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In the aftermath of Iselle a drone took dramatic video footage of the devastation in Kapoho. I was impressed at how the drone was used as a tool in this situation.
Likewise, for anyone studying the volcano and the flow, drones would seem like a great tool to gather accurate, realtime data from the front of the flow. Is there a reason the county isn't using drones? Is it cost related? Lack of availability of drone resources? Technical reasons? Other?
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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Helicopters are doing the job just fine.
Assume the best and ask questions.
Punaweb moderator
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drones certainly do a good job taking video, but the decision making and data collection that is occurring on helicopter overflights is probably beyond the capabilities of a drone (at this point in time).
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Not knocking the helicopters, I agree they're doing a great job. Thought there might be advantages and disadvantage for both. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Tim
A superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions--Confucius
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I believe the FAA has put a lot of restrictions on drones, including a rule that the operator has to have the drone in view the whole time.
Not so easy near a lava flow.
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A federal judge ruled that FAA has no authority to regulate drones (commercial use or otherwise) outside of the navigable airways specified on the aviation charts.
FAA administrative court judges have also ruled that FAA does not have the authority to regulate drones.
Congress passed a law requiring FAA to create drone regulations by 2015. FAA has, instead, indicated that they will not obey the law, nor will they commit to a timeline for delivering any kind of regulatory framework.
FAA's prohibition is based on a 2012 law that does not, in fact, prohibit any of these activities.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world is innovating and creating jobs.
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It's definitely an area where regulation is evolving. Much of the controversy surrounds unmanned larger aerial vehicles (UAV) sharing controlled airspace. Typically, the small drones that are becoming popular for aerial photography are considered the same as R/C model aircraft.
The guidelines for the AMA have to be followed for members to be covered under their liability insurance coverage. They lobby heavily to protect their hobby and regulations would likely align with their rules. More information can be found on their site:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/documents.aspx
One of the areas I have heard about drone pilots having interaction with law enforcement over is when they penetrate TFR areas. This is common around forest fires when air operations are being conducted. There is a semi-permanent TFR in place over the summit of Kilauea, which does not cover the current flow:
http://tfr.faa.gov/save_pages/detail_8_9697.html
There are other regulations to be concerned with as well outside of the FAA. Humpback whales are protected from aircraft coming within 1000' of them. The CD folks might feel that they have some regulatory authority as well.
I'd love to see the footage and I even did a You-Tube search last week thinking someone would have done it by now. I think the difference is that the drones used for the hurricane were operating over private property.
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Helicopters are doing the job just fine.
Does anyone know how much the county would save by switching to drones? I ask in response to Rob's comment because the new technology would be a huge cost-saving.
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That might be true but the fact is this county runs about twenty five years behind the mainland.
Assume the best and ask questions.
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The drones that any individual here might own do not have near enough range to go out to where the flow is.
Most are nothing more than remote controlled toys, with a camera attached. Sure, there are a couple of models that can be programmed to go up, move about, then come right back to the spot they took off from, but range is still a big consideration.
Additionally, no one wants to lose a $1000 to $2000 toy in the thick forest or into the lava itself.
