Government To Require Registration Of Most Drones
WASHINGTON (WJZ) -- Attaching names to drones. Right now, people flying drones where they shouldn't be flying are hard to find.
Alex DeMetrick has details of a new federal plan to register drone operators.
As near misses between drones and aircraft continue to mount, federal regulators want anonymity replaced with accountability.
People may fly them for fun but drones are anything but for pilots.
There were two close calls over a weekend this past summer in New York. One hundred drone encounters are now reported every month---a huge increase from a year ago, increasing the risks.
"Going into an engine, going into the cockpit window can injure a pilot or even kill a pilot," said Phil Derner.
Often the drone operators remain unknown---so the Department of Transportation will require owners to register their drones.
"There can be no accountability if a person breaking the rules can't be identified. Regulations will allow us to identify them," said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Which makes sense to pilots like Jeff Long, who flies Sky Eye Chopper 13.
"Anything that's going to be flying around up there should be registered, even down to the small recreation drones. I agree with that," Long said.
But before drone registration starts, a task force will determine the type of drones to be registered. A deadline of November 20 has been set to come up with those rules, although toys weighing less than a pound or two will likely be exempt.
"You can put all the rules out there you want, but if you don't enforce it, people are going to ignore it," Long said.
Enforcement is the stated goal. With names registered to drones, crashes at sporting events like last month's at the US Open, could lead to a suspect---provided all the people currently flying choose to register.
Once registration is in place, new drone sales might be easier to accomplish. The goal is to get registration off the ground early next year.
There's no firm figure on the number of drones flying, but it's estimated it will top one million by Christmas, when 700,000 drones are expected to sell.