Firefighting planes grounded again due to drone

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Here is a story off of the AP network.  We as drone pilots need to be careful where and when we fly.  A forest fire is not the place nor the time to have your drone in the air.

REDDING – Authorities briefly grounded a U.S. Forest Service reconnaissance plane flying over a series of small wildfires in Northern California after a drone flew too close to the scene.

The Forest Service said the plane fighting the fires in the Plumas National Forest in northeast California was grounded Monday for about an hour and a half for safety reasons. The owner of the drone was not found.

It was the third time in less than a week that the spotting of a drone over a California wildfire prompted the Forest Service to order planes to land for safety reasons.

Officials fear drones will collide with firefighting planes. Two tanker planes dropping retardant on a large wildfire in San Bernardino County were briefly grounded June 24 and 25 when drones were spotted over the blaze.

The Forest Service is calling on owners of unmanned aircraft to keep the drones away from wildfires. No accidents have been reported because of drone interference, Forest Service spokeswoman Heather Noel said.

“But it’s a growing trend,” she said.

Firefighting aircraft often fly low in the same airspace as drones. Federal authorities often place temporary restrictions on air travel near wildfires, and drone operators flying without permission over the blazes face fines, Noel said. The Forest Service said there’s a potential for “smokejumpers,” firefighters who parachute into remote areas, to collide with drones as well.

“These instances in the last week with (drones) are a reminder that there is potentially a new hazard in the fire environment,” said Josh Mathiesen, a U.S. Forest Service smokejumper base manager. “And that is really something we do not need. I do not want my smokejumpers to be focusing on drones flying around. I want them to focus on getting safely to the ground and suppressing the fire.”

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  1. It is safe to assume that all wildfires will be responded to by low flying aircraft. Drones and other aircraft are always to remain five miles outside of aerial fire fighting operations. sUAS can be a tremendous asset to firefighting operations if used properly. Doing stupid things with them will only hinder the process.

  2. A somewhat similar incident occurred a few years ago except, in this case, it was some idiot in an ultralight. Having to suddenly suspend air-ops is a good way to kill firefighters. I should know. I was a firefighter for 33 years, have been flying ultralights since ’82, and have been flying R/C since the early ’60s.

  3. These idiots with the drones will be the death of radio control airplane modeling as we know it! Anyone can buy a so-called drone and without any experience at all launch it into areas dangerous to air traffic and ultimately human life! Personally, I would like to see the damned things totally outlawed but the AMA has pushed them for the financial shot in the arm they get from advertisers, etc.

    1. Jim, I suppose you would like to see all computers outlawed too, you know, because of hackers. I certainly don’t condone the risking of anyone’s safety unnecessarily, but you can’t punish the many because of the few.

    2. Not all of us are idiots. I would never fly over a fire zone or any other disaster etc. But outlawing UAVs because of the few idiots is ridiculous. Should cars, alcohol, guns or anything else that is abused by the few bad apples also be banned?

  4. No accidents have been reported because of drone interference, Forest Service spokeswoman Heather Noel said.
    “But it’s a growing trend,” she said.
    I would think that a “growing trend” of “No accidents” is a good thing. (Not my words. Her words)
    Noel said. The Forest Service said there’s a potential for “smokejumpers,” firefighters who parachute into remote areas, to collide with drones as well.
    Really? Smokejumpers? Collide?
    Yeah, I suppose there is a one in a Trillion chance of a smokejumper to go feet first into a 3 pound drone on his way down into a RAGING FOREST FIRE while wearing boots that are steel-toed, chainsaw and fire retarded just before he (or she) lands grizzly bear country. Yup, better not let them jump during a drone flight, after all, the drone might blow some dust and get their gloves all sooty… can’t have that can we?
    Really Forest Service, put on your big girl panties and stop whining about every little thing that disturbs your delicate sensibilities. I don’t hear you stopping flights because of birds fleeing the trees, and there are WAY more birds in the area of a forest fire than there has EVER been toy drones.
    I wonder, has a smokejumper ever landed on a bird on his way down?

    1. Yep its all ok till someone gets killed. sadly it will not be the operator so murphy’s law fails here.

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