Quad copter at 500 + AGL

Velocity173

Velocity173

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Velocity173
Went right past a quad copter tonight. Looked like a bird at first but as I got closer I could see all four rotors. Probably went 50-100 ft out my right door with the RADALT around 530-550 ft.

Be on the lookout gents. They're out there and it's only going to get worse.
 
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If encountered, is there any reporting method for us GA types?
 
Not sure what I could report. Right now there is no regulatory requirement for them. They should be at or below 400 ft but based on interpretations of AMA, that's only near airfields. I had just looked at my RADALT and it was bouncing between 530-550 so I'm pretty sure he broke the 400 ft recommendation. Pretty sure these things record altitude on the video so If be interested and seeing the readout. One thing is for sure, he got a good air to air shot of an EMS helo!
 
What are you going to be able to report?

I saw a little quad copter above 500' AGL over Sometown. I think it was red.

Good luck with anyone finding the owner.
 
Velocity173 said:
Not sure what I could report. Right now there is no regulatory requirement for them. They should be at or below 400 ft but based on interpretations of AMA, that's only near airfields. I had just looked at my RADALT and it was bouncing between 530-550 so I'm pretty sure he broke the 400 ft recommendation. Pretty sure these things record altitude on the video so If be interested and seeing the readout. One thing is for sure, he got a good air to air shot of an EMS helo!
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Most of the altitude and speed indications on their HUDs are GPS based, so that might not even be that accurate. I'd say if you see the thing always flying in the same area, a 12G with bird shot should send the message 5x5
 
Do EMS helos usually operate at 500 AGL, or were you on approach/departure?
 
NASA Aviation Reporting System, ASRS.ARC.NASA.GOV/REPORT/ELECTRONIC/HTML

Location, estimated altitude, type of UAV.
 
dans2992 said:
Do EMS helos usually operate at 500 AGL, or were you on approach/departure?
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300 ft is a helo hard deck (congested) per Part 135. Usually I fly between 1,000-2000 AGL but in this case it was only a 3 mile flight to the hospital and over sparsely populated area. Plus I was maybe a mile out from the pad.

Happened over in Fast Eddie's area about 2 miles west of 1A3.
 
I'm a total geek very much into the advanced multirotors. I have one. I fly it at home an various parks. All in places it is safe to do so. I limit myself to 400AGL, but 90% of my flying is < 200AGL. Anything 200-400 is pointless except for a quick photo op. I keep an ear out for aircraft. Anyone flying below 1000AGL where I live is reckless. Occasionally see helos between maybe 500-1000. But I'm never in their way.

Sadly, I represent the minority of responsible users who want to improve safety.
 
For some background, I'll explain what MOST people can see and know while flying these things.

If it is just out of the box with no telemetry connection to a laptop or smartphone, and no video downlink with telemetry text overlay, the operator has no idea how high they are or what they're really looking at. They're putting it up and hoping the GoPro catches some nice shots. This is probably most people.

If it has a telemetry link to a laptop or smartphone, the operator can see all kinds of data. Literally everything. Altitude, speed, heading, waypoints, battery status, etc. You can even have an AI with flight data overlayed like on a PFD. I have this. Usually either my laptop is on a picnic bench, or it's to my smartphone, and talking to my through my bluetooth earpiece.

If you have a video transmitter, the video the camera sees can be transmitted to a monitor or goggles on the ground. So the operator can see what the aircraft sees. I have this. I use a monitor attached to my remote control.

You an also get an OSD to overlay the telemetry data onto the transmitted video. I can see all the telemetry data (altitude, speed, battery, etc) overlayed on it. Very cool stuff. I have this too.

The camera on board the aircraft is doing the recording. That is NOT recording any of the telemetry data. The video recording is not going to show any of the altitude or heading data. It is recording just like it would if you were wearing the camera on your head or attached to the cockpit of your plane for fun. So watching the video will not tell you what his altitude was.

If we can get some nice weather this weekend or weekend, I'll take some pictures and video of mine, what I can see see, and do, and how responsible users avoid interfering with real aircraft.
 
Pedals2Paddles said:
For some background, I'll explain what MOST people can see and know while flying these things.

If it is just out of the box with no telemetry connection to a laptop or smartphone, and no video downlink with telemetry text overlay, the operator has no idea how high they are or what they're really looking at. They're putting it up and hoping the GoPro catches some nice shots. This is probably most people.

If it has a telemetry link to a laptop or smartphone, the operator can see all kinds of data. Literally everything. Altitude, speed, heading, waypoints, battery status, etc. You can even have an AI with flight data overlayed like on a PFD. I have this. Usually either my laptop is on a picnic bench, or it's to my smartphone, and talking to my through my bluetooth earpiece.

If you have a video transmitter, the video the camera sees can be transmitted to a monitor or goggles on the ground. So the operator can see what the aircraft sees. I have this. I use a monitor attached to my remote control.

You an also get an OSD to overlay the telemetry data onto the transmitted video. I can see all the telemetry data (altitude, speed, battery, etc) overlayed on it. Very cool stuff. I have this too.

The camera on board the aircraft is doing the recording. That is NOT recording any of the telemetry data. The video recording is not going to show any of the altitude or heading data. It is recording just like it would if you were wearing the camera on your head or attached to the cockpit of your plane for fun. So watching the video will not tell you what his altitude was.

If we can get some nice weather this weekend or weekend, I'll take some pictures and video of mine, what I can see see, and do, and how responsible users avoid interfering with real aircraft.
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How many dollars did you just cost me describing what I now must have?
 
Pedals2Paddles said:
I'm a total geek very much into the advanced multirotors. I have one. I fly it at home an various parks. All in places it is safe to do so. I limit myself to 400AGL, but 90% of my flying is < 200AGL. Anything 200-400 is pointless except for a quick photo op. I keep an ear out for aircraft. Anyone flying below 1000AGL where I live is reckless. Occasionally see helos between maybe 500-1000. But I'm never in their way.

Sadly, I represent the minority of responsible users who want to improve safety.
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There is the catch, everyone with one of these things believes an aircraft is reckless to fly where their toy is...
 
Jay Honeck said:
Check YouTube in about six hours. The video of the "close encounter with an airplane" should be there by then, complete with the user's name. :lol:
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Please don't say everyone. There is a large contingent of responsible operators such as myself that know better. We only fly where it is safe to do so. We know the airspace and what to reasonably expect from full size aircraft. We even check for TFRs, which is critical around here. They really might shoot it down if you don't! We do everything in our power educate the unwitting consumers that buy-and-fly. And we do what we can trying to help the FAA and AMA make sensible and safe regulations.

Sadly, these things can be purchased by anyone. And they don't now any better. The manufacturers do not and really can't educate them. People have no idea what they're doing is so dangerous to others on the ground and in the sky. They're not intending harm, they just don't know any better.

I even have a geofence configured on mine that will make it automatically turn around and come home if it accidentally gets too high or too far away. I have my geofence ceiling set for 450ft agl and 2000ft laterally. If I breach that fence, it will stop and come back. Sadly, the consumer buy-n-flies aren't as responsible.



ClimbnSink said:
There is the catch, everyone with one of these things believes an aircraft is reckless to fly where their toy is...
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As I'm sure we all know, the general public has no ability to judge altitude or airspeed. Hell I can't either. Every low flying aircraft is "like about 500ft" to the public. Just like every small business jet is a lear. Every big business jet is a gulfstream. Every small commercial airliner is a 737 and every big commercial airliner is a 747. All small single engine planes are "like a cessna".

Sadly, the same thing that makes them incapable of judging what we do in airplanes makes them incapable of judging what they do themselves with their new toy.

When I say flying < 1000agl here would be reckless, I say that as someone who is educated on the matter, not a some idiot that doesn't like low flying places.
 
You give the public too much credit. Every business jet is a Lear, period. They wouldn't differentiate a Gulfstream... :)
 
One of the less responsible quadcopter owners decided that flying his toy over the University of Texas football stadium during a game would be fun.

I don't think he checked the NOTAMS, because there was a published stadium TFR active for the game.

He did post a nice picture.

They arrested him, Texas has a state law saying you can't do that. But I'm not sure how Texas can regulate the air.

The City of Austin recently tried to ban banner tow airplanes over the city. That got slapped down pretty quickly by the FAA, who explained to the city that Austin may be slouching towards socialism, but the City can't own the air (yet).
 
JimNtexas said:
The City of Austin recently tried to ban banner tow airplanes over the city. That got slapped down pretty quickly by the FAA, who explained to the city that Austin may be slouching towards socialism, but the City can't own the air (yet).
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I am guessing the University of Texas Athletic Department was behind the ban on banner towing.

The infamous "Greg Davis Is Not Our Standard" banner that was flown over a Texas football game in disgust over Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis poor playcalling.

Another banner was proposed last year, or, so I heard.... ;)
 
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