4 ms·

Drones ground water-dropping helicopters at critical moment in Maria fire battle

27 points by lnguyen 7y ago

aaron695 7y ago
Rather than the boring af repetitive talk about the fake Gatwick Drone. Or all the fake sightings. Or the one sub par test of a drone hitting a plane in a facility. How about we talk about how we let the government take over so much of our world. We are moving to 3D, f the government. How do they own it all? How can we not even use toys in 99% of our world. It's a disgrace. The data we are collecting from drones around the world is amazing. They lets us crawl back some of what governments have taken away. Good on people filming fires, they are possibly contributing more than these grounded helicopters. Helicopters need to learn how to share the space.
- acdha 7y ago
  Do you really think that there’s a significant public value for someone to be able to “use toys” in the same place where people are actively fighting a raging fire near an inhabited area? I think there’s a lot of value to things which can be done with drones but that’s about the worst area to make this argument: it’s limited in both space and time, and there’s a direct risk to human lives.
  - sneak 7y ago
    > Do you really think that there’s a significant public value for someone to be able to “use toys” in the same place where people are actively fighting a raging fire near an inhabited area? The kind of reactionary legislation that articles like this generate support for will not simply ban drones over fires. The collateral damage to our present freedoms to collect data and imagery will be significant.
    - macintux 7y ago
      Then don’t fly drones where the authorities are desperately trying to put out a fire, thus there would be no backlash.
      - aaron695 7y ago
        I find it very unlikely using helicopters is the best solution for fires. Prevention is one, here drones can help publicise the damage and show scientifically what's happening and help change policy. I also think if a person is flying a drone is so close, a fire engine also possible, but I suspect there are not enough since they are boring and don't get enough funding. And YES heaps of people fly drones and dont get in the way. The nature of this is occasionally sometimes they will. I see no reason we can't use tech today to harden helicopters rather than a stick a head in sand solution of just blaming drones. Drones are here to stay, we can deal with the possibility of a flock of birds, we can deal with a drone 'sighting'
      - sneak 7y ago
        I don’t, yet I will still have my freedoms restricted by the reactionary and unnecessary legislation passed because of fearmongering articles like this. Your words seem to imply that people who have their freedoms taken away in bulk are somehow themselves to blame, when that is rarely the case.
floatingatoll 7y ago
If you come across drone photos of the fire described here, in social media or anywhere, please report them to the Ventura County Fire Department at vcfd@ventura.org Subject “I found someone’s drone photos of the wildfire” for further investigation. (They could be taken by licensed media personnel, so be polite about it.)
jiofih 7y ago
Hasn’t the US/Canada law changed to require a pilot license and radio contact for flying a drone?
jimmaswell 7y ago
I wish comments like the dead one here weren't killed. Nobody wants to consider alternative viewpoints too often around here. I honestly feel like the officials here are just malingering to try to get drones banned because they don't like them. No way one tiny drone flying somewhere in the forest means no helicopters can do their job in the entire vicinity. It's no different than a large bird being around.
- mattkrause 7y ago
  I'm not sure I totally agree with it, but I do agree with you that it's a legit POV worth discussing, so [vouched].
  - jimmaswell 7y ago
    Thanks, my vouching ability just stopped working one day. Maybe vouched too many comments the mods disagreed with.
    - jiofih 7y ago
      What is vouching on HN?
      - mattkrause 7y ago
        If you have enough karma, you can "rescue" a comment from being dead (i.e., not displayed by default).
- karthikb 7y ago
  This particular fire grew to over 4,000 acres in under an hour. "Somewhere in the forest" very quickly becomes "right over the most critical parts of the fire." These fires are dynamic, spotting 1-2 miles ahead of themselves and propelled by winds of 50-80 mph. There is a key difference between birds and drones. Birds tend to fly away from fires. Drone operators are getting close to the action. The forest may be big, but the chances are high that a drone pilot and helicopter pilot are aiming for the same spots. Fire services do operate their own drones. But they do it in coordination and under the guidance with the air traffic controllers so the location is known at all times.
pvaldes 7y ago
> Drones have been a cause of concern for California firefighters for several years So, lets recapitulate... the last batch of fires started the day? week? after the death of ISIS leader. Increased fast in number and now there are somebody flying drones (again) to avoid helicopters doing their job. Hum... What If those fires were deliberate? Maybe California is not burning and is being burnt instead? Would be technically possible to hack the electricity system to increase tension and produce sparks at will?

27 points by lnguyen 7y ago

Rather than the boring af repetitive talk about the fake Gatwick Drone. Or all the fake sightings. Or the one sub par test of a drone hitting a plane in a facility. How about we talk about how we let the government take over so much of our world. We are moving to 3D, f the government. How do they own it all? How can we not even use toys in 99% of our world. It's a disgrace. The data we are collecting from drones around the world is amazing. They lets us crawl back some of what governments have taken away. Good on people filming fires, they are possibly contributing more than these grounded helicopters. Helicopters need to learn how to share the space.

acdha 7y ago
Do you really think that there’s a significant public value for someone to be able to “use toys” in the same place where people are actively fighting a raging fire near an inhabited area? I think there’s a lot of value to things which can be done with drones but that’s about the worst area to make this argument: it’s limited in both space and time, and there’s a direct risk to human lives.
- sneak 7y ago
  > Do you really think that there’s a significant public value for someone to be able to “use toys” in the same place where people are actively fighting a raging fire near an inhabited area? The kind of reactionary legislation that articles like this generate support for will not simply ban drones over fires. The collateral damage to our present freedoms to collect data and imagery will be significant.
  - macintux 7y ago
    Then don’t fly drones where the authorities are desperately trying to put out a fire, thus there would be no backlash.
    - aaron695 7y ago
      I find it very unlikely using helicopters is the best solution for fires. Prevention is one, here drones can help publicise the damage and show scientifically what's happening and help change policy. I also think if a person is flying a drone is so close, a fire engine also possible, but I suspect there are not enough since they are boring and don't get enough funding. And YES heaps of people fly drones and dont get in the way. The nature of this is occasionally sometimes they will. I see no reason we can't use tech today to harden helicopters rather than a stick a head in sand solution of just blaming drones. Drones are here to stay, we can deal with the possibility of a flock of birds, we can deal with a drone 'sighting'
    - sneak 7y ago
      I don’t, yet I will still have my freedoms restricted by the reactionary and unnecessary legislation passed because of fearmongering articles like this. Your words seem to imply that people who have their freedoms taken away in bulk are somehow themselves to blame, when that is rarely the case.

floatingatoll 7y ago

If you come across drone photos of the fire described here, in social media or anywhere, please report them to the Ventura County Fire Department at vcfd@ventura.org Subject “I found someone’s drone photos of the wildfire” for further investigation. (They could be taken by licensed media personnel, so be polite about it.)

jiofih 7y ago

Hasn’t the US/Canada law changed to require a pilot license and radio contact for flying a drone?

jimmaswell 7y ago

I wish comments like the dead one here weren't killed. Nobody wants to consider alternative viewpoints too often around here. I honestly feel like the officials here are just malingering to try to get drones banned because they don't like them. No way one tiny drone flying somewhere in the forest means no helicopters can do their job in the entire vicinity. It's no different than a large bird being around.

mattkrause 7y ago
I'm not sure I totally agree with it, but I do agree with you that it's a legit POV worth discussing, so [vouched].
- jimmaswell 7y ago
  Thanks, my vouching ability just stopped working one day. Maybe vouched too many comments the mods disagreed with.
  - jiofih 7y ago
    What is vouching on HN?
    - mattkrause 7y ago
      If you have enough karma, you can "rescue" a comment from being dead (i.e., not displayed by default).
karthikb 7y ago
This particular fire grew to over 4,000 acres in under an hour. "Somewhere in the forest" very quickly becomes "right over the most critical parts of the fire." These fires are dynamic, spotting 1-2 miles ahead of themselves and propelled by winds of 50-80 mph. There is a key difference between birds and drones. Birds tend to fly away from fires. Drone operators are getting close to the action. The forest may be big, but the chances are high that a drone pilot and helicopter pilot are aiming for the same spots. Fire services do operate their own drones. But they do it in coordination and under the guidance with the air traffic controllers so the location is known at all times.

pvaldes 7y ago

> Drones have been a cause of concern for California firefighters for several years So, lets recapitulate... the last batch of fires started the day? week? after the death of ISIS leader. Increased fast in number and now there are somebody flying drones (again) to avoid helicopters doing their job. Hum... What If those fires were deliberate? Maybe California is not burning and is being burnt instead? Would be technically possible to hack the electricity system to increase tension and produce sparks at will?