Drone Pilot Guilty of Far More than Aircraft Damage - Episode 259

The pilot of the drone that damaged a firefighting aircraft has pled guilty to causing the damage that grounded the Candian SuperScooper for several days. The event was detailed in Episode 253.

The pilot, a successful video game developer, paid over $65,000 to repair the aircraft, will reimburse the government Quebec for additional costs, and faces up to a year in prison. In the words of the Department of Justice, the pilot "recklessly flew an aircraft into airspace where first responders were risking their lives in an attempt to protect lives and property."

The pilot did more than damage the plane. He violated aviation safety practices. The pilot should have known that what he was doing was dangerous.

• Flying a drone into an area where firefighters and firefighting aircraft were dealing with an emergency 
• Flying the aircraft out of his visual line of sight, violating one of the basic regulations for flying a small drone 

John Goglia and Todd Curtis discuss the risks related to drone flights. They offer advice for all drone pilots.

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