Droning on

Alpine Ski-Racer Marcel Hirscher is not somebody who ordinarily would come to my attention, but for his recent very near-miss with a drone, whilst competing at the Alpine Skiing World Cup in Italy, last December. The heart-stopping footage shows an octocopter drop like a stone from above, missing him by mere centimetres, milliseconds, it was a very lucky escape for Marcel, but it may be another nail in the coffin for the use of unmanned aerial devices in the civilian arena. The operator, a subcontractor hired by Infront Sports & Media, has suggested that the cause was interference over the radio control, although according to The International Ski Federation (FIS) race director Markus Waldner, the pilot had not followed the agreed flight plan and safety margins. Drones were subsequently banned from the event. If such an incident can happen with trained professionals using very expensive equipment it can happen to any user, and a quick search on youtube will point you to many ‘hilarious’ drone ‘fails’. Not so hilarious for Oscar Webb, the toddler from Stourport on Severn, whose eyeball was sliced open by the rapidly spinning propellers of a quadcopter piloted by family friend Simon Evans, who lost control after his drone struck a tree, a tragic accident, but one with lifelong consequences for the boy who has lost the sight in the damaged eye. As a film-maker I am in awe of some of the opportunities drones present, and my jaw drops at the spectacular footage that crops up increasingly in news reports (think the recent floods) and in showcase films by the likes of the stunt cyclist Danny MacAskill. You or I can go into Maplins, Argos, even Tescos and buy a drone for very little money, and take to the skies the very same day, with no training, no insurance, and no need for a license or registration. Although if I were to use any of the aerial footage for anything other than hobby purposes, I would need to have permission from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), only granted after comprehensive and costly training. Whilst I can now buy a 4K Phantom drone for £700, I would need to spend at least double this again on training and testing, plus travel and accommodation costs, not to mention specific public liability insurance in order to use the drone for commercial purposes. And don’t think the CAA aren’t watching. They have issued common sense simple to follow guidelines in etiquette and safety for hobbyist drone users. If you fly recklessly and get caught, or are stupid enough to share filmed evidence via Youtube and the like, there is a good chance you will be prosecuted – you have been warned! In the first CAA led conviction Robert Knowles of Barrow-in Furness was fined £800 with £3,500 costs after flying a drone over a BAE Submarine facility and then striking a bridge. Helpfully he had put his contact details on his drone. In a subsequent case (former) drone hobbyist Nigel Wilson of Nottingham was fined £1,800 plus £600 costs and banned from owning or using drones after flying his aerial unmanned devices over football stadiums and other congested public areas in what was the first Police led conviction of it’s kind. Despite this, when my wife and I were waiting for the Red Road flats to be demolished there were amateurs flying consumer drones over the assembled crowds, a strict no no, even for most commercial operators, only a few of whom have the requisite permission to fly over conurbations. In America, the land of the free, you now have to register the purchase of any drone over 250g with the Federal Aviation Administration. For context, the popular DJI phantom models weight around 1.2kg. Children under 13 years of age cannot register a drone, although a parent or guardian may do so on their behalf. It’s about common sense, it’s about accountability. In the right hands these devices are capable of capturing immersive and inspiring footage which would lift any production, in the wrong hands they are no more than flying food blenders. It might be an area I expand into, but only with the correct training, permissions, and insurance. I worry a bit about the responsibility... and if Santa brought you or your child a drone at Christmas, responsibility is something you should take very seriously. The critics hover, clamouring for consumer drones to be banned, I am not among their number – yet - but I don’t know how much faith I have in other folks ‘common sense’.