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DJI Phantom flies through fireworks and over crowd. Brave or Foolish?

Posted by Alex Wong on June 30, 2014 at 3:52pm

*** The original video contained a close flyover at long range of a large crowd at Soundest 2014. Since posting the original link here en edited version of it has been reposted just showing the fireworks. I hope this shows that there is some recognition that at the very minimum some of the flight was not well thought out and that in future the pilot will hopefully not make the same choices.I know we can't guarantee that people will not fly recklessly but at least this seems to be a case of us making our voices heard (at some level) and having some impact on the issue.*******

Here is a video on YouTube of a DJI Phantom flying through fireworks at Sunfest 2014 which I think is in Florida. It also shows flying above crowds. Personally I think its a stupid idea but the footage of the fireworks is very unique. Dare I say, impressive?

Even crazier is that the pilot put the video up under his name. I hope he is ready for the barrage of comments and possible legal ramifications.

Is this another case of one person doing something that will negatively impact us all or will it ultimately show that small UAV's can be used to do things that other aerial platforms can't?

 

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Comments

  • Admin
    Thomas J Coyle III June 30, 2014 at 9:32am

    Hi All,

    Where I fly in southern Florida, the flying field club has set aside a specific area for multicopters where they will not interfere with the fixed wing R/C aircraft and vice versa.

    The multicopters operators seem to be very happy with the area set aside for them and it is far enough from the fixed wing "plank holders" that they do not seem to notice that it is there:-)

    Regards,

    TCIII ArduRover2 Developer

  • Gary McCray June 30, 2014 at 9:30am

    Unfortunately we are at a time where everything is happening at once and it all seems negatively aligned.

    Quadcopters are exploding in public popularity because they are small and easy to fly anywhere.

    So it is the current fad, 90 percent of that part will die out within a year or two whether the FAA stomps all over it or not.

    What remained in the normal course of events would be the genuine enthusiasts and entrepreneurs who really were trying to figure out how to do it right from the start.

    Unfortunately we have the public, media, military and government who have created a situation of distrust and a complete misconception of what is really happening.

    We have become an icon, a taboo, a myth. 

    A school bus load of children running off a cliff gets less press than a person in a crowd getting minor injuries from a quadcopter falling on their head.

    Sure worse will follow, but we live in a world where absolute safety is neither guaranteed nor expected (except for drones of course).

    We are being judged by an unobtainable and completely unrealistic ethic.

    And of course we have the FAA and their economically motivated good buddy aerospace firms who want to make sure they make all the money and that nobody else can sell anything - they smell money and they want it all, what a surprise.

    And of course our government itself has proven to be easily manipulated by money - we don't have any money thus, no influence.

    I'm not throwing in the towel like John above, but I can certainly understand it, the tide is coming in and it's starting to feel pretty damp around here.

    I hope we can weather this storm and come out on the other side with something other than shattered dreams.

    Oh well enough mixed analogies and metaphors.

    I will be installing a user freindly set of safety oriented pages on my dronesarefun and quadcoptersarefun sites. 

    In the meantime I wrote the original safety page for the DIYDrones Wiki here: 

    http://copter.ardupilot.com/wiki/safety-multicopter/

    Best Regards,

    Gary

  • Pedals2Paddles June 30, 2014 at 9:21am

    @John, That is your perogative.  Many of us find the advance flight controller technology and capabilities to be jsut as fascinating and fun as you find total control of a fixed wing aircraft. Plus the additional aspects of photography and utility.  I would get really bored just flying a fixed wing around in circles at the club field.

  • John June 30, 2014 at 9:00am
    Plus there is absolutely nowhere you can fly these... Not allowed in parks and of you do people complain or call the cops... Nasty looks at rc club fields (some are banning their use)... Where do you go??
  • Rob Burrows June 30, 2014 at 7:38am
    @ Thomas and others: Maybe for some, but others may not be thinking their actions through and may need a little help to realize it is not a good idea to fly that way in the future. Also appearances are significant right now. So if a recreational UAV pilot has respectable risk management practices but they aren't communicating that in their video then they may have the appearance of flying dangerously. We don't know who is who so I argue it is worth speaking up. Whether with friends or strangers there needs to be a dialogue about safety and best practices. The FAA's recent focus on FPV flying has me focused on my own practices. I do love to fly FPV but I dont want see it interpreted as illegal, so I'm wiling to change my practices and reconsider what I post and what is communicated in the videos.
  • Pedals2Paddles June 30, 2014 at 7:12am

    If only phantoms would turn around and crash into the operator instead of flying away to china, in to buildings, or other people.

  • Admin
    Thomas J Coyle III June 30, 2014 at 6:29am

    @Rob,

    Peer pressure will probably only stop the displaying of unsafe flying in a crowded area and not the actual act.

    Regards,

    TCIII ArduRover2 Developer

  • Rob Burrows June 30, 2014 at 6:13am
    Mmm, so the video was removed by its user. So perhaps as a result of all the negative comments here? Perhaps peer pressure does work?
  • Daniel Kuliniak June 30, 2014 at 5:50am

    Now everybody can start arguing with FAA http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=77985

  • Admin
    Thomas J Coyle III June 30, 2014 at 5:31am

    It will not be the FAA that clamps down on the operators of sUASs.

    It will be state and local governments that enact laws/ordnances that will limit where sUASs can be flown and the requirements that must be met by the operators to do so.

    It is only inevitable that an occasional sUAS will fall from the sky over a crowd and cause either personal injury or property damage.

    The general public will then clamor for local control of sUAS operation and the politicians will take it from there ruining the sUAS hobby for the responsible operators/members.

    TCIII ArduRover2 Developer

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