'Rogue drones' putting emergency services at risk

Air ambulance pilot Llewis Ingamells says a drone strike could be catastrophic

Dangerously flown hobbyist drones are putting helicopter pilots and patients at risk, an air ambulance service has warned.

In one incident, the Lincs & Notts Air Ambulance was unable to take off with a patient on board because of a drone flying overhead.

On another occasion, pilot Llewis Ingamells said he had a "near miss" with a drone while flying to a hospital in Sheffield.

Lincolnshire Police said it tried to educate hobbyists where possible but warned people could be prosecuted if they put aircraft at risk.

The air ambulance is said to be particularly vulnerable because it often has to fly close to the ground.

Mr Ingamells said pilots had dealt with a number of drone-related incidents in recent years.

In one case, staff had to delay the care of a patient while they tried to find out who was controlling a drone flying overhead.

Even a lightweight drone could cause "catastrophic" damage to a helicopter during flight if it collided with the rotas or came through a window, Mr Ingamells added.

Kevin Taylor, of Lincolnshire Police, with a drone seized after being flown above 12,000ft

The problem was not the drones themselves, but people operating them without regard to rules and regulations, he said.

"We don't want to over-regulate in terms of the air space. It's for everybody to share.

"If everybody's doing it safely, and by the rules, it will be safe.

"It's just the rogue drones that are a concern to everybody."

The concerns come after the RAF in Lincolnshire warned anyone flying a drone above 400ft (120m) could pose a risk to military aircraft taking off from bases.

Last year, a drone operator was fined by magistrates in Boston after causing the RAF to divert flights.

Even a lightweight drone such as this one can cause a danger to aircraft

According to the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), drones should not fly above 400ft and operators should always look and listen out for low-flying aircraft.

However, officers from Lincolnshire Police seized one drone after it was repeatedly flown at more than 12,000ft and not far from RAF Coningsby.

"It's in that airspace where we have fast jets, the air ambulance, the Red Arrows," said Kevin Taylor, the chief pilot of the force's drone unit.

"We have to be really mindful of the safety of those aircraft and the danger a drone can pose."

He urged drone pilots to always keep drones within line of sight, to familiarise themselves with regulations on the CAA website and to register camera drones with the body.

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