Our recent blog topics have mainly been around safe legal drone operation and the avoidance of drone collisions with aircraft. So, it is quite fitting that this Saturday, the BBC are airing an episode of Casualty, where an air ambulance crashes onto the hospital after a collision with a drone.
In a Radio Times article published this week, the Casualty producers have been working on this story line with the Association of Air Ambulances for about seven months. For the programme makers, featuring a dramatic story of this nature requires huge sensitivity. Every accident featured in the show has happened for real.
In the episode, the story line features a child who has been given a drone as a birthday present. The air ambulance is returning to the A&E when the drone collides with the helicopter’s blade and causes it to crash.
Although this scenario has not happened in the UK before, it has occurred abroad and it is something the Air Ambulance Service is incredibly worried about. That’s why they proposed the idea to the Casualty story team.
We at Hovershotz share this concern and praise the BBC’s Casualty programme makers’ decision to include a story-line involving a drone colliding with a helicopter. The story highlights the dangers of drones being flown by people without proper knowledge of ‘how to’ and ‘where to’ fly a drone. Anything that raises an issue of drone safety and in turn makes our skies safer is a good thing.
If drones are flown by people without prior safety training then it could be an accident waiting to happen. Helicopters are especially at risk because they are less stable than planes and operate at low altitudes in airspace used by drones.
And it’s not just children without prior drone safety knowledge that could cause an accident of this nature. there could be more illegal drone operators than legal operators. Illegal drone operators who undertake ‘aerial work’ and fly without Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) permission pose a danger too. There are many cowboys out there who buy a drone as a toy and lark around.
Illegal drone operators don’t go through the process of learning to fly their drone safely. Nor have they been assessed to ensure they can fly their drone competently. Additionally, illegal drone pilots do not have insurance for operating commercially. Just like if an uninsured driver hits an innocent person or vehicle – there is nobody to compensate for the injury or damage.
A drone operated by a professional CAA approved pilot, however, is safe. Why? Professional drone operators with CAA permissions are proficient pilots who do not take risks that could endanger the public or damage property. Legal professional pilots adhere to a strict drone code and perform a series of checks and risk assessments before every flight to avoid accidents such as colliding with a helicopter. They know not to fly their drone above congested areas or near a helipad or airport.
