Drone regulation needed to keep Superman safe
Richard Fulton
Look, up in the sky!
It’s a bird!
It’s a plane!
No its Super…oops, it appears to be a drone.
They are popping up everywhere as toys and hobbies, as commercial tools, and as a menace.
It is important to get a handle on this new technology before it gets out of control. There are just too many uses of these pesky techno-critters, some good, some dangerous.
One of the dangers of unfettered drones is their increasing danger to regular aircraft, both commercial and private.
The AP reports that there has been a doubling of airline pilot reports of the proximity of drones to their air space.
Major sporting events have attracted a variety of drone intruders. The mind can conjure up too many scenarios in which drones are used to do harm to spectators of these events.
Remember the drone at the U.S. tennis open or the one that was found on the White House lawn for that matter?
During the recent (and ongoing) attempts to control the wildfires in the west, pilots of aircraft carrying chemicals or water to dampen those fires have stopped flying temporarily citing the dangers drones presented to their flights.
The Federal Aviation Administration has gotten in recent months 100 monthly reports from pilots complaining about drones in their flight paths.
The danger is significant.
A slight drone if sucked into an engine or hits the windshield of commercial airplanes can be disastrous.
Thus it is that the FAA is contemplating rules to regulate the use of drones in public airspace.
Small drones that can’t go more than a few hundred feet high, toys, and hobby-sized drones don’t seem to be in the sights of the FAA though.
The FAA will mandate that drones that could cause a problem be registered so that the owners can be held responsible for irresponsible behavior.
The Air Line Pilot’s Association, as well as members of Congress, have called for this registration rule.
The drone mania has happened rather swiftly.
The Consumer Electronics Association, the AP reports, expects 700,000 drones to be sold this Christmas season. Most, of course, will not meet the standard of dangerous to aircraft, but even smaller drones could be used recklessly.
Remember the video of the drone that was fitted with a hand gun. Will we be seeing murder by drone? Could nasty stuff be dropped into your yard or on your house by a disgruntled neighbor?
How to know who is responsible?
Registration of drones to owners seems like a common sense idea. It must be done responsibly, of course. Care must be taken to protect legitimate use of even the heavier drones.
As always, regulations must recognize differences in usage, size, and potential dangers as they do their work.
Drone photography is being used, for example, to showcase houses to potential buyers. Farmers are using drones for a variety of reasons to oversee and protect their crops. Amazon wants to deliver its products by way of drones. Creative and commercial usage is being developed daily.
There must be a way of identifying who is doing what with the drones.
It will be worthwhile for those interested in participating in this new development in technology for commercial, hobby, or any other legal purpose to keep an eye on the FAA’s efforts to regulate drones.
As Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts has said, reflecting the view growing in Congress: “We have rules of the road, but in this brave new world, now we need rules of the sky.”
After all, we have to leave room up there for Superman.
