A Canterbury drone pilot has been found guilty of causing unnecessary endangerment to a helicopter operation in a test case which could set legal precedent for the fledgling industry.
Kairaki man Simon Reeve, 38, was also found guilty of flying a drone in a controlled airspace without permission on two separate occasions.
Prosecutors had accused him of flying the remote-operated device too close to a helicopter fighting a dangerous plantation fire at The Pines Beach in January last year. The helicopter pilot, who gave evidence at trial, argued it could have caused a fatal accident by hitting him in the face.
Prosecuters also claimed Reeve violated a controlled airspace which sits around Christchurch Airport, leaving the helicopter pilot completely unaware the drone was flying in the area.
Aircraft are required to notify the control tower at Christchurch Airport before operating within the special zone -- known as Class C airspace -- to protect landing and take-off.
Judge Gary MacAskill urged the media to read his decision carefully, saying there had been some unfair critisicm towards Reeve. In particular, he highlighted how he had found Reeve wasn't flying his drone at the same time the helicopter was fighting the fire.
Previously, Reeve's lawyer Rupert Glover argued the flight was actually a shielded operation which did not put the helicopter at risk. He told the court it was flying below the tree level in an area the helicopter could not safely reach.
Mr Glover also argued the rules around controlled airspace were unclear, saying there was a debate around where the boundary of the Christchurch Airport Control Zone really was.
A nominal sentencing date has been set for July 13.
Newshub.
