Technology

1 Million Drones Expected as Gifts This Christmas: Authorities Worried

December 17, 2015 | Elizabeth Knowles

a drone flying above a line of rooftops
Photo credit: Richard Unten/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)

New regulations require drones to be registered with the Feds.

Christmas is coming and many different types of toys are going to end up beneath Christmas trees all around the world. Most are harmless, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is concerned about the expected one million drones that will enter homes, and thus the airspace this year.

The FAA defines a drone or an unmanned aircraft as “an aircraft operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.”

“A lot of people who don’t have a pilot background are operating these things in the airspace,” said Swayze, a top FAA official, reported by Aviation Weekly.

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Walmart is selling 19 different types of drones for as little as $19.99, so just about anyone can become a pilot for one of these unmanned aerial vehicles. According to Swayze, the FAA plans to educate Walmart salespeople in how to inform buyers about operating them safely.

Bernard Gervais, president of the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association said: "People absolutely need to be educated, right at the point of sale. They need to understand that an encounter between a drone and a plane can have some very serious consequences."

On December 14, the FAA announced some new rules. Any drone that weighs between half a pound (250 grams) and 55 pounds (25 kilograms) will have to be registered. Failure to do so could result in heavy fines of up to $250,000. Online or postal registration will cost $5 (waived for the first 30 days) and the recreational license will last for three years.

Registration deadlines vary based on when the drone was purchased, but if you get one for Christmas that is bought after December 21, it will need to be registered before you fly it. Technically, drone registration regulations were already in place, however they were not strictly enforced. That’s about to change.

U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, the ranking member on the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said, “A lot of what pilots are seeing is irresponsible use of toys. The toys, in my opinion, should be set up so they can’t be sold unless they’re geo-fenced for altitude and perimeters.” Drones that physically can’t fly higher than a certain altitude would be a lot safer, although perhaps also a lot less fun.

Former astronaut and current Canadian transport minister Marc Garneau said “We all play a role in ensuring the safety of people on the ground and in the skies” in a video encouraging drone owners to inform themselves about the do’s and don'ts of drone flying. The published list of recommendations includes flying in daylight, keeping your drone within view, and not flying within 30 feet (9 meters) of an airport or over half a mile (90 meters) off the ground.

“Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiasts are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility,” said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.

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