Drones
Should Civilian Use of Drones be Regulated? Are drones a public threat? The prevalence of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), which are pilotless, radio-controlled aircraft, or Drones, is steadily increasing due to technological advances and decreasing cost to produce the devices. Notably, drones span in size from micro, bug-size versions to drones that are as large as airplanes. Consequently, the military, without putting military personnel at risk, utilizes small, hand-held drones for reconnaissance, and airplane size drones for the safe targeting of high valued targets with laser guided missiles. However, all military drone operators are specifically trained and instructed in the use of drones for their specific purpose. In contrast, civilian use of drones only requires the ability to purchase the drone. As the cost
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to manufacture the drones decreases, drones are expected to be utilized for a myriad of uses including, hobbies, such as racing, delivery of packages, aerial photography or any other idea that people can conceive. Accordingly, civilian use of drones should be regulated to safeguard public safety, to protect public and commercial privacy, and to eliminate the use in illicit and illegal activities. Equally important, airspace has typically been protected and regulated; however, failure to limit collisions in the air or adequately fly a drone becomes a risk to public safety. If a drone malfunctions or a drone pilot miss-uses a small drone, it turns into a small chunk of metal, with spinning blades that falls to the earth. Under the worst case, a large drone would be the equivalent of dropping a couch from the sky. To minimize aircraft accidents, pilots have hours and hours of training, including training on how to deal with malfunctions. For larger aircraft, flight plans are created to help prevent collisions. In contrast, drone users require no training or certification and they can fly everywhere but restricted zones. In August, 2015, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) issued a new regulation, UAS Rule- Part 107 that requires owners of drones between 0.5- 55 lbs. to register with the FAA (1). This registration is a simple formality, but does require any formal training or education to use the drones and the FAA does not vet the user in any regard. If the drone is larger than 55 lbs., the purchaser must fill out additional paperwork to self-certify as an operator. While 0.5 lbs. seems minimal, imaging a package of two iPhone 6’s dropping from a 10 story building. A small object, from a large height can still cause significant damage. Moreover, the Washington Post reports that, “aircraft crews, security officials and others say they’ve seen many small, unmanned and unmarked aerial vehicles where they do not belong: over airports, 12,000 feet aloft near a JetBlue airliner, above the White House grounds” (2 or Dangerous Drones, August 22, 2015). The lack training and flying competency of drone owners clearly poses a risk to public safety. Because drones are tiny and can maneuver without being detected, drones can be easily used to spy on people on private property or enter restricted areas, making them a threat to public and commercial privacy.
Difficulty in visually identifying the miniature, airborne objects and the ability to hover at a distance while focusing a high powered camera makes drones an ideal spying aircraft. Moreover, the drones can be out-fitted with facial recognition cameras, thermal imaging cameras, open Wi-Fi sniffers, license plate scanners and other sensors utilized to steel private information. Obviously, drones can observe people while limiting their ability to detect them. Because this infringement of rights is tricky to recognize, it is challenging to counter act unlawful behavior quickly. In an age of social media, once an image is posted to a global site, it is impossible to truly undo the damage. Moreover, drones can more easily penetrate restricted areas due to their ability to fly, their size and the difficulty in detecting them. For these reasons, the unregulated use of drones poses a threat to personal and commercial
privacy. In a like manner, drones can be used to participate in illicit and illegal activities, including the smuggling of drugs and terrorism. Clearly, a drone’s ability to fly unmanned would allow a drug dealer to maneuver and deliver packages quickly while protecting the dealer’s identity. Similarly, terroristic attacks may be planned using drones and a recent drone flying near the White House caused great concern (2). Again, the secretive nature of drones lends itself to covert illegal activities. Without regulation, and as hardware becomes less expensive and more prevalent, criminals that constantly look for new means to execute crimes discretely will find drones useful in illicit and illegal activities. Many drone aviation enthusiast would argue that drones are the newest, latest, greatest toy. Adoption of high-tech devices is always exciting, and no one wants to see their use limited or restricted. Undeniably, there is a respect for the craftsmanship and knowledge of aerodynamics employed by drones and there is certainly a commercial place for drones; however, the safety and privacy concerns of the public must be satisfied. Understandably, many users would resist the need to pay for additional training or certification; however, significant amounts of money are generated with the purchase of drones and it seems indispensable for these companies to invest in formal training, certification and hobbies clubs. To drive a car, fly a plane or captain a ship requires a license, so in order to protect the public, there should be some oversight to protect the public and to help drone pilots become competent, knowledgeable and safe. To safeguard public safety, to protect public and commercial privacy, and to eliminate the use in illicit and illegal activities, the civilian use of drones must be regulated. Poorly piloted drones or malfunction drones pose a growing threat to public safety. Everyone values their privacy and it is a critical component of our culture and civil rights; however, the unregulated use of drones threatens that very privacy. Finally, the advantage of drones in illicit and illegal activities must be eradicated. Appropriate regulations for drones would include training and certification or licensing. In particular, this training would improve the skills of the drone pilots and possible increase their enjoyment due to their newly gained knowledge and capabilities. Most importantly, it would protect the public from the potential malfunction and miss-use hazards that drones can cause. The risks of unregulated drone operators to the public far out-weigh any minor cost or inconvenience incurred by the operators required to gain necessary training and certification.
to manufacture the drones decreases, drones are expected to be utilized for a myriad of uses including, hobbies, such as racing, delivery of packages, aerial photography or any other idea that people can conceive. Accordingly, civilian use of drones should be regulated to safeguard public safety, to protect public and commercial privacy, and to eliminate the use in illicit and illegal activities. Equally important, airspace has typically been protected and regulated; however, failure to limit collisions in the air or adequately fly a drone becomes a risk to public safety. If a drone malfunctions or a drone pilot miss-uses a small drone, it turns into a small chunk of metal, with spinning blades that falls to the earth. Under the worst case, a large drone would be the equivalent of dropping a couch from the sky. To minimize aircraft accidents, pilots have hours and hours of training, including training on how to deal with malfunctions. For larger aircraft, flight plans are created to help prevent collisions. In contrast, drone users require no training or certification and they can fly everywhere but restricted zones. In August, 2015, the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) issued a new regulation, UAS Rule- Part 107 that requires owners of drones between 0.5- 55 lbs. to register with the FAA (1). This registration is a simple formality, but does require any formal training or education to use the drones and the FAA does not vet the user in any regard. If the drone is larger than 55 lbs., the purchaser must fill out additional paperwork to self-certify as an operator. While 0.5 lbs. seems minimal, imaging a package of two iPhone 6’s dropping from a 10 story building. A small object, from a large height can still cause significant damage. Moreover, the Washington Post reports that, “aircraft crews, security officials and others say they’ve seen many small, unmanned and unmarked aerial vehicles where they do not belong: over airports, 12,000 feet aloft near a JetBlue airliner, above the White House grounds” (2 or Dangerous Drones, August 22, 2015). The lack training and flying competency of drone owners clearly poses a risk to public safety. Because drones are tiny and can maneuver without being detected, drones can be easily used to spy on people on private property or enter restricted areas, making them a threat to public and commercial privacy.
Difficulty in visually identifying the miniature, airborne objects and the ability to hover at a distance while focusing a high powered camera makes drones an ideal spying aircraft. Moreover, the drones can be out-fitted with facial recognition cameras, thermal imaging cameras, open Wi-Fi sniffers, license plate scanners and other sensors utilized to steel private information. Obviously, drones can observe people while limiting their ability to detect them. Because this infringement of rights is tricky to recognize, it is challenging to counter act unlawful behavior quickly. In an age of social media, once an image is posted to a global site, it is impossible to truly undo the damage. Moreover, drones can more easily penetrate restricted areas due to their ability to fly, their size and the difficulty in detecting them. For these reasons, the unregulated use of drones poses a threat to personal and commercial
privacy. In a like manner, drones can be used to participate in illicit and illegal activities, including the smuggling of drugs and terrorism. Clearly, a drone’s ability to fly unmanned would allow a drug dealer to maneuver and deliver packages quickly while protecting the dealer’s identity. Similarly, terroristic attacks may be planned using drones and a recent drone flying near the White House caused great concern (2). Again, the secretive nature of drones lends itself to covert illegal activities. Without regulation, and as hardware becomes less expensive and more prevalent, criminals that constantly look for new means to execute crimes discretely will find drones useful in illicit and illegal activities. Many drone aviation enthusiast would argue that drones are the newest, latest, greatest toy. Adoption of high-tech devices is always exciting, and no one wants to see their use limited or restricted. Undeniably, there is a respect for the craftsmanship and knowledge of aerodynamics employed by drones and there is certainly a commercial place for drones; however, the safety and privacy concerns of the public must be satisfied. Understandably, many users would resist the need to pay for additional training or certification; however, significant amounts of money are generated with the purchase of drones and it seems indispensable for these companies to invest in formal training, certification and hobbies clubs. To drive a car, fly a plane or captain a ship requires a license, so in order to protect the public, there should be some oversight to protect the public and to help drone pilots become competent, knowledgeable and safe. To safeguard public safety, to protect public and commercial privacy, and to eliminate the use in illicit and illegal activities, the civilian use of drones must be regulated. Poorly piloted drones or malfunction drones pose a growing threat to public safety. Everyone values their privacy and it is a critical component of our culture and civil rights; however, the unregulated use of drones threatens that very privacy. Finally, the advantage of drones in illicit and illegal activities must be eradicated. Appropriate regulations for drones would include training and certification or licensing. In particular, this training would improve the skills of the drone pilots and possible increase their enjoyment due to their newly gained knowledge and capabilities. Most importantly, it would protect the public from the potential malfunction and miss-use hazards that drones can cause. The risks of unregulated drone operators to the public far out-weigh any minor cost or inconvenience incurred by the operators required to gain necessary training and certification.