K
Kevin Kostiner
Guest
In case you have not heard about the first confirmed collision of a drone with a commercial aircraft, take a moment and click on the link below before continuing.
British Air drone collision sounds alarm for new regulations
View attachment 17088
Stupid
Let's start out with a very direct fact: Whoever was flying that drone is a stupid idiot who should (and hopefully) will be identified, prosecuted and spend the rest of this year in jail. As this article and the host of other news items about the hundreds of near misses over the past months points out, there's a problem here. Given the rapid growth in drone sales, technology and size this problem is going to grow exponentially over the coming months and years.
And the Operators Are...
Before solutions can be considered, one must first distinguish among three classes of drone operators: commercial, consumer and criminal.
Commercial drone businesses have been growing rapidly with the evolution of drone technology. Professionally licensed pilots with FAA airman certificates operate all drones providing an array of unique and valuable services that support the government, enterprise and military sectors. FAA airman certificates are required to operate all aircraft in the National Airspace System. Drone operations are developing into a key component for the Internet of Things as they evolve into flying sensors. This class of drone operator IS NOT part of the problem.
Consumer drone operators include everyone who flies a drone and IS NOT a licensed pilot. From my 13 year old with his new Quadcopter ($ 60.00 folks, not a semi-professional or professional drone which, in my opinion, no kid should have, period!) to people operating a drone "business" who are not commercially licensed pilots under FAA Section 333, this is the category of trouble. While most people would never intentionally put an aircraft at risk, they would and do suspend common sense in order to capture some "cool" video and test their flying abilities.
"Come on, how cool would it be to grab close up video of an airplane on approach from 1000 feet up. Man that would make for some amazing YouTube material, right?? Probably go viral!!!"
That mentality is the #1 problem facing the consumer drone industry. How do you legislate to keep people from being stupid? The answer is a combination of information, education and severe penalties for making that bad decision. Consider this: When people make the stupid decision to drive after drinking and get caught, the penalties are usually severe (my opinion, not severe enough!). From losing your driver's license to huge fines and jail time, driving drunk or under the influence is a serious offense. So why should the criminal operation of a drone have a punishment any less harsh especially when the outcome of that stupid decision could end the lives of hundreds of people in a second?!!
Something else to consider: To operate your car requires you to be a certain age before taking a written and driving test both which must be passed prior to receiving a license to drive. Not with drones. You can purchase any drone and go fly it without ANY training or licensing or minimum age requirements. Just pay a $ 5.00 fee on the FAA website to register your drone prior to first flight (which I did for our $ 60.00 drone).
Right now on Amazon you can purchase a very serious DJI Phantom T600 Inspire 1 Quadcopter with 4K video camera and controller for $ 2,500. This 15 pound drone includes "strong carbon fiber arms" and measures 20" x 15" x 15" when in flight. The day this drone arrives, your 10 year old could be flying in five minutes...right after you print out a $ 5.00 FAA registration certificate and attach the certificate number to the drone. Sound like this could be part of the problem?
If consumers want to purchase a drone beyond the true toy category, then minimum age, testing and licensing requirements should be put in place just like a car. The more capable and "professional" the drone, such as that DJI T600 Inspire I, the more stringent the qualifications one must meet prior to purchasing and operating those drones.
So the drone industry must inform and educate across all social media. This must be a uniform, continuous and international message among all drone manufacturers. That education must focus on keeping drones away from airports and not attempting to circumvent onboard systems that prevent drones from flying within a pre-programmed exclusion zone around those airports. Testing and licensing requirements should be enacted and enforced to insure consumer drone operators have the proper training and skills to effectively control and operate a drone.
For those that fail to follow the rules for safe drone operation, appropriate penalties must be put in place which should include: forfeiture of the drone, large fines equal to or exceeding DUI fines and potential jail time of at least 90 days with maximum times directly proportional to the severity of their transgression. Operate a drone in a way that causes a drone/aircraft collision and a mandatory minimum 5 year prison sentence is the result.
Look, playing nice with some fluffy hand slapping is not a deterrent. If someone get's manslaughter for taking the life of another in a DUI accident, what should be the minimum penalty for putting the lives of everyone on a 747 at risk? Community service!?? No, you put them away and make it clear that failure to follow some simple rules that are backed up by built-in technology will cost you dearly! This is serious people!
Now to the criminal element, better known as terrorists. This is a real and present danger. How do you keep some wackos from using a drone to intentionally damage or down an aircraft? I put forth that question to the industry, government and planners to make that the top-level discussion with the need for a near term solution. I cannot address that in a blog post nor would I try. But keeping our heads out of the sand and recognizing this is a very real threat is needed. Not putting it out there for discussion and investigation will only force the issue down the road after the first disaster has occurred. For the safety and security of our air traffic system and the systems around the world we must address this issue proactively and in earnest.
A Toy it is Not
The drone industry has positioned their products as toys. And for many drone products, they are toys designed to buzz around your home, neighborhood or park. But the real money is being made with semi-professional and professional drones. While still positioned as toys, these ARE NOT toys. So let's get working on some educational and informational programs, training, licensing and back those up with some good old fashioned serious penalties for failing to follow the rules. Let's do it now before another planeload of passengers is put at risk from someone being a stupid idiot....or worse!
British Air drone collision sounds alarm for new regulations
View attachment 17088
Stupid
Let's start out with a very direct fact: Whoever was flying that drone is a stupid idiot who should (and hopefully) will be identified, prosecuted and spend the rest of this year in jail. As this article and the host of other news items about the hundreds of near misses over the past months points out, there's a problem here. Given the rapid growth in drone sales, technology and size this problem is going to grow exponentially over the coming months and years.
And the Operators Are...
Before solutions can be considered, one must first distinguish among three classes of drone operators: commercial, consumer and criminal.
Commercial drone businesses have been growing rapidly with the evolution of drone technology. Professionally licensed pilots with FAA airman certificates operate all drones providing an array of unique and valuable services that support the government, enterprise and military sectors. FAA airman certificates are required to operate all aircraft in the National Airspace System. Drone operations are developing into a key component for the Internet of Things as they evolve into flying sensors. This class of drone operator IS NOT part of the problem.
Consumer drone operators include everyone who flies a drone and IS NOT a licensed pilot. From my 13 year old with his new Quadcopter ($ 60.00 folks, not a semi-professional or professional drone which, in my opinion, no kid should have, period!) to people operating a drone "business" who are not commercially licensed pilots under FAA Section 333, this is the category of trouble. While most people would never intentionally put an aircraft at risk, they would and do suspend common sense in order to capture some "cool" video and test their flying abilities.
"Come on, how cool would it be to grab close up video of an airplane on approach from 1000 feet up. Man that would make for some amazing YouTube material, right?? Probably go viral!!!"
That mentality is the #1 problem facing the consumer drone industry. How do you legislate to keep people from being stupid? The answer is a combination of information, education and severe penalties for making that bad decision. Consider this: When people make the stupid decision to drive after drinking and get caught, the penalties are usually severe (my opinion, not severe enough!). From losing your driver's license to huge fines and jail time, driving drunk or under the influence is a serious offense. So why should the criminal operation of a drone have a punishment any less harsh especially when the outcome of that stupid decision could end the lives of hundreds of people in a second?!!
Something else to consider: To operate your car requires you to be a certain age before taking a written and driving test both which must be passed prior to receiving a license to drive. Not with drones. You can purchase any drone and go fly it without ANY training or licensing or minimum age requirements. Just pay a $ 5.00 fee on the FAA website to register your drone prior to first flight (which I did for our $ 60.00 drone).
Right now on Amazon you can purchase a very serious DJI Phantom T600 Inspire 1 Quadcopter with 4K video camera and controller for $ 2,500. This 15 pound drone includes "strong carbon fiber arms" and measures 20" x 15" x 15" when in flight. The day this drone arrives, your 10 year old could be flying in five minutes...right after you print out a $ 5.00 FAA registration certificate and attach the certificate number to the drone. Sound like this could be part of the problem?
If consumers want to purchase a drone beyond the true toy category, then minimum age, testing and licensing requirements should be put in place just like a car. The more capable and "professional" the drone, such as that DJI T600 Inspire I, the more stringent the qualifications one must meet prior to purchasing and operating those drones.
So the drone industry must inform and educate across all social media. This must be a uniform, continuous and international message among all drone manufacturers. That education must focus on keeping drones away from airports and not attempting to circumvent onboard systems that prevent drones from flying within a pre-programmed exclusion zone around those airports. Testing and licensing requirements should be enacted and enforced to insure consumer drone operators have the proper training and skills to effectively control and operate a drone.
For those that fail to follow the rules for safe drone operation, appropriate penalties must be put in place which should include: forfeiture of the drone, large fines equal to or exceeding DUI fines and potential jail time of at least 90 days with maximum times directly proportional to the severity of their transgression. Operate a drone in a way that causes a drone/aircraft collision and a mandatory minimum 5 year prison sentence is the result.
Look, playing nice with some fluffy hand slapping is not a deterrent. If someone get's manslaughter for taking the life of another in a DUI accident, what should be the minimum penalty for putting the lives of everyone on a 747 at risk? Community service!?? No, you put them away and make it clear that failure to follow some simple rules that are backed up by built-in technology will cost you dearly! This is serious people!
Now to the criminal element, better known as terrorists. This is a real and present danger. How do you keep some wackos from using a drone to intentionally damage or down an aircraft? I put forth that question to the industry, government and planners to make that the top-level discussion with the need for a near term solution. I cannot address that in a blog post nor would I try. But keeping our heads out of the sand and recognizing this is a very real threat is needed. Not putting it out there for discussion and investigation will only force the issue down the road after the first disaster has occurred. For the safety and security of our air traffic system and the systems around the world we must address this issue proactively and in earnest.
A Toy it is Not
The drone industry has positioned their products as toys. And for many drone products, they are toys designed to buzz around your home, neighborhood or park. But the real money is being made with semi-professional and professional drones. While still positioned as toys, these ARE NOT toys. So let's get working on some educational and informational programs, training, licensing and back those up with some good old fashioned serious penalties for failing to follow the rules. Let's do it now before another planeload of passengers is put at risk from someone being a stupid idiot....or worse!