bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

It was a fine summer day over the airport at Charlotte, North Carolina and a CRJ200 commuter jet was preparing to land when its pilots spotted something odd outside their cockpit window - a drone.
The unmanned craft flew about five to 1.5-3 meters above the plane, the captain wrote afterward to NASA’s Aviation Safety Reporting System.
He said the event lasted just one to two seconds, and the silver or blue drone appeared to be of the hobby or home-built type.
“We notified ATC (air traffic control) and they did a good job of making callouts to other traffic in the area,” the captain wrote.
“See and avoid. Don’t hit them. Don’t allow them in busy... airspace.”
As more and more small radio-controlled drones appear in American skies, so do worries that someday, one might bump into a full-sized airplane -- possibly with grim results.
Nearly 700 close encounters with drones have been reported by pilots so far this year, according to Federal Aviation Administration statistics.
That’s about triple the number for all of last year, The Washington Post newspaper, which first reported the FAA figures, said Friday.
“Because pilot reports of unmanned aircraft have increased dramatically over the past year, the FAA wants to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal,” the aviation authority said in a statement.
“Unauthorised operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.”
Since the start of August, there have been at least 75 close calls, including a dozen this past Sunday alone, in every corner of the nation.
In California, at least 13 incidents have been reported in which drones are said to have disrupted efforts to put out wildfires.
Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger - who famously splash-landed a US Airways Airbus A320 onto the Hudson River in New York with no loss of life after a mid-air run-in with migrating birds - is among those who sense danger for the flying public.
“Because they are easy to get and they’re relatively inexpensive, these devices are becoming ubiquitous,” Sullenberger said this month.
“It allows people to do stupid, reckless, dangerous things with abandon... (but) it has been difficult to catch them in the act. This must stop.”
In a report last week, Lloyd’s of London cited “negligent or reckless pilots” as well as “patchy” regulation as key considerations for insurers as drones become increasingly commonplace worldwide.
The Consumer Electronics Association expects global sales of consumer-oriented drones to approach 425,000 units this year, up 65 percent from 2014.
The FAA is still drafting a comprehensive set of regulations for drones in US skies, in anticipation of their widespread use for tasks as varied as agricultural surveying to parcel delivery.
But for recreational drone pilots, the rules now are clear: no higher than 400 feet, always within sight and nowhere near an airport without prior permission.
“As more people buy remote controlled drones, we need to make sure they act responsibly - especially near airports and flight paths,” Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the Senate transportation committee that oversees the FAA, said.
 
 


Danger in the skies: US sees big surge in close calls between aircraft and hobby drones

A police helicopter flies past a drone Quadcopter in west Baltimore, Maryland. Photo: Reuters


US aviation regulators face heat over corporate use of drones

US companies are planning flight trials for drones to inspect storm damage, pipelines and railroad tracks. Photo: Bloomberg

New Zealand leads charge to develop film-camera drones

Aeronavics engineer Coenraad Brand flying one of the company's drones near the town of Raglan, New Zealand. Photo: Reuters

Flying gun: US air authorities investigate gun-firing drone created by teenager

Muzzle flare is visible as a pistol mounted on a four-rotor drone fires in this still from a video. Photo: YouTube

News

World