A man who flew a drone near firefighting helicopters in Wanaka last week, forcing them to be temporarily grounded, has been named as Jorge Eduardo Riquelme Cruz.
The 34-year-old Chilean, who appeared before Judge Mark Callaghan in the Queenstown District Court yesterday, was arrested last Wednesday after allegedly operating a Mavic drone near eight helicopters fighting the blaze on Mt Alpha.
Police say helicopters had to be grounded for 15 minutes.
Riquelme Cruz was charged with operating an unmanned drone in a manner that caused unnecessary danger to firefighting pilots and their helicopters, and reckless disregard for the safety of firefighting helicopters likely to cause danger to the pilots and aircraft.
The judge remanded Riquelme Cruz on bail without plea until January 29.
Posts on social media indicate the defendant has been in New Zealand at least six months.
