Drone License

Personal drones in the form of multi-rotor aircrafts or autonomous model planes are becoming cheaper and easier to obtain. As drones become more popular, more people are beginning to fear their permanent presence in the sky and some have called for stricter laws and regulations to help ban drones. This article mentions one piece of legislation that would require hobbyist and drone enthusiast to obtain a pilot license and get their drone certified before they would be allowed to fly in designated areas. The drone pilot license would be similar to a real pilot license in that it would require an examination and test to verify the would-be pilot is capable of flying his or her drone in a safe manor. In addition to the license test, the drone would need to be inspected and certified before it could be flown by a licensed pilot. The pilot license would cost some amount of money, not to mention the cost of any training or lessons to aid in passing the test. Additionally the certification would likely require a drone enthusiast to ship off their drone to get certified, the cost associated with this could be enormous considering the size of some drones and will likely take some time. These added expenses are outrageous especially considering drones are not cheap to begin with.

               The more disturbing issue is the lack of knowledge those who are proposing such regulations have about drones. The article mentions one legislator who was shocked to see her rose garden on the internet curtesy of Google maps, and believes the images where actually taken by drones. The fact that people with little knowledge of the science and operation of drones are in positions to pass legislation and regulations on drones is bad news for hobbyist.

               Drone companies like DJI are willing to cooperate with laws and regulations. DJI’s new firmware update includes a list of restricted flight areas, the autopilot system uses this list and GPS technology to automatically avoid flying in restricted areas. DJI has also implemented various failsafe features into their drones and auto pilots systems that aid the pilot in emergency situations.

               For many this is not enough, they still believe their safety and privacy is being compromised by drones. I do not understand why drones are being singled out, it is much easier and cheaper to use a camera and fancy lens to invade someone’s privacy rather than a noisy drone. As for safety, you are more likely to be killed by a commercial airliner falling from the sky, than by a drone. Passing regulations and laws against drones just makes it more expensive for hobbyist to fly. Are these laws fair to those who already own drones, are they expected to go out and pay money to obtain a license and get their drone certified. Perhaps the largest issue with this is the classification of the word ‘Drone’. Is a kid who receives a $20 toy helicopter on Christmas expected to go out and get it certified, the concept is simply outrageous.