Yesterday, 19-year-old Roman Pirozek, Jr. was killed in a Brooklyn, N.Y. park when his remote-controlled helicopter struck him in the head. This was a terrible tragedy, and one that could spark a panicked backlash in a city and a nation already concerned with remote-controlled flying vehicles of all sizes and types. So it's important that we understand the nature of hobby helicopters, quadricopters, and drones.

Remote-controlled helicopters, remote-controlled quadricopters, and the broad category of "drone" aircraft used by the military are all vastly different types of technology. Drone jokes about this terrible helicopter accident are not only tasteless, but technically inaccurate.

The drones used by the military are not remote-controlled helicopters, which are generally flown at close distances from their controllers. Military drones are remote-controlled planes piloted from extreme distances and equipped with reconnaisance equipment or weaponry. The "controllers" used to pilot them are closer to airplane flight simulator cockpits than RC car controllers. They're very large, very expensive, very specialized, and on the scale at which they are used by the military, they are unavailable to the public.

On the other end of the spectrum is the remote-controlled quadricopter. The $370 Parrot AR.Drone 2.0 is the most prominent model, but such products can range from toys priced in the range of just $60 to $700 professional platforms with $1,500 gyrascopic mounts for cameras. They often have protective covers over their rotors, and the rotors themselves are usually made of plastic.

Even if the covers can be removed for outdoor flying and to extend battery life, the rotors aren't large or hard enough to do significant damage to most users. Quadricopters are extremely flexible, and can be useful both for children as toys (like the Spin Master Air Hogs Elite X4 and Skyrocket Toys Sky Viper) and filmmakers as photography platforms (like the DJI Phantom).

Micro-helicopters can also be grouped with toy quadricopters. They're the remote-controlled helicopters you see readily available in toy and electronic stores. They're so small and light that it's almost impossible to get hurt if one were to strike you.

Enthusiast remote-controlled helicopters are a different matter, entirely. They are high-end products designed to be flown and customized by users with extensive experience in flying them. You cannot buy them in toy stores, and you cannot freely fly them anywhere. They're similar to enthusiast-level remote-controlled planes, in that they are expensive and require a lot of space and experience to fly successfully.

And, as with enthusiast-level remote-controlled planes, there are dangers and accidents involved with the hobby. It is a time-consuming activity, and one that can carry risk, just like skateboarding, parkour, blacksmithing, and archery. There are safety precautions you always take, and yet even following them closely doesn't eliminate all possiblity of an accident.

Pirozek flew what appears to be an Align T-Rex 700 remote-controlled helicopter, a model designed for helicopter enthusiasts which can retail for over $1,700 assembled and fully equipped. It weighs more than six pounds, with a carbon fiber and metal skeleton. Its blades can measure 700mm long each for a full spinning diameter of nearly 1.5 meters, or 5 feet. The blades can spin at approximately 1,650 revolutions per minute when hovering, and can reach speeds between 45 and 100 miles per hour, depending on how it's equipped and piloted. Like anything large, fast, and from certain angles, presenting sharp blades, the T-Rex 700 can be a very dangerous object.

However, an air conditioner falling from a window can also be a dangerous object. There is no reason to assume Pirozek was reckless or didn't show precaution with his helicopter, and the fact that he owned and flew a T-Rex 700 shows he had enthusiasm and dedication for his hobby. Calvert Vaux Park, where the accident occured, has areas designated for enthusiasts who wish to fly remote-controlled planes and helicopters, and there is no indication that this is anything more than a horrible and tragic accident.

It is truly unfortunate, but like driving, crossing the street, going to an amusement park, or golfing, accidents can simply happen despite our best efforts to be as safe as possible. This year, two people across the world have been killed in remote-controlled helicopter accidents, so while Pirozek's death wasn't unique, such fatalities are extremely rare.

What can we take away from this? First, don't be afraid of quadricopters and other toys, because they're designed to be flown indoors and around people and aren't capable of doing much damage barring a unique and extreme accident. But you don't have to fear enthusiast-level remote controlled helicopters, either, because as long as the pilot is a responsible enthusiast and treats his helicopter with care and respect, accidents are also extremely unlikely.

Understand the difference between these two classes of remote-controlled aircraft, and be aware that remote-controlled helicopters piloted by enthusiasts in designatred park areas are not toys, and are treated with safety and respect by their users. The possibility of danger is something we all face from many different situations at any given time, and hopefully the tragic accident like the one that happened in New York won't cause a knee-jerk reaction to ban a hobby so many enjoy.

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