Police Drone Injures Child in Kent Crash, Wisconsin Deputies Save Missing Man with Thermal Drone

Welcome to your weekly US news update from Pilot Institute. We have three important stories this week that show both the risks and benefits of drone operations. A police drone crashed and injured a child. A thermal drone helped rescue a missing 85-year-old man. And a viral drone show proposal set a new standard for airspace romance. Let’s get to it.

UK Police Drone Crashes Into Child After Striking Power Line

First up, a serious incident out of the United Kingdom that deserves attention. On October 2nd, police in Kent were responding to an alleged assault in Sheerness. An officer deployed a DJI Matrice 30T during the operation. During the flight, the drone reportedly struck an overhead power line.

It then fell and struck a child below, causing a severe hand injury that required hospital treatment. You’re probably wondering why we’re just talking about this now if it happened in August. The confirmation of the crash and injury didn’t occur until a Freedom of Information Act request was filed and the information was finally received.

There’s currently no update on the status of the child who was struck by the drone. While we don’t normally cover incidents outside the United States, this one deserves coverage as a critical reminder: safety must come first for any kind of operations.

Wisconsin Deputies Use Thermal Drone to Save Missing 85-Year-Old Man

Now for a drones-for-good story out of Juneau County, Wisconsin. Deputies used a drone to find a missing 85-year-old man who had wandered into dense woods.

The sheriff’s office received a call shortly after 5:00 PM about a man who had wandered into a dense wooded area and was possibly injured. Multiple agencies joined the search, including the fire department and the Department of Natural Resources.

As daylight faded and temperatures dropped, the situation became increasingly urgent. Shortly before 7:00 PM, a deputy launched a drone over the search area. Using the drone’s camera, the team was able to spot the man stuck in thick mud and unable to free himself.

Ground crews could have spent hours searching that difficult terrain on foot. But the drone provided an immediate bird’s-eye view. Rescuers reached him quickly and brought him back to safety. He was taken to a medical center for evaluation but is expected to be fine.

The reports didn’t specify the exact drone model, but it was likely equipped with a thermal camera. Thermal imaging has been a game-changer for search-and-rescue operations.

This is another fantastic example of how drones are an essential tool for first responders. This turned what could have been a tragedy into a successful rescue. Congrats to the team over there.

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Dallas Man Uses Massive Drone Light Show for Marriage Proposal

Finally this week, a story that went viral and shows a much more creative use for drones. A man in Dallas used a massive drone light show to propose to his girlfriend.

He’s a cybersecurity engineer who planned the elaborate proposal for his girlfriend, a content creator. The video, which you’ve probably seen on social media, shows hundreds of drones lighting up the Dallas sky.

The drones spelled out “Will you marry me?” and created animations of hearts, a ring box, and an infinity symbol. To pull this off, he had to get permits to block off streets. This is a good reminder that you can’t fly over moving vehicles, even for grand romantic gestures like this one.

He said the proposal was a major investment. I can only imagine. It’s not every day that you see someone take over the airspace of a major city for a proposal. The couple’s friends and family watched from a rooftop as the whole thing unfolded. Pretty cool setup.

I think it’s an amazing use of drone show technology. I have to say, he raised the bar. For those of you who aren’t married yet, you’re going to have to do better than that. Good luck with that.

Be sure to check out our Black Friday deal and we’ll see you on Postflight, our premium community show where we share uncensored opinions that aren’t always suitable for YouTube.

Have a great weekend.