Flying drone out sight

[R.Perry]

Got a call this morning to help look for a lost kid, local volunteer fire department. Anyway went out to the search area and I'm surrounded by 70 to 100 foot trees. I finally found an observation point overlooking the trees. I launched the P4P and started combing the area, nothing, returned and changed batteries, and started again. The fire captain then asked me to drop over a small hill and expand the search.
I had to tell him it is illegal to fly the drone beyond where I could see it. He was frustrated and I do understand. In a situation like this I'm sure no one would really fault me for doing so, but I'm not willing to risk losing the P4 and the density of the forest was such that spotting a child would be next to impossible anyway.
One of the searchers did find the kid, a bit cold and hungry but now worse for wear.

Here was a situation where urgency might dictate braking the rules, or would it? For me it was two fold, if I really thought there was significant potential in finding that kid I might have, but reality was there wasn't.

I have never flown either drone out of site and I think those that do are really sticking there necks out. If you lose you video feed then you are flying blind, you better hope that RTH works. Rules or no rules I think it is a bad idea. I'm wondering what others attitudes are on this subject?

 

[embayweather]

Bottom line as ever is if you can undertake the flight safely. If you cannot, even looking for a child, then you become a possible danger to those others looking. A heartbreaking decision to make, but I am sure many full size aircraft pilots have made similar decisions. Seriously happy that the child was found.

 

[R.Perry]

Well I got suck punched by a hick LEO, I wasn't told this was a training exercise and the reality is he was using this to prove drones are useless in search and rescue. The area is dense forest so he was right, it wasn't appropriate for the area, truth is a helicopter would have had the same results.

My attitude now with these people is don't call me, I'm not your Gomer.

 

[BigAl07]

We train, work, and search with local Emergency Services and they understand when we fly for them we follow ALL rules & regulations to a "T". If we bust them while flying "under their command" they are also accountable and to a higher degree because the dept/agency will be scrutinized over our poor decision making process. Even more so should an Incident within an Incident occur.

Unfortunately the "hick LEO" is only limiting the future deployment of sUAS to save lives and most likely because, for some reason or another, he's intimidated by it. That's just a shame. The sooner he understand that sUAS is a very beneficial "tool" in the right situation by the right people the better.

I spent this whole evening giving a presentation and flight demo to some regional SAR gurus who traveled to my area for Wilderness Week. They were impressed and already asking for more info and demonstrations.

 

[R.Perry]

BigA, good for you. I shouldn't of been so abrasive about this guy, but the way it came down really angered me. In the Sierra foothills some of the local LEOs are living in the dark ages, and don't like change, on the other hand many of the small departments are under staffed and have restrictive budgets.
Where you have dense forests it just isn't practical to search for someone from the air, and just maybe I should have caught on sooner, and just stated that to them instead of participating.
We only have a volunteer fire department where I live, and they are a great bunch of guys with a wide range of experience, and they are very interested in using drones where it is appropriate.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

Well I got suck punched by a hick LEO, I wasn't told this was a training exercise and the reality is he was using this to prove drones are useless in search and rescue. The area is dense forest so he was right, it wasn't appropriate for the area, truth is a helicopter would have had the same results.

My attitude now with these people is don't call me, I'm not your Gomer.

What???? Any agency that allows this stunt should be publicly shamed.

 

[R.Perry]

What???? Any agency that allows this stunt should be publicly shamed.

Maybe so, but I must live with these people, and they are good people in the most part, just set in their ways. It is water under the bridge. As we all know there are many great uses for drones, and as technology increases, and regulations established, I think they will be put to good use in many different ways.

At my age once my job ends in a couple of years I'll be done with the commercial aspect, never know big brother may put age restrictions on commercial drone pilots as they have on commercial aviation.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

Certainly, I work with LE and understand. As a retired chief of police my mind has difficulty comprehending how any agency head would condone this disgraceful behavior.

I'm 65; hear you loud and clear...

 

[turbodronepilot]

I don't think a p4 is the right tool for search and rescue ,but a m200 or similar aircraft with a z30 and a xt would be a better choice.
I'm not sure how effective it would be to fly a drone over a dense Forrest, but you could zoom in from far away with a z30 and a xt while maintaining los just over the tree tops.
Also if other means of searching aren't available at the time and someone's life is on the line I believe it should be legal to fly blos missions .
I personally would fly my 30k drone as far as it would go in an emergency situation if I could help someone out .

 

[R.Perry]

I don't think a p4 is the right tool for search and rescue ,but a m200 or similar aircraft with a z30 and a xt would be a better choice.
I'm not sure how effective it would be to fly a drone over a dense Forrest, but you could zoom in from far away with a z30 and a xt while maintaining los just over the tree tops.
Also if other means of searching aren't available at the time and someone's life is on the line I believe it should be legal to fly blos missions .
I personally would fly my 30k drone as far as it would go in an emergency situation if I could help someone out .

Sure there are better options for than the P4 for seaches. I have a I2, but it belongs to the company I work for, so I don't use it for other purposes. The P4 serves my personal needs very well, now if an agency wants to spend a ton of money I'm willing to fly there bird for them.

 

[R.Perry]

Certainly, I work with LE and understand. As a retired chief of police my mind has difficulty comprehending how any agency head would condone this disgraceful behavior.

I'm 65; hear you loud and clear...

Well you obviously see the value in drones, and many of the LEO's also do, and I believe you will see departments getting their own drones and training officers to fly them, to me that makes just makes sense. I have done some work for an adjoining county and the Sheriff their is all for them.

Our area had a real meth lab problem, I asked the local Sheriff why he didn't bust these guys. His comment was, "There are a hundred of them, and one of me." I completely understood. The DEA finally came up and cleaned house, they had the manpower to do it. They also used drones during those busts.

 

[flockshot]

If a kid is missing, and I have the ability to pursue finding the child. I will find the child if I have the talent to do so.

 

[BigAl07]

I don't think a p4 is the right tool for search and rescue ,but a m200 or similar aircraft with a z30 and a xt would be a better choice.
I'm not sure how effective it would be to fly a drone over a dense Forrest, but you could zoom in from far away with a z30 and a xt while maintaining los just over the tree tops.
Also if other means of searching aren't available at the time and someone's life is on the line I believe it should be legal to fly blos missions .
I personally would fly my 30k drone as far as it would go in an emergency situation if I could help someone out .

Of course there are better "tools" than the P4 but you USE what you have. Of course we would all love to have the funds for an M210 outfitted with XT or better yet XT2 but only a small percentage of the real world are able to do that. Many of our depts are so budget strained just trying to stay operational that finding an extra $25K-$50K for the top of the line DJI sUAS is almost comical.

Keep in mind that some of us were "doing" SAR with aircraft not nearly as advanced and capable as a P4 just a few years ago. I have used a Blade Qx3 as well as foamie fixed wing before many of the people flying drones today even knew what a drone was.

 

[LUIS MARTINEZ]

Well you obviously see the value in drones, and many of the LEO's also do, and I believe you will see departments getting their own drones and training officers to fly them, to me that makes just makes sense. I have done some work for an adjoining county and the Sheriff their is all for them.

Our area had a real meth lab problem, I asked the local Sheriff why he didn't bust these guys. His comment was, "There are a hundred of them, and one of me." I completely understood. The DEA finally came up and cleaned house, they had the manpower to do it. They also used drones during those busts.

I suppose I am fortunate. I retired in 2013, before UAVs in LE became popular, otherwise my Department would have adopted the concept muy pronto. Currently, I serve as chief UAS pilot for another agency, as a volunteer. Their chief is a friend and knowing I'm in the business he asked if I would help them get their unit "off the ground" last year. I trained their 6 pilots on 107 and all passed their FAA exam. We fly an M600 w/ Z3 and XT, under Part 107 and a daylight waiver. Operational this past December so we are still learning.