The number of reports of pilots experiencing “near misses” with drones this year is on track to quadruple from the number counted last year.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, there have been more than 650 sightings of unmanned aircraft near airplanes as of Aug. 9 2015, compared to 238 for all of 2014.
The pilots were operating a variety of aircraft, including large commercial airliners. Sixteen unmanned aircraft were reported in June of 2014 and 36 in July. One year later, 138 pilots spotted drones at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet in June, and 137 in July.
Current FAA regulations mandate model aircraft be flown for “hobby or recreational purposes only.” Drones are not allowed to fly above 400 feet and must stay out of the way of surrounding obstacles. Flying one within five miles of an airport is forbidden, unless contact with the control tower is made.
“The FAA wants to send out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal,” said the FAA in a statement. “Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.” Fines can range from $1,000 to a maximum of $25,000.
Despite warnings by the agency, news reports of airplanes having close calls with drones are becoming increasingly common in recent years, especially as drone technology improves and more people own them.
This week the Los Angeles Times reported that a medical helicopter rushing a snake-bite victim to a nearby Fresno hospital nearly had a run-in with a drone. Flying at 1,000 feet, the pilot turned the helicopter out of the way and avoided a collision by about 20 feet.
Another near miss occurred near John F. Kennedy International Airport at the end of July, where reports say two planes came within 100 feet of an unauthorized drone.
Drones have become a nuisance away from busy air travel hubs, too. Helicopters carrying water to douse summer wildfires have been grounded on numerous occasions for safety reasons when pilots spotted one or more unmanned aircraft in their immediate vicinity.
The problem has elicited the condemnation of lawmakers, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., whose state is constantly under siege by wildfires.
“During a serious wildfire in California last month, a drone delayed aerial firefighting operations by 20 minutes,” Feinstein wrote in a press release. “The fire then quickly grew and torched several cars when it leapt a highway. Just yesterday in Fresno, a medical helicopter carrying a patient to the hospital missed colliding with a drone by just 20 feet.”
The senator is a sponsor of the “Consumer Drone Safety Act,” which would put in place “commonsense safety precautions to minimize the risk of a disastrous mid-air collision or crash to the ground.”
The bill, introduced in June, gives the FAA 18 months to tighten up regulation of consumer drones used for hobby/recreational purposes. It would help to clarify the agency’s authority to enforce unmanned aircraft rules and would slap more mandatory safety requirements on commercial drone operators and manufacturers.
“The FAA needs the ability to set clear rules for when and where consumers can fly drones, require manufacturers to install basic technological safeguards and ensure consumers receive safety information,” Feinstein wrote. “For those reasons, Congress must pass the Consumer Drone Safety Act as soon as possible, before there’s a tragedy.”
In the meantime, the FAA says it will continue to cooperate with industry partners through an education campaign, “Know Before You Fly,” to help recreational drone users learn the rules of flight. In an effort to help reduce interference with firefighting operations, the FAA is also supporting the National Interagency Fire Center’s “If You Fly, We Can’t” public service campaign.
Keep #drones away from #firefighting operations @BLMNIFC pic.twitter.com/x2tIgwVDnM
— The FAA (@FAANews) August 11, 2015
The agency says it is “working closely with the law enforcement community to identify and investigate unauthorized unmanned aircraft operations.”
Commercial use of drones is largely prohibited despite extensive lobbying campaigns by big companies like Amazon. The FAA is currently in the process of drafting a permanent rule to address the commercial use of small unmanned aircraft below 55 pounds. Until that rule becomes a reality, there are only two ways non-recreational/hobby drone flyers can fly above restrictions.
The first is to obtain a Section 333 exemption, which is a “case-by-case authorization for certain unmanned aircraft to perform commercial operations.” As of now, there have been 1,201 petitions granted, mostly for movie production, agriculture and real estate photography. Certificates of Waiver of Authorization allows these flights to take place anywhere in the country, so long as they stay below 200 feet, and away from restricted airspace, airports and other locations FAA prohibits unmanned aircraft use.
The second way is to qualify for a special airworthiness certificate, for purposes the FAA lists, among others, as “light-sport” and “experimental,” the latter referring to research and development, crew training and market surveys.
