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".
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It proves no such thing. The danger is obvious, just as the danger of driving on the freeway is obvious. The first guy who flies anything the size of a Phantom or larger over my head will not be flying it again, as it won't be repairable when I'm done with it. Model aircraft crash, regardless of pilot skill or fastidious construction/maintenance. That there have been few serious injuries over the past decades is in large part due to the fact that the vast majority of pilots understand that. Everyone who enters r/c traditionally crashes as they learn, and almost everyone still crashes now and then even after becoming an expert pilot/builder. And so everyone is well aware of the risk of flying over people. Now we suddenly have aircraft that are much heavier, much more complex, that literally glide like a rock, and that can be operated with very little training. And unfortunately we have inexperienced or delusional people who advocate that it's OK to fly anywhere, just because the statistical risk is small or because they feel they have some right to do so, and who choose to advocate that obviously incorrect and irresponsible position on a highly visible public forum. Add into that the basic PR problem caused by the way our aircraft are associated with "drone strikes" and with "privacy" issues and we're looking at being outlawed. Sorry to be harsh, but I would like to be able to continue to fly my aircraft.
I think at the end of the day this proves one thing very well.
The likely hood of harming someone with a quad rotor is very small.
Look at the environment this crazy guy flew in with little to no exp and how he wrecked it.
If any time there should be property damage and injury but there are none in the most dangerous environment in the world.
What the guy did was reckless and charge him
But this proves how mildly dangerous quad copters are even in the hands of complete idiot in a highly populated area.
I feel a skilled pilot would pose no more threat to anyone than you driving to work on the freeway which most people do every day.
If I am wrong please enlighten me with stories of mass casualties or even a single casualty at the hands of quad-copter or zephyr wing...
Till than have a great day =)
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..
Austin Suhler is a good example of what can go wrong without warning. Even those of us who build machines from scratch and know them inside out, and MAINTAIN them can have failures with little or no warning.
Things just wear out, and even if you do watch for it not all wear is visible.
My models are maintained to as high a standard as anyone in the hobby, yet I'm still not going to risk harm by flying over people or built up areas.
R(FM)TF stuff is NOT going to be checked over before the Moron buzzes a crowded beach or a parade, and when it does go wrong the Moron with no piloting skills will have no chance of controlling where it crashes.
The Phantom may look harmless, but I'd rather be under a big octo that threw a prop then a quad.
The funny thing is that people would object to a big Octo screaming like a chainsaw over their heads and disturbing their parade, with no concept of the extra risk the pretty and quiet phantom poses.
That NG pilot looks like he's had little or no R/C experience and is exactly the kind of person that needs to be reached before flying around people/crowds etc. The Utube comments catalog most of his mistakes but miss his attempt to regain control with body English. Camera and multi both appear to be controlled via 2.4 ... amateur hour ...
@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.
Idiots
I've NEVER lost control of one of my multirotors. It's been 4-5 years since I build my first one. It's could happen, just like anythjng else, but if you are meticulous it's very very unlikely.
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.
I have been trying to refrain from commenting but I can't, I have to agree with Darrell. Nobody should be flying over people or freeways no matter what their experience, failures do happen and its this kind of behavior that will bring down heavy regulations, and a bad name for all operators, don't do it. Just because the people in a parade like it and don't know they are in any danger doesn't mean its safe. Parades and crowds can still be filmed but we don't need to be right over them. I don't believe videos like that have any place on this site and should be removed.
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