TRAVERSE CITY – The drones are here! How long will our fears of drones last? From agricultural inspection of crops to search and rescue; from drone delivery to real estate; from TV and film to industrial inspection – drones are becoming quickly part of our national consciousness. We not only are seeing drones flying in and around our homes and businesses, but reading about drones almost daily in the mainstream media. Many people are wondering ‘how did drones take flight so quickly?’
In order to fly a drone for business or commercial purposes, if you need to get permission from the FAA. If you want to fly your drone recreationally, you simply need to register that drone with the FAA. Now that both commercial and recreational drone us is legal, hundreds of thousands of drones are being flown in the United States.
Drone Integration Is Fully Underway
For some people, the integration of drones into our national airspace took too long. For many people, they did not expect to see drones flying so quickly above their town. No matter what your view of drones may be, drones are here to stay. Fhe FAA is busy integrating drones into the national airspace. Almost 3000 Section 333 exemptions have been granted to commercial operators. Thousands of more petitions for exemption have been filed by companies seeking to take advantage of the benefits which drones offer. And many of the largest companies in the world are embracing drone technology to help them do jobs better, cheaper and safer. Almost one million recreational drones were sold this past holiday season. The question is a little longer if we should allow drones in the national airspace. That ship has sailed. The question today is how to continue this integration in a safe manner that respects everyone’s property and privacy rights.
Many People Don’t Like Drones
You can’t post any drone story on Facebook without at least one comment “If that drone flies near my property, I will shoot it down.” Fear of the unknown is often the dominant initial reaction by the general public when new technologies enter the market. When smart phones were invented with built-in cameras, the general population was initially concerned. Will people bring their smart phones into restrooms and locker rooms? Today, we don’t think twice about the privacy issues initially raised by the emergence of smart phone technology.
The same initial sense of fear by the general public is occurring with drones. People fear drones with crash into people or buildings, will be used by terrorists to deliver homemade bombs or will be used to spy on you in your back yard. These are the stories driving the ‘drone’ news cycle right now. I would expect this ‘fear of drones’ phase to last throughout 2016, especially if we see a severe safety incident between a small drone and manned aircraft.
Are the Perceived Risks Even Real?
Much of the hysteria around drones come from the false impression that they are dangerous, can be used to spy on people or will be used by terrorists. In fact, off the shelf drones are terrible way to spy on someone. Even though the cameras on some drones are high resolution, you can’t see in anyone’s window unless the drone is right up beside the window. Drones are so noisy that there is no way you could ever ‘sneak up’ on anyone with the drone. Drone pictures and videos from 50 feet and higher can’t identify a person by their face or other feature. Regardless, using a drone to spy on someone is illegal under state law, just as it is with a camera with telephoto lens.
Most drones that you’ll see out and about weigh less then a couple of pounds. They probably won’t do much damage even if they fall from the sky and hit you on the head. The propeller blades are not going to cut your finger off, although they may cut your finger.
Drones would be a terrible way for a terrorist to launch an attack. Neither commercial nor recreational drones can carry enough payload to, for instance, deliver a substantial bomb which could injure a lot of people at once. The military style drones are, of course, another matter. But those are illegal in the United States and you won’t be seeing those fly around anytime soon.
A Drone’s Eye Perspective.
What you will start to see in the near future are news stories that highlight the benefits of drones. Drones can be used to do jobs, which are often dangerous, dirty and difficult. When we send a drone opt to inspect an oilrig, we spare a person from hanging from a harness in dangerous conditions to visually inspect metal. We replace human eyes with infrared cameras that can detect weakness in the metal. We create visual digital record of the inspection, which can be moved into the cloud and analyzed by people around the world in real time. When we send a drone up to inspect a smokestack at a manufacturing plant, we no longer have to shut the plant down for two days, sending the workers home. A drone can handle that same inspection safely and efficiently in a matter of hours.While the media is currently focused on stories that drive fear of drones, it won’t be long before we see stories where the drone finds the lost child in the woods and saves a life. As the general population starts to see a more balanced picture of drones, some of the hysteria will start to fade.
As we CD continued evolution of drone integration into our skies, we will eventually take them for granted and except that with all new technologies come both costs and benefits. On balance, drones will be viewed as a net ‘positive’ for people, companies and society as a whole.
Enrico Schaefer, Esq. is a UAS pilot and technology lawyer at www.traverselegal.com and www.dronelaw.pro. He has been a UAS enthusiast for years, and has completed a number of advanced UAS classes in the UAS program at Northwestern Michigan College. Enrico is considered one of the top Section 333 and UAV attorneys in the country, representing Fortune 100 and start-up companies on drone law and Section 333 issues. He is the author of many articles concerning FAA drone regulations, Section 333 exemptions and FAA compliance, many of which can be found here at DroneLaw.pro. Enrico has been a speaker at the International Drone Conference on its insurance panel and has had numerous media appearances ranging from MITech News, Robotics Business Review, Internet Advisor Podcast and The Steve Gruber Show (1240 WJIM Radio), WJR Radio (Detroit), DroneLife.com and “That Drone Show.”
