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Careful where you fly - Pilot arrested

There has been lots of problems here in Utah with this very problem. Drone sighting over wildfires. One or two bad pilots giving the rest a bad name.
 
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Uh, why would anybody care? I don't get it.
When flying near people putting their lives in danger, such as firefighters, you put more risk and stress on everyone involved in the situation.

[Drought stricken California is now fighting at least 14 large wildfires in at least ten counties across the state, engaging a force of some 7,000 firefighters plus National Guardsmen. They’re up against a triple-threat of three digit temperatures in some parts of the state, high winds that are spreading the fires rapidly and drought conditions furnishing fuel for the burning.

A fourth threat is also emerging: Drones.

Occasionally aircraft have been grounded by people flying drones, with a $75,000 reward now offered for the apprehension of anyone irresponsible enough to do so.

One four-foot drone shut down evening operations over the Lake Fire, which burned an additional 3.5 square miles overnight Wednesday, KTLA news reported.

Low-flying air tankers cannot share the sky with drones because the small aircraft can be sucked into jet engines, causing the engines to fail and the planes to crash,” . . .
said a plea from the San Bernadino County Commissioners.

“We don’t want to deal with unknown aircraft in our airspace,” Mike Eaton, forest aviation officer for the San Bernardino National Forest, told KTLA TV. “They’ve got enough on their mind already … difficult terrain, difficult weather, winds and other things. They don’t need to be worrying about model airplanes or drones.”]

Drones impede air battle against California wildfires. ‘If you fly we can’t,’ pleads firefighter
 
This is pretty easy. If there is smoke in the air - don't fly the drone.
California has strict rules about flying when fire fighters are putting out ANY fire
in California period.
California uses helicopters and tankers to put out fires.
Do not interfere with CDF Operations by flying your drone.

You risk hurting fire fighters and innocent people trapped by the fire by making it
impossible to fly aircraft to fight the fire.

Flying a drone near fire fighting aircraft automatically grounds all the fire fighting aircraft
until the drone operator is arrested and put into a police car.

Then once the air is cleared of the drone or drones the fire fighting aircraft can battle the fire again.
 

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