurses spotted it, and said 'Hey there's an object flying out here, I don't think it's a bird.' Then they saw it take off and they knew it was something other than a bird."

Calcidise called Dayton police, and MVH campus police to find the person flying the drone, before the helicopter could land.

This crap must be reined in, its just inconceivably poor judgement to allow these things to be possessed by just anyone...

[TAZ]

LOL. How can we spy on our neighbors without them though???

[ggammell]

First it was people lasering cockpits, now some idiot with an radio controlled toy...

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

The problem is what is a drone and what is a model airplane. I dabble in RC- the advances in electronics has brought done the price and increased the performance, but this advance is what is causing the issues. The 'AS3X' technology is amazing.

You can basically make a GPS guided cruise missile for under a grand. First Person Video (FPV) is pretty cool, LiPo and and motors get rid of the combustion engine issues.

Complaining that 'anyone can have one' is the same line of thought used by anti-gunners; why do you need it, only the govt should have those. All the while a few ass-hats ruin it for the rest of us.

You can have my quadcopter when you pry my Dx6i from my cold dead hands; well actually my thumb and forefinger...

I've thought about evolving the 'helicopter parent' to the 'quadcopter parent' and have a quad or flying wing fly overwatch on my kids as they walk to school or practice. Kamikaze it into a perp if they get too close.

[rjacobs]

I dont know the rules of RC airplanes, but generally around here people fly them at the RC fields. I think there are at least 4 that i know of in the St. Louis area.

The other problem is below 500 ft, the FAA basically has no say in what operates in Class G airspace. Very few rules, no radio required, no transponder, etc... and basically stay out of the clouds(I think the official rule is 1 mile visibility, clear of clouds, but I havent flown GA in a LONG time). I dont know if hospital heli-pads are charted or not, if they are, there could be some legal mumbo jumbo about them, if they are not charted, I dont even know if the FAA can do a damn thing about them.

I think the drone thing(while not my cup of tee) can be pretty cool, but people need to be aware of whats out there and stay the **** out of the way of things just like all pilots are required to do given certain airspace restrictions.

[Denali]

The problem is what is a drone and what is a model airplane. I dabble in RC- the advances in electronics has brought done the price and increased the performance, but this advance is what is causing the issues. The 'AS3X' technology is amazing.

You can basically make a GPS guided cruise missile for under a grand. First Person Video (FPV) is pretty cool, LiPo and and motors get rid of the combustion engine issues.

Complaining that 'anyone can have one' is the same line of thought used by anti-gunners; why do you need it, only the govt should have those. All the while a few ass-hats ruin it for the rest of us.

You can have my quadcopter when you pry my Dx6i from my cold dead hands; well actually my thumb and forefinger...

I've thought about evolving the 'helicopter parent' to the 'quadcopter parent' and have a quad or flying wing fly overwatch on my kids as they walk to school or practice. Kamikaze it into a perp if they get too close.

You've raised a very interesting point, one that I have long been curious, that being the concept of turning these things into precision guided weapons! I'm not talking about the battle field drone type of weapon either, but rather an "IED" of the air! I have little difficulty envisioning one of these sophisticated devices geared up with a load of C4, or some such highly explosive fuel, and then walked in effortless upon some unsuspecting target, whether they be a politician, a hard target, of just a gangland hit! And no, its not anti-gun in any way, that is ridiculous on its face....

[Alpha Sierra]

Today was the last day of the Ohio UAS convention and expo at the Dayton Convention Center. There were several exhibitors with many little mini RC helicopter drones or whatever the name du jour is.

I wonder if someone got bored and flew one out of downtown after the show......MVH is not that far south from the convention center.

[alienb1212]

You've raised a very interesting point, one that I have long been curious, that being the concept of turning these things into precision guided weapons! I'm not talking about the battle field drone type of weapon either, but rather an "IED" of the air! I have little difficulty envisioning one of these sophisticated devices geared up with a load of C4, or some such highly explosive fuel, and then walked in effortless upon some unsuspecting target, whether they be a politician, a hard target, of just a gangland hit! And no, its not anti-gun in any way, that is ridiculous on its face....

You'd need some pretty high-grade explosive to make it worth it, I think. Most of these things don't have much of a cargo carrying capacity. A hand grenade might work well, and wouldn't be hard to lift or actuate. Most are pretty noisy, though, and are likely to attract attention.

[FromMyColdDeadHand]

I'm sure there are some people here with more direct knowledge of the large scale UAV type 'drones' but a few pounds is all I think most would carry. Metal cased bombs or grenades I think would be a stretch. Pretty much anything you could do would be done better by a Cessna 150 or some of the ultralights. So if you willing to log one more take off than landing there are much more effective ways. Fly some C4 into a NFL stadium, it would be possible, not effective - but it could be a 'terror' weapon.

Way more useful at gathering intel, maybe chase a helo away by going after its rear rotor.

Check out the 'Flitetest' youtube channel, some truly wicked RC projects.

[Denali]

You'd need some pretty high-grade explosive to make it worth it, I think. Most of these things don't have much of a cargo carrying capacity. A hand grenade might work well, and wouldn't be hard to lift or actuate. Most are pretty noisy, though, and are likely to attract attention.

I would imagine that a half pound of Semtex would do the job nicely, more then enough to destroy an aircraft, or large automobile/truck, such would be more then adequate for taking out a human target(s).