I hope that someone can put me right, here, because I have looked on line today about distances from a helicopter on the ground with rotors turning, a Coastguard helicopter landed on our beach to pick up an injured patient. I flew my drone up to have a look and at no time was I nearer than 300 yards, my height was about 100 feet, is too near?
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Personally, I’d have not been in the air at all.
But each to their own eh 
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No way you should be in the air at the same time as the emergency services
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Thank you for your opinions, good or bad, critical or not, I needed to know if I was breaking any law.
If I was wrong to do it, with your help I will learn a lesson. I was well away from the incident and had landed before the helicopter took off.
Personally I’d have stayed on the deck, you don’t want the crew seeing a drone then worrying where it will be during takeoff but that’s just me 
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A good point thank you, I would have been too far away for him to see even if he had been looking but he would have been watching the incoming tide and his closeness to the cliffs.
Specifically, that might be a tough one to determine.
But - helicopters can take off and fly in any direction, and if they’re in a hurry they won’t think twice about scooting off low and climbing when they have the spare power over that needed to create speed urgently.
Consider how large FRZs are, and give them that much space.
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Thank you for that.
At 100feet would you have had time to drop to the deck if the helo started to move rapidly your way?
Potentially no problem in that case but it only takes one person to claim you were imperilling a mercy mission and you will be front-page headlines and your defence, if it ever got published would be tucked away on page 23.
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A very good point, but I have learned a lesson and I do appreciate all the feedback god and bad.
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Good
Photos or it didn’t happen 
photo’s but not removed before someone got a screen capture 
My thought? Very irresponsible with the possibility of long lasting implications for many.
As has already been stated you had no idea as to which direction, speed, or when, the helicopter was going to take off. This should have been enough of a deterrent to signal some sort of synaptic transmission of reason.
Secondly this helicopter is an emergency vehicle and I believe it is an offence to interfere with an emergency vehicle and its crew.
Thirdly, it was responding to an emergency and your actions could have resulted in a delayed/failed response.
And lastly. Do we really need another high profile news story of an irresponsible drone user impeding general aviation traffic? Especially traffic dealing with an emergency situation? All that would be needed would have been one of the crew, or a member of the public, to be made aware of your antics for it to end up as a syndicated news story and a public outcry for even more regulation.
Maybe the CAA drone registration process should have more emphasis on common sense rather than be a simple memory test.
Thanks, criticisms accepted, the heart ruled over the head and it was all a rush, as I previously stated, I kept well away, at least 300 yards. I can only apologise. If admin feel that I have let the side down perhaps they would like to contact me.
By any chance ?
Colin, you have queried your own actions in an open forum, accepted criticism with good grace and admitted you were mistaken,
Well done!
If the committee are listening I suggest Colin should be awarded a “plonker” badge and this thread closed 
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Thank you for the pleasantries.
I think it’s going to go up for sale before I get into more trouble!
I personally wouldn’t fly in that situation either but you seem to realise the potential issues now and politely accepted the criticism. We live and learn and at least someone reading this thread might be deterred from trying something similar.
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A very good point, personally I wish it had been someone other than me so that I could have said “wally”
I’m in my 75th year so I am going to pack it in and put it up for sale.