Los Angeles, CA –Nearly
everywhere there are some frightened members of Congress, various state legislatures and
city councils that are considering ways to ban or severely regulate the little
multi-rotor camera drones.
Must we always adopt the
Chicken Little fear that the sky is falling?
The FAA would like to expand
their budget and manpower by at least tenfold or more to regulate every 12
year-old boy with a camera drone in America.
Can the FAA be trusted to not create or engage hysteria when they have
so much to gain? We all know the answer
to that!
Pilots everywhere, especially
those flying helicopters see the very clear handwriting on the wall. Inexpensive and substantially safer drones
will soon replace half of them. Careers are at stake here. Should we be surprised those pilots are
making the most noise condemning camera drone?
Fighting camera and delivery
drones through propaganda scare tactics is already in high gear. We must educate politicians, business
leaders, media and the public on the real facts.
We now know that worldwide
there are over a million little drones in the hands of the public. That’s double the amount of all conventional
aircraft.
We know all too well that
many millions of dollars and hundreds of lives are lost every year from
conventional aircraft mishaps.
To date there has not been a single
fatality or serious injury related to multi-rotor camera drones.
I’d like to address Internet
chatter from the camera drone user groups.
There are hundreds of passages exclaim that newbies, cowboys and lawless
people are reeking havoc in the skies.
My favorite quote is, “They’re ruining it for everyone!” It that were
the truth there would be collisions and at least some minimal evidence of this kind of conduct.
What exists are tales including one claim by a NYPD helicopter pilot that he clocked the little drones at the speed of sound! Considering they have a top speed of 35 MPH that's somewhat pitiful.
These camera drones all have the ultimate Black Box, that's the camera's memory chip that contains the video of the flight. I submit that the drone's own video is more reliable than the fables and outright lies that have been told by some public officials.
It’s a natural human
condition to conjure up scenarios in our minds of bad behavior and tragic
consequences. What we must always
remember here is even the cheaper camera drones are not really cheap.
These drones are carefully
guarded and cared for by their owners that don’t want to lose them to mishaps
or impoundment by police.
Drone operators all fly with
friends and they are always advising each other on avoiding mistakes, piloting
tips and proper etiquettes. They are in effect self-policing and
regulating.
The FAA, except for commercial
use, does not now regulate the little drones.
The FAA had banned them from commercial use however that prohibition was
struck down by a federal judge and is currently under appeal.
The FAA is charged with
safety and the drones have proven they do not compromise safety. To date there has never been a known collision
between a camera-drone and any conventional aircraft.
These days we hear
sensational propaganda stories of near misses with planes and helicopters on a regular
basis. Add to that bogus claims that
these drones somehow invade privacy have many Americans frightened, concerned
and upset.
Satellites, surveillance, and
cameras carried by helicopters have already stolen any privacy invasion thunder of the little
drones. Don’t forget the millions of
cell-phone cameras that are in everyone’s pockets. Cameras are here and the courts have
consistently held that the First Amendment protects them.
If you don’t want to be
photographed, put on your Foster Grants (sunglasses for those too young to
remember that brand) and stay indoors.
If you own or lease property
you can’t stop the prying eyes of aerial cameras. Barbara Streisand found that out the hard way
a few years back when a helicopter carrying a photographer snapped some
pictures of her and her Malibu fortress and posted them on the Internet.
She immediately sued in court. Not only did
the singer loose but she had to pay more than a quarter million dollars to the hapless
photographer.
Laws violating any portion of
the Bill of Rights never stand a chance when challenged in court. Shooting video from a camera drone over
private or public property is absolutely constitutionally protected activity.
Local bans are incredibly
problematic in that tourists with drones will be ignorant of laws and even
geography where its difficult to determine what jurisdiction where they are
located.
Do we really want to jail and
mark these people with lifelong criminal records for snapping a few pictures of
our prettier parks, beaches, cities and villages?
The news media and filmmakers have already been using these things for image gathering over the more dangerous and excessively expensive helicopters. They certainly have First Amendment rights needing protection.
Insurance adjusters, real estate marketing and our farmers desperately need this technology for obvious reasons. Arn't our grocery, insurance and housing cost high enough?
If they are compelled to make
rules here perhaps two current FAA guidelines are worthy of adoption. Flying below 400 feet and avoiding airspace
within five miles of an airport without control tower approval seems workable.
Below you will find the
estimated number of aircraft and helicopters worldwide:
312,000
Active General Aviation Aircraft
17,770
Passenger Aircraft
89,129
Military Aircraft
26,500
Civil Helicopters
29,700
Military Helicopters.
According to the General
Aviation Manufacturers Association there are approximately 312,000 active
general aviation aircraft worldwide.
General aviation (GA) is
defined as all aviation other than scheduled commercial airlines and military
aviation.
Over 312,000 general aviation
aircraft including helicopters,
single-engine piston-powered
airplanes, multi-engine turboprops, and intercontinental business jets are
flying throughout the world.
Information provided by the
General Aviation Manufacturers Association:
http://www.gama.aero/aboutGAMA/industryFacts.phpThe
General Aviation
