Blumenthal weighs in on drones

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) released a letter today to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) calling on it to take tough enforcement action following a surge in reports of dangerous “close calls” between airplanes and drones.

According to the FAA, pilots this year have reported more than 650 sightings of drones near planes and helicopters, compared to 238 in all of 2014. Drones have been spotted near commercial aircraft 10,000 feet in the air. There have been numerous reports of drones interfering with firefighters battling wildfires in the West. Pilots have reported near misses between drones and ambulance helicopters. Drones have been spotted hovering over crowded sports stadiums, posing serious public safety concerns.

In 2012, Congress required the FAA to provide for the “safe integration of civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace” by September 30, 2015. While the FAA has made some progress toward that deadline, it is clear that it will be unable to ensure the safe integration of drones in the public airspace by the end of next month—leaving passengers and pilots in jeopardy.

“I write with grave and growing concerns about the dangers of rogue drone users. Numerous recent news stories have detailed the growing capability of ordinary citizens to launch and pilot sophisticated, sizeable devices that have flown into prohibited airspace, threatened privacy and peace of mind, and posed a serious risk to air travel. I call on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to take aggressive action to protect everyone who relies on safe and secure skies,” Blumenthal wrote in the letter.