Helicopters and Drones

By Gene Trainor, FAA Communications Specialist/Technical Writer

Go to any park nowadays and you will likely see drones, or unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). It all seems so normal. Just 10 years ago, the skies were largely free of UAS. Now, however, the surging popularity of drones presents some challenges to the helicopter community. To help foster safe integration, the FAA has developed rules to help remote pilots navigate the skies safely. Over the next two years, UAS operators and manufacturers face deadlines to install remote identification technology that will help authorities better track UAS.

Such incidents persist. In November, the FBI arrested a man after his UAS crashed into a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter. The helicopter was responding to a crime scene when the collision occurred, forcing an emergency landing. The drone damaged the helicopter’s nose, antenna, and bottom cowlings. A vehicle was also damaged as the drone fell from the sky.

The FAA receives more than 100 sightings of improper drone operations each month. The FAA has warned that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters, and airports is dangerous and illegal and that violators face stiff fines and criminal charges.

“In its most basic form, Remote ID can be described as a ‘digital license plate’ for UAS,” says Ann Cihon, a program manager with the FAA’s UAS Integration Office. “Remote ID is necessary to address aviation safety and security issues regarding UAS operations in the National Airspace System.”

Here are some tips from the USHST to avoid airborne conflicts with a UAS.

Gene Trainor is a communications specialist/technical writer with the FAA Compliance and Airworthiness Division and a Rotorcraft Collective team member.

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