Re:Drone Hobbyists Angered by Congress Ending the Aerial Wil...
by tzs on Friday September 28, 2018 @12:37AM
(#18091122)
Don't forget the idiots who fly drones at forest fires, which several times last year resulted in fire-fighting tanker planes being diverted away.
I've heard people say that keeping the tankers away when a drone is in the same airspace is an overreaction, but those people are not thinking it through.
There are several factors that make fire-fighting flights very difficult for the pilots.
1. They are flying very low.
2. The air over and around large fires is often very turbulent.
3. The plane is heavily loaded, making it less nimble than normal, and making maneuvers put much more stress on the plane than they would on a less loaded plane.
The pilots are in a dangerous, stressful situation that requires their upmost concentration. Anything that distracts them is dangerous.
I've heard people say that keeping the tankers away when a drone is in the same airspace is an overreaction, but those people are not thinking it through.
There are several factors that make fire-fighting flights very difficult for the pilots.
1. They are flying very low.
2. The air over and around large fires is often very turbulent.
3. The plane is heavily loaded, making it less nimble than normal, and making maneuvers put much more stress on the plane than they would on a less loaded plane.
The pilots are in a dangerous, stressful situation that requires their upmost concentration. Anything that distracts them is dangerous.