Close calls of drones flying near
airplanes and crowds in the U.S. have surged this year to more
than 40 a month.
The Federal Aviation Administration logged 193 cases of
safety incidents involving unmanned aircraft in civilian skies
from Feb. 22 through Nov. 11, according to data released today.
After receiving fewer than 10 cases a month in March and April,
the agency got 41 reports in both September and October.
While drones haven’t caused a traditional airplane or
helicopter to crash and most cases were simple sightings, in
some instances pilots reported “altering course to avoid an
unmanned aircraft,” the FAA said in an e-mailed statement.
The data offer a glimpse into the Wild West atmosphere to
which the FAA is trying to bring order as the affordability and
availability of small, unmanned aircraft creates a new breed of
drone operators who haven’t been schooled in aviation safety.
Cases have occurred above the Hollywood sign near Los
Angeles, at college football games and at the airport used for
President Barack Obama’s flights, Andrews Air Force Base near
Washington.
A Republic Airways Holdings Inc. (RJET) flight heading to New
York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sept. 30 “almost hit” a drone near
the Verrazano–Narrows Bridge, a pilot told the FAA. The plane
was a Bombardier Inc. (BBD/B) CRJ700 regional jet.
Drones are so easy to buy and fly that users don’t learn
the most basic aviation rules used to keep planes from
colliding, Michael Barr, who teaches aviation safety at the
University of Southern California, said in an interview.
Regulations Sought
“They still have a two-dimensional mentality in a three-dimensional world,” Barr said. “They really don’t understand
the effect that these drones can have on an aircraft.”
The closest calls point to the need for some kind of
license proving drone pilots understand how to stay clear of
potential danger, he said.
The FAA should move more quickly to draft regulations
governing drone flights, the Arlington, Virginia-based
Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International said in
an e-mailed statement.
“In the absence of rules, many people, especially those
new to the technology, are unaware of where they can and cannot
fly and what they currently can and cannot do,” the trade group
said in the statement.
Airline Incidents
The FAA data, made available after a public-records
request, is the first comprehensive account of unmanned aircraft
safety incidents.
Most of the cases were “unmanned aircraft sightings
without impact to other pilots and aircraft,” The FAA said. The
increase may be due to growing awareness by pilots and air-traffic controllers, and improved record keeping by FAA, the
agency said.
While most of the near mid-air collisions involve smaller
private aircraft, airliner cases are also growing. There were 10
reports from airline crews spotting drones from Oct. 1 through
Nov. 11, according to the data.
Airline pilots near Trenton, New Jersey, and Wichita,
Kansas, reported seeing drones flying nearby on Nov. 11.
The FAA’s legal authority to regulate civilian unmanned
flights was upheld on Nov. 18 by the National Transportation
Safety Board, overturning a decision by an administrative judge
to throw out the agency’s first attempt to fine a drone
operator.
Drone Education
The agency said today it has been contacting drone
operators, sometimes after being notified by U.S. and local law
enforcement agencies, “to educate them about how they can
operate safely under current regulations and laws.”
The agency and the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation are
investigating two reports by airline pilots on Nov. 16 who said
they flew near drones while preparing to land at New York’s John
F. Kennedy International Airport, and a third case near the
airport on Nov. 19. The three flights landed safely, according
to an FAA statement.
Those reports aren’t contained in the data released today
by the FAA.
A separate database of voluntary pilot safety reports
compiled by NASA includes four cases in which drones were
spotted by airline or corporate aircraft pilots from March
through September.
Recreational Drones
The FAA, following laws imposed by Congress, has attempted
to oversee drones with a patchwork of different policies.
Purely recreational drone flights are permitted as long as
operators stay away from traditional aircraft and get permission
from controllers before taking off within 5 miles (8 kilometers)
of an airport. Hobby groups, such as the Muncie, Indiana-based
Academy of Model Aeronautics, suggest unmanned aircraft stay
within 400 feet of the ground.
The FAA hasn’t approved drone flights for commercial
purposes, except for an exemption granted to six Hollywood movie
makers and two oil companies in the Arctic region of Alaska. A
proposed rule allowing commercial flights is scheduled to be
revealed by the end of the year.
Government agencies, such as U.S. Customs and Border
Protection or local law enforcement agencies, may also obtain
FAA permission to fly drones under a separate process.
The FAA has faced conflicting demands from lawmakers,
privacy advocates and the unmanned aircraft industry.
Even as a Congress-imposed deadline to begin integrating
drones into U.S. skies by August 2015 nears, lawmakers such as
Senator Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, have sought
greater restrictions on their use to protect privacy.
Five senators, including Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden and
North Dakota Republican John Hoeven, wrote the FAA yesterday
seeking swifter action on writing drone rules and granting
approvals for flights at six test ranges approved this year by
the agency.
To contact the reporter on this story:
Alan Levin in Washington at
alevin24@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story:
Jon Morgan at
jmorgan97@bloomberg.net
Elizabeth Wasserman, Romaine Bostick
Article source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-2840600/China-school-bus-crash-kills-11-kindergarteners.html
Close calls of drones flying near
airplanes and crowds in the U.S. have surged this year to more
than 40 a month.
The Federal Aviation Administration logged 193 cases of
safety incidents involving unmanned aircraft in civilian skies
from Feb. 22 through Nov. 11, according to data released...
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