EDITORIAL: A former toy that's becoming a real menace
No one wants or enjoys government intrusion and the regulations that intrusion brings, but there are times when government has to step in. This is one of those times. This Christmas season it is expected that as many as 1 million drones will be sold. Drones are remotely controlled aircraft that are becoming a big worry for real airplanes and law enforcement as each day goes by.
As it is now, to pilot a drone takes no training and no knowledge of federal aviation rules. Drone enthusiasts are not supposed to fly them within five miles of an airport or above 400 feet, but who is to stop them? Who is to know who these people are? During the Georgia National Fair, the authority that runs the fair filed an application with the FAA to make the fairgrounds a "No Drone Zone." And the fairgrounds are far from the first large venue to seek such protection — and with good reason. Common sense should tell someone flying a drone that operating one near the White House is not a good idea, but what has happened there more than once? The last time in early October.
Pilots are reporting sightings of drones in their airspace at a pace of more than 100 a month and there have been, according to the FAA, 70 close calls between drones and other aircraft since August. These close calls have involved commercial and military aircraft. While the drone craze started out as toys, they are no longer toys. They have become more sophisticated with cameras and the ability to carry a payload. Some have been sighted at altitudes exceeding the 400 foot limit by several thousand feet. Drones are too small to be picked up by radar and do not have transponders.
Last week, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced that the government will require drone owners, by mid-December, to register their aircraft when purchased — and those owners, thought to be about a million, who already own a drone will have to register as well. "The signal we're sending today is that when you're in the national airspace, it's a very serious matter," Foxx said.
Registration will have limited impact unless the drone crashes. Only then will investigators be able to trace it back to its owner. However, it may make these hobbyists more aware of what they are doing and inject a bit of common sense into their flying. The rules have to be tough or they will be ignored. It's not hard to imagine what's going to eventually happen when a drone makes mid-air contact with another aircraft. It's not something we want to think about. Unfortunately, common sense is not so common. It may take more than this first pass at regulation to make the skies safe again.
This story was originally published October 20, 2015 at 10:20 PM with the headline "EDITORIAL: A former toy that's becoming a real menace ."