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One of two “essential” firefighting airplanes being used in California is now out of service after it was struck by a civilian drone on Thursday.

The plane in question, a “Super Scooper” leased from Canada by Los Angeles County, was hit by a civilian drone and suffered wing damage.

This means only one “Super Scooper” remains in operation in Los Angeles, which is not good news given that the “Scoopers” are better equipped than regular aircraft to deal with fires.

The New York Times notes that the plane “can fly very low and scoop up water to dump on fires.” Moreover, it holds 1,600 gallons of water and can be refilled in roughly five quick minutes.

And even if the refills took 10 minutes in worst-case scenarios, “that’s [still] six water drops” per hour, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) spokesperson Chris Thomas said.

“So whose house is not going to get that water to protect it [thanks to the drone collision]?” he then asked with frustration.

The public is now calling for the drone operator’s head — and for good reason.

“The F.A.A. has imposed temporary flight restrictions in the Los Angeles area while firefighters work to contain the fires,” the Times notes. “The agency said Thursday that it has not authorized anyone who is not involved in the firefighting operations to fly drones in the restricted zones.”

Why not? Because of the threat that drones pose to aircraft like the “Super Scooper” that just got knocked out of commission.

“Drone sightings force the authorities to ground firefighting aircraft for a minimum of 15 minutes and for as much as 30 minutes while they confirm it is safe to fly again,” according to the Times.

“We have a saying: ‘If you fly, we can’t,’” Thomas explained. “But I don’t know how effective it is because everybody thinks it’s so cool to fly a drone up through the fire.”

The good news is that, if caught, the drone owner will definitely pay the consequences.

“Disrupting firefighting on public lands is a federal crime, punishable by up to 12 months in prison, according to the [Federal Aviation Agency], which said it can also impose a civil penalty of up to $75,000 on a drone pilot who interferes with efforts to suppress wildfires,” the Times notes.

“When people fly drones near wildfires, fire response agencies often ground their aircraft to avoid the potential for a midair collision,” the FAA website continues. “Delaying airborne response poses a threat to firefighters on the ground, residents, and property in nearby communities, and it can allow wildfires to grow larger.”

Southern California firefighters reportedly faced a similar problem last year when dealing with a trio of wildfires. Things got so bad that Cal Fire had to put out an official statement begging people to stop flying drones over the fires they were trying to put out.

“Every time one is spotted it stops work for the helicopters at least about an hour until we can locate, make sure the air is clear,” Cal Fire aviation officer Doug Ross said at the time. “Really cuts into the firefight.”

Vivek Saxena
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