DOMESTIC DRONES – TOYS OR DANGEROUS AIR VEHICLES?

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DOMESTIC DRONES TOYS OR DANGEROUS AIR VEHICLES?
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• Drones. Tiny flying devices that zip around the
  skies controlled by a human holding a remote
  control. For many, drones are simply toys, and
  flying them is nothing more than a hobby or
  pastime, while others use them for legitimate
  purposes such as photography or recording videos.
  They dont sound particularly dangerous, but
  could they have the potential to cause serious
  accidents such as an air disaster?
• One recent incident in the UK certainly gave
  cause for concern, when a drone crashed into an
  Airbus 320 that was approaching Heathrow airport.

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• Thankfully the plane went on to land successfully
  and no major damage was recorded, but could this
  be a worrying sign of things to come?
• How many incidents have been recorded of drones
  interfering with aircraft?
• The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in the UK,
  state that to date there have been many incidents
  involving drones at UK airports, some of them
  having been classed as near miss scenarios, and
  the threat is in no way limited to British skies.

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• The US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) reports
  that they receive a minimum of 100 reports of
  drone incidents at airports or in registered
  airspace each month. One such report involved a
  drone that was seen flying over Los Angeles
  airport at the same altitude that aircraft fly
  when in a holding pattern. The potential for an
  accident there is obvious to anyone.
• Istanbul airport is the fifth busiest in the
  entire world, and a drone was recently spotted
  flying overhead despite the protection zones that
  are in place to prevent remote controlled crafts
  from being able to enter.

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• Drones have also been recorded flying onto the
  lawn of the White House, and in France, French
  authorities reported numerous incidents of drones
  being flown over their nuclear facilities a few
  years back, proving that its not just our
  airports that are potentially at risk.
• How can we tackle the problem without banning
  drone use?
• Global sales of drones are set to continue
  growing, and its clear that their popularity
  isnt likely to wane. Many people use drones
  responsibly, along with companies who use them
  for wholly legitimate purposes, so banning them
  is not an answer. Making our skies safer,
  however, is a priority, if recent events are
  anything to go by.

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• Most aviation authorities around the world are
  trying to put into place the same regulations,
  but each are struggling to enforce them
  successfully. Detecting drones is perhaps the
  main cause of concern, since most air traffic
  control radar systems are designed only to detect
  and identify large aircraft, not little toy
  unmanned vehicles that fly at lower altitudes.
• So firstly, all recreational drone owners and
  users should be required by law, to register with
  the relevant aviation authorities, and be
  mandated to undergo training before they fly.
  This is what happens for commercial drone
  operators they must prove that theyre capable
  of safely flying a drone.

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• Then, secondly, sensors and intervention
  procedures need to be improved and updated. This
  may prove tricky and costly, but what price can
  be put on safety in the air, particularly when
  public safety may be at risk.
• Domestic drones are fun to use and provided
  operators are responsible and abide by the laws
  put in place to protect the public, then there
  should be little cause for concern. But rogue
  operators who flout the rules and regulations,
  may be at risk of causing serious harm to others
  and stricter measures should certainly be taken
  to prevent such occurrences.

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• The explosion of drones has been fun. But now
  its time to get serious better an exploding
  drone than an exploding plane.
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