Summary
A drone collision grounded one of two Super Scooper planes battling Los Angeles wildfires, leaving a critical resource unavailable.
The collision damaged the aircraft’s wing, forcing its grounding, and temporarily paused other firefighting flights, creating significant delays.
The FAA emphasized the dangers of flying drones near wildfires, noting it’s a federal crime with penalties up to $75,000 and prison time.
Over 36,000 acres have burned, with officials warning that delays in air support allow wildfires to spread rapidly, endangering lives and property.
How do you explain ultralight aircraft not needing to be registered and their operation licensed, per FAR-103?
If I had to guess? Risk of killing someone other than yourself. They’re the go karts of planes
So a >250 gram drone is a credible threat, but a <250 lbs ultralight is not, simply because it’s presumed the pilot of the ultralight will die in whatever event occurs. Right…