RC-Hangout

I just don't get it! How does this kind of thing happen?

So, you are out flying your quad...having fun. Maybe you're out racing with a mini....maybe you're doing videography with a Phantom. That's all great! Awesome! Hmmm, what's that sound? Oh, that's a helicopter. That helicopter has people in it. Gosh...there's a potential danger here. I have an idea....I'm going to bring my quad down and out of the way of the helicopter before it gets closer. It's better to be safe than sorry and potentially endanger someone else's life. Then, when the helicopter passes by, I'll continue having my fun.

Simple enough, isn't it?

WRONG! Instead, I'm going to just leave my quad in the air and be a bonehead. I was here first....that helicopter can go around. Oh wait...better idea....i'll just fly towards that helicopter because he is invading "my" flight space and interrupting "my" flight time.

Ok, granted, I wasn't present when this happen, so I have no idea what was going through the mind of the drone owner. Seriously though....how does this happen???

Some people are just DUMB.
Derek all your points make perfect sense.
Most of the rules in many countries make perfect sense.
Unfortunately some people have absolutely no idea.
Common sense is just not so common any more.

I haven't yet seen any details on this collision. I'd be interested to know what the altitude was, speed of the helicopter, what kind of terrain they were flying over, etc. I can image a couple scenarios where the RC pilot would have very little time between knowing there was full scale traffic inbound and being able to get the quad on the ground or at least at a safe height (below a treeline, for instance). Have no idea if this was one of those circumstances, it probably was not. None the less, would like to know the details. I'll watch through the vid posted above, though I'm guessing he doesn't know details either.

thought he said in the video it was 500 ft cant remember on the terrain though

Okay, finally watched this.

I think he's off base in a couple of big ways. First, this impact was with a military helicopter. Made to withstand the harshest conditions and survive all kinds of abuse, including many small impacts (bullets for instance). Second, despite his spinning to make this out to be an event proving just how rare these impacts are, you know what would have proven that point even better? Not having the impact event occur at all. Yes these are rare events, but using the occurrence of the event as glorious proof of that rarity doesn't really work. Third, we're damned lucky that the event happened with a military helicopter that could withstand such an impact. Had this been a civilian helicopter, such as a medical transport or a tour ride helicopter or a news helicopter, the damage may well have been more significant and the news coverage of it mighty. As it is, I saw no coverage of this outside RC and aviation circles on FB and forums (maybe it was covered, seems it was a blip though).

We got lucky.

Next time?

Did a quick search, really only local coverage of it in NYC. Didn't really make national news.

mate while a military heli may withstand some damage from warfare its not gonna do well against ammunition.

Civil birds have to be built to withstand bird strikes as much as military helis so this type of crash would not be much worse on a civil platform as on the Blackhawk, recreational heli may suffer worse but who knows,