US: Drones are the new threat to airline safety
The threat in recent years of pilots blinded by high-powered lasers may soon be superseded by this potentially more fearsome prospect: drones finding their way into restricted airspace around airports. Each month, pilots and air traffic controllers report more than 100 drone “sightings” to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has begun compiling and releasing periodic reports on these encounters. The FAA says such reports have surged since 2014, with more than 1,200 incidents nationwide last year. Over the latest reporting period, from August 2015 through January, the New York metro area led the nation in drone sightings by airline pilots with 43. The Los Angeles area was next, with 25, according to an analysis of FAA data released March 25. The Dallas area was third, with 18.Pilots consider drones a safety risk that must not be underestimated. “We’re not kidding when we say it has to be mitigated as a threat,” said Tim Canoll, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, and a drone hobbyist himself. “Your imagination can run wild with the problems of hitting hard metal objects at 200 mph.” In a statement accompanying its data, the FAA said it wanted “to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal.” Current FAA rules restrict drone operators from flying within five miles of an airport and above 400 feet (drone flights are allowed inside that perimeter if the operator contacts the airport and the control tower before flying, according to the agency). About 92 percent of the most recent pilot sightings occurred above 400 feet; 60 percent were closer than the five-mile limit. So, apparently, a lot of people aren't listening.<br/>
https://portal.staralliance.com/cms/news/hot-topics/2016-04-05/general/us-drones-are-the-new-threat-to-airline-safety
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US: Drones are the new threat to airline safety
The threat in recent years of pilots blinded by high-powered lasers may soon be superseded by this potentially more fearsome prospect: drones finding their way into restricted airspace around airports. Each month, pilots and air traffic controllers report more than 100 drone “sightings” to the Federal Aviation Administration, which has begun compiling and releasing periodic reports on these encounters. The FAA says such reports have surged since 2014, with more than 1,200 incidents nationwide last year. Over the latest reporting period, from August 2015 through January, the New York metro area led the nation in drone sightings by airline pilots with 43. The Los Angeles area was next, with 25, according to an analysis of FAA data released March 25. The Dallas area was third, with 18.Pilots consider drones a safety risk that must not be underestimated. “We’re not kidding when we say it has to be mitigated as a threat,” said Tim Canoll, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, and a drone hobbyist himself. “Your imagination can run wild with the problems of hitting hard metal objects at 200 mph.” In a statement accompanying its data, the FAA said it wanted “to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal.” Current FAA rules restrict drone operators from flying within five miles of an airport and above 400 feet (drone flights are allowed inside that perimeter if the operator contacts the airport and the control tower before flying, according to the agency). About 92 percent of the most recent pilot sightings occurred above 400 feet; 60 percent were closer than the five-mile limit. So, apparently, a lot of people aren't listening.<br/>
