California Wildfires - Super Scooper Collides With Drone

[@lohikarhu734]

It's pretty great that DeHavilland got it back to Operational in about 3 days

[@acoustic5738]

Did they? Wow

[@gram8821]

Good sheet metal guys are worth their weight in gold.

[@ToddBurgess]

Thanks for all the love for Canada, gentlemen. Cheers from the Great White North

[@kevinmadore1794]

As a former amphib pilot myself, I think that CL-415 is one of the coolest aircraft in existence and the folks who fly these things against fires have some serious brass in their pants. These folks are flying in challenging terrain, at very low altitudes, in strong turbulence. Not only that, but they're making landing after landing in rough water off the coast to scoop their loads.

[@davecameron77]

The released photos are of a DJI Mini 3 Pro

[@MrMasterSpam]

If you sign up for the Watch Duty app, you can see how crowded the skies are over these fires as the app shows all the aircraft involved. The DC-10 did a water drop at a Kirtland AFB airshow and it is awe inspiring to see.

[@onsitevideoservices9552]

From the images of recovered parts in the wing, it's clear this was only a 1/2 pound drone. At .55 pounds and under, the FAA does not require registration or remoteId when used for recreational purposes. That does not excuse the flight being conducted in a TFR, it only complicates enforcement when an event occurs.

[@FirstDagger]

The aircraft in question C-GQBE is listed as CL-215-6B11 which is the production block for the CL-415, being a turboprop upgrade and redesign of the CL-215. The CL-415's Super Scooper nickname is because of the predecessor CL-215 being called Scooper. Just calling them Super Scooper instead of CL-415 is much easier on the media.

[@pin65371]

I wonder what they will call the CL-515 that is coming out? That is even bigger.

[@FirstDagger]

@@pin65371 Usually you would go from Super to Ultra. But I don't know if the upgrades justify a nickname change yet, apparently they are sill just using the DHC-515 designation and calling it Super Scooper. Which might be just the way to go with the media frenzy around the nickname.

[@jm9371]

@@pin65371 Super-Dooper-Scooper.. no brainer.

[@InlandOne]

LE is still grappling with how to safely terminate pursuits with technology & what we were looking at 20 years ago, but still hasn’t been accomplished universally. Drones are an even larger challenge now.

[@SidewaysEightSix]

Drones are highly common at the amateur events at tracks I’ve been to. Usually pretty professional behaving videographers. But I’ve never seen one above 50ft. But with tall tree tops and a raging fire I’m guessing you need to be much much higher to get an above view.

[@mitchellbanks197]

The TFR doesn't always cover the entire operating territory of the firefighting aircraft. They are constantly leaving the TFR low-level to scoop more water. So entirely possible that the drone was being flown outside the TFR when the collision took place. This doesn't absolve the drone operator AT ALL, but TFRs aren't foolproof for these types of ops.

[@RubyS.1]

DJI has a system that law enforcement uses it will track all the DJI stuff in the sky for sure. And during I believe it was the race in Las Vegas they were bringing down a lot of drones using what they said was a different system.

[@Agwings1960]

The situation is definitely jacked up, but back in my crop dusting days I’ve had more damage than that because of hitting a duck, put some hundred mile per hour tape over the damage and finished the season

[@christoffermonikander2200]

At least the CL-415 is twin engine so might have a shot if a drone takes out an engine. The AT-802 Fireboss is single engine aircraft that is widely used all over the world as a waterbomber.

[@ryanbuckley5529]

Morning guys! I saw the news saying the drone belongs to the fire department, I have No idea if that’s true, but it has been reported.

[@TheZankoh]

California rents the Super Scooper when it's off season for Canadian Wildfires. They cost something like $30,000,000 to purchase and $515/ hour to operate (I assume that doesn't pay for the pilots). The state of California rents them for about $5,000,000 for 3 months.

[@196cupcake]

It's a very busy airspace. It wasn't too hard to find planes surveying the fire area. In addition to everything else, insurance companies probably have drones up too. Like, they want to get a picture of the house burnt down so that they can quickly pay out an insurance claim. No insurance company wants to get called out for not paying out.

[@kevinmadore1794]

Yes, there were TFRs in place and YES, even recreational drone pilots should have known about it. There is a short, online course called "TRUST", which ALL recreational drone pilots are supposed to take, including a test at the end. This is to ensure that even hobbyists are aware of the airspace issues. This is regardless of the weight of the drone. Registration is a separate matter. As you all have said, the aircrews that are fighting these fires, be they CL-415 crews, heavy tanker crews, or helo people, are really hanging it out to try and protect the public. The absolute last thing they need is some careless, ignorant civilian flying a half pound piece of FOD in their AOR.

[@paulwoodman5131]

How does a recreational drone pilot get notified of a TFR ? Do they have to check in before they launch like anybody else?? they're not licensed , are they. ? Even a lightweight drone in the wrong place is dangerous. Or maybe 100 lightweight drones all small enough to not need licensing. 😮.. sorry just thinking out loud. This is a really a huge problem. I think the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man could do it.😅

[@kevinmadore1794]

@@paulwoodman5131 As others have noted, when a drone weighs less than .55 lbs., it doesn't have to be registered. But even recreational drone pilots who fly really small ones still have the requirement to take the TRUST training, which should make them aware of airspace requirements. Regardless of the size of the drone, recreational pilots are supposed to use one of several smart phone apps to request authorization to fly in any airspace which is restricted. Most drones will notify the pilot upon start-up, if they are attempting to fly in controlled airspace, but the drone's software may not be aware of Temporary Flight Restrictions. Pilots are still required to check that stuff. And of course, they still can't fly above 400 AGL. The problem with drones is that unlike manned aircraft, or even radio-controlled models, these drones don't really require much skill to fly. Unfortunately, any idiot with 500 bucks can go down to a Best Buy and acquire everything he needs to do the kind of damage depicted in the photos of the CL-415 water bomber.

[@jmacd8817]

​@kevinmadore1794 I am forced to update my drone firmware every 30 days (DJI mini3) If I don't update, I'm limited to like 30 feet and really slow movement. Oh, and this is the first I've heard of the TRUST test. While I don't follow drone stuff that closely, I have been semi following, so it wouldn't surprise me to find out that 90% or more of rec drone flyers have no clue.

[@marklnz]

This was a small (sub 1 pound) DJI drone - they recovered the drone itself. This was clearly a breach of TFR rules, and the "pilot" clearly did something to get around the build-in flight restrictions, and to make it even worse DJI have announced that they're not going to enforce restrictions like TFRs around wildfires, etc. any more, so expect to see this sort of thing a lot more.

[@lohikarhu734]

I worked on 2 big forest fires when a young puppy, and these were in lightly populated areas, but BIG! I don't think that most people have any idea how completely out range of any experience that you have, without being in an aerial attack. The noise itself, close up, is unforgettable, and watching a fire take out 100 metres of forested hillsides in something like 30 SECONDS... it's damned dangerous work on the front lines, and the aircraft and equipment operators deserve a lot of respect, and the "grunts" on the ground, man, that is tough, and often, dangerous labor!

[@bz3020]

Pilots didn't know it happened,flew more passes,damage was found after landing to refuel.

[@HoundDogMech]

It was an UNDER 250 Gram drone so not subject to Remote ID or other rules. side note DJI just (With latest update) removed GEO FENCING witch stops Drones from taking off where their not supposed to fly. WHY because Congress were going to ban all DJI drone sales in the USA.

[@marktisdale7935]

Algorithmic engagement comment.

[@stevew9957]

The bulk of domestic drones are DJI and hence have no fly zones that prevent the drones from flying. Did the authorities make the area a no fly zones and notify DJI ? I certainly don't agree with any drone being up but can imagine some homeowners using them to see the way the fire is going ?

[@rogerw3818]

Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham Alabama does not allow drones over the track, and maybe bans them outright for the entire facility.

[@acoustic5738]

Regardless of restrictions, you should not fly drones in proximity of air ops, its common sense.

[@opensourceguy730]

DJI just announced they’re removing geofencing. The operator will receive a warning only. And I believe the drone in question was less than 249 g which means they didn’t have to register it with the FAA. I agree it was very selfish of the drone operator to get that close.

[@johnnunn8688]

*drone hits Super Scooper?

[@ThePinkus]

These considerations always make me think how I get totally infuriated whenever a jolly journalist enthusiastically presents the next flying car which will resolve traffic jams in cities because instead of millions of cars queuing on roads we'll have millions of flying cars happily bringing people straight to work and back during rush hours...

[@don7294]

Straight to the morgue.

[@LilYeshua]

I guess that the fbi needs to search underwater for a drone supposing that it has some registry serial numbers

[@tomwoggle9411]

Looking at the damage and the location of the impact, my best guess is that it was likely a tethered drone this aircraft collided with. Law enforcement and life guards have and use those types of drones a lot, especially on beaches. For those types of applications whenever a drone needs to fly for a longer time the media probably use tethered drones well.

[@JnSobre]

Parts were already recovered which include a battery, it was a DJI mini 3 or 4

[@rgt4848]

Up in Canada we don't call them super scoopers. Just saying 😎

[@kevinmadore1794]

I'm curious about that. The CL-215/415 has been around for many years, but the term "Super Scooper" seems to be more recent. When the aircraft was under development, I recall that Aviation Week & Space Technology simply referred to them as CL-415 Water Bombers. Is there an official name in Canada?

[@rgt4848]

Aviators call them 215's or 415's. The general public call them Tankers or mostly just 'water' bombers.

[@earlchapman8729]

⁠@@kevinmadore1794 We just call them CL-415’s ( or 215’s if they’re radial engined)

[@georgecooksey8216]

Only drones allowed should be those under the traffic control of authorities for assessment

[@GraemeHein]

You're ignoring how many different agencies are operating and how many planes and helos are operating in the area. Planes and helos are operating tactically not going through pre planned routes. There are no jtacs, no radar coverage, no unified nets. Water bombers operate 90% of the time in a situation of "Terrain, pull up! Terrain, pull up!"

[@georgecooksey8216]

@@GraemeHein I would imagine that all aircraft are coordinated through one central command and definitely some on pre-planned routes.

[@lohikarhu734]

I was just thinking that these bombers are doing a job like military, with heavy loads, and NOE, like fatally low if anything goes wrong...no enemy "fire", but air conditions over the fire are seriously tricky... Then, add in the possibility of a drone strike to an engine, or into the windshield! Anyway, you guys, as actual military pilots, probably can "feel" the edge!

[@SnipersLaww]

i used to want to get a drone just for fun to zip around and check out my area from above.. but cant without going through a bunch of hurdles simply because i live within 5 miles of an airbase. unlike most of these recreational people.. i atleast looked up to see if there would be any conflicts with my operating it due to my location and turns out there is. so ended up saving the money and spent it on games instead XD

[@randygrossman9990]

Remote ID is useless! Range is extremely limited so unless someone with an ID reader is right underneath the thing they won't register it. Big waste of time for everyone and not well thought out. Unfortunately since the public can't be trusted to fly responsibly and according to the rules, stricter regulation of sales or enhanced geofencing by vendors is probably called for. But the horse has already left the barn there as well, since there are already millions of unregistered drones out there.

[@mururoa7024]

Selfish? Unfortunately the entire American society is build on the idea that being selfish is a good thing.

[@bho382]

Very easy for C-UAS systems to take down drones and drop them out of the sky, it’s also possible to hijack a drone in the air and send it to a predetermined landing spot with some systems. As for remote ID, that’s practically useless because of the limited range (500’-2500’ either Bluetooth or wireless).

[@ROBOTRIX_eu]

[@shawn2443]

Don needs to have Mover & Gonky be drone czars 🤔 This drone Bravo Sierra is getting out of control.

[@ronhudson3730]

Drones are like social-media. Dangerous and unregulated. Why the government does not regulate the sale and operation of drones is beyond me. They should not be sold, without proper, regulated training, a full license, flight plans and restrictions, like “real” aircraft. They are not toys. Fortunately this incident did not result in a loss of life. But it is only a matter of time.

[@lancomedic]

I know this is an aviation channel but you guys talk as though every goofball with an Amazon drone knows what a TFR is. I doubt the kid who got a drone last Christmas pulls out Foreflight every time he puts the drone up.

[@doctorfloc]

CalFire, which deals with non City fires like wildfires always secures the airspace they will be operating in. Nothing is allowed to fly in this zone that they are not in control of. They are incredibly well organized and fight wildfires like a major military action. Los Angles county is controlled by inept incompetent political types. They have caused a lot of suffering with their incompetency.

[@medic9115]

they recovered parts of the drone from inside the wing. It looked like a DJI Mavic mini 3.

[@mikewaterfield3599]

Some years ago I had a drone cut across my nose at 1700’ in controlled airspace. These idiots need a severe crack down. Since this is cali probably a hundred dollar fine and an apology for the inconvenience.

[@jmacd8817]

California has no jurisdiction; its a federal crime.

[@xfiazc07]

My guess is intentional.

[@amamdawhatever]

The biggest threat to aviation in 2025 is an idiot with a drone, followed by an idiot with a Temu paramotor.

[@Jack-Tactical]

Not much evidence to back this up.

[@richardmcgowan1651]

Ive always been of the opinion drones should be utterly banned and sale of drones banned from places like Amazon etc. That they should only be used and bought by people in film crews and the like. So when this happens you know who it was as they would have to make themselves known in the area.