Lately I’ve grown convinced that it’s only a matter of time before a rogue quadracopter collides with an airplane or helicopter in flight, possibly sending innocent victims plummeting to their deaths. For a few brief moments last month, I worried I might be among the first casualties.
Knowing what I do now, I probably should have declined the flight. I was walking from the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, during the NBAA Convention to the nearby heliport on International Drive when I heard a high-pitched whine overhead. I looked up to see a large quadracopter flying above the busy thoroughfare at a height of about 50 feet. I followed the UAV as it continued past the heliport, cutting right across the approach path within 200 feet laterally of the landing pads before disappearing over the trees and heading toward Universal Studios.
When I got to the heliport and climbed aboard a Bell 206 for a demo flight I’d scheduled, I let the pilot know what I’d seen. “Really?” he asked, a look of concern in his eyes. “We’ll keep an eye out for it then.”
We never did see the qudracopter during our 30-minute flight, which didn’t allay our concern one bit. When we got back to the heliport I mentioned the sighting to one of the pilots of the R44 sightseeing helicopters that take tourists on rides over the Happiest Place on Earth. His eyes were as big as saucers. “Really?” he asked. He mentioned that someone flew a quadracopter over one of the lakes nearby at a much higher altitude than he should. He described this rogue flier as a “menace” and said he’d let the other pilots know to be on the lookout.
The Associated Press this week reported that the FAA is growing gravely concerned about the threat of personal unmanned aircraft, saying the agency receives nearly daily reports – and sometimes two or three a day – of drones flying close to airplanes or helicopters near airports in violation of regulations.
The trouble is, the regulations really don’t exist. For now, the FAA has pretty much imposed a blanket restriction on UAV flying for all but personal use under RC hobbyist rules. An NTSB law judge recently ruled that the FAA doesn’t have the authority to impose such a sweeping ban.
The qudracopter-flying public appears to feel the same way. One operator I spoke with recently stated flatly, “The government can’t control the sky.” In some parts of the country there have even been reports of people strapping guns to quadracopters, turning them into flying weapons – and unsurprisingly eliciting attention from the FBI and other government agencies.
The fact is, the FAA absolutely has the authority to govern the skies. It is a part of its central safety mission. Agency insiders now say rules relating to UAV flying in civil airspace could be published for public comment by the end of the year. It can’t happen soon enough, as far as I’m concerned. The public needs clear guidance on what and where they can fly remote controlled UAVs, just as law enforcement officials need to know how they should react when they see a quadracopter sauntering up a busy city street or, worse, heading for the vicinity of an airport or heliport.
