The pilot of the Phantom that crashed on a Manhattan street earlier this month has been arrested, ABC reports:
David Zablidowsky of Brooklyn has been charged with "Reckless Endangerment" for allegedly losing control of a helicopter drone at "an unreasonable height creating a substantial risk of serious physical injury".
Comments
I'm sure glad the Sydney incident was perpetrated by a tourist. We were hoping our idiots hadn't notice DJIs off the shelf weapons.
Thanks Brendan for the news clip.
A nice crash in autonomous mode with hexa by a seasoned pilot, I hear..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05bWb8nK6Xo&feature=youtu.be
Brendan...There is a lot going on in that article, but let me say this first. We are the cyclist in this story. I have never lived in NYC, but I have been there enough to know cyclists are pretty low on the food chain, and seen as a nuisance. Also, many cyclists dodge traffic laws which they are supposed to follow. Does that warrant them being the apparent intentional target of a cab driver? Nope. But, I bet the first guy who shoots someone flying a drone gets people saying the pilot deserved it, and to let the shooter go. Opinions are huge in how prosecution is handled.
Which brings us back to the topic of this post. Someone needed to be made a scapegoat. The guy who did the stupid flying deserved being charged with reckless endangerment, as did the cab driver in the article. But, it takes time and money to charge and prosecute someone. The Phantom pilot sets an example. The driver could have set an example too, but for whatever reason, the charges were not brought. Both should be charged, but both didn't.
The family intends to sue. Good! There should be civil recourse. But, I can tell you the people trying to help may have done as much damage as the driver. Tourniquets are a last option in the event of someone bleeding to death, and once applied, almost always lead to amputation below the application point. You are literally killing a part of the body to save the whole. Loss of life vs. loss of limb makes the decision easy for professionals who can assess the situation. Often though, other options are first attempted. Good Samaritans may not know when and when not to apply such extreme measures, and so this woman may not have had to lose her leg. There are Good Samaritan laws in this country though which keep those trying to help protected. Professionals could face civil or legal actions. I work in the medical field. I have seen it happen.
That part about the medical aspect may seem like a tangent, but it is not. Benefit of the doubt is legally given to those legitimately trying to help, but not to the professional. As there is no, "professional drone pilot," yet, the guy with 20 years RC experience is lumped in with the rich kid with a new toy just the same. Legally, and in the format of public opinion. This means everyone has a chance to either make us look good, or bad. Denouncing and distancing ourselves from those who do stupid stuff like fly over Manhattan will help in the long run. It makes the hobby as a whole look more, "professional."
"Get the license and fly free in the public zone"
What kind of license are you referring?
Also, note that getting professional license is not easy.
An example is, SecureInAir in Netherlands, UAV aerial photography company, where I worked before.
To get a license, In my knowledge, they flew about 700+ long duration flights with big helicopters & Octos with proper documentation, and without a single accident. Government thinks of approving license in these circumstances. And yes, their flights are all manual control, Line-Of-Sight (LOS) and not autonomous!!
IN THE NEAR-FUTURE:
When FAA gives the clearance, the micro UAV market (X8, Quadcopters) flying around would have to be the standard of a 'commercial airplane' to call it safe.
Commercial airplane flies over people's heads and know that if it falls 1000's die in one shot, unlike a falling quadcopter..
The point I am coming to here is that 'We should not try to be smart', even though we may be professional and have 10 years of experience flying these things. Chance is that things won't go wrong. But the question is, what if it does? We would only know this when it really happens even and never before ;)
Get the license and fly free in the public zone, no one would question you and there will not be any debate like what we are having on this forum!!
Regards..
@Dean Miller: Agree with you completely. I have an SK450 that has over 100 hours of perfectly flawless manual flight on it, and 20 hours of autonomous. I just recently broke that streak of perfect flights when the telemetry cable I was using for my 3DR air module shorted out inside the DF13 connector and reset the apm mid flight, causing it to drift uncontrollably into a bench. Then, the next day, after rebuilding it and redoing all of the wiring, the same thing happened again, and I broke another set of blades when it decided to live the life of a parrot and get stuck in a tree. Then, to top it all off, one of the hubs of my motors failed in flight on the next flight, causing my quad to tumble. Luckily, I always fly away from people, or at night on campus, when no one is about. I take meticulous care to reduce vibrations, insulate wires, sand sharp edges off carbon or G10, balance props/motors/even the spinners, and always inspect for any problems before and after flights. Experience means nothing in terms of freak accidents, there is always an inherent risk. There is a reason these things are referred to as flying lawnmowers, and take that to heart.
Professional? You did hear where he said it was his "SECOND" flight right? He goes on about how amazed he is at it, just before it wobbles and plummets into the jungle.
My belief is these forums are for encouragement, sharing of knowledge and the general goodness of UAVs, not causing offence.
It may not concern or be bother you, but please be mindful who your audience may be before making such comments. The simple insertion of the word "Some" at the very beginning of your post would not cause such offence.
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