Drones – A New Player In The Game

Senator Charles Schumer from New York raised the question of policing the increasing drone activity in various parts of United States and in particular called New York City as the “Wild West” for the same.

He demanded an immediate regulation for small remote controlled aircraft. Not much long ago, drones were a rare sight in any part of the world but an enormous growth has been recorded in the recent past. They are said to interfere with airspace, have been used to spy people and some more shocking activities like delivering drugs have also been reported. “This year, a drone was caught flying into a maximum security prison in South Carolina carrying marijuana,” Schumer told reporters.

This is not the first time someone has tried to use an unmanned aerial vehicle for this kind of contraband smuggling operation. In March, Motherboard listed some previous drone smuggling operation (that we know of), including cases in Canada, Georgia, and Australia.

Two men were charged with irresponsible endangerment in July after the police said a drone they were flying in Upper Manhattan came within 800 feet of a New York Police Department helicopter near the George Washington Bridge.

Drones are another popular tool in photographer’s hand these days. In July, the Federal Aviation Administration opened an investigation into whether a drone sent aloft by the photographer at the wedding of Representative Sean Patrick Maloney, Democrat of New York, in Cold Spring, N.Y., broke rules on airspace restrictions.

Drone for Ariel Photography

“Right now, unlike a manned-aircraft pilot who can get a license from the F.A.A., there’s no official training program for small drones,” said Brendan M. Schulman, a lawyer in Manhattan who represents a number of drone operators and enthusiasts. “What you’re seeing is popularity because they don’t require any particular expertise to get going. What you’re seeing is people buying these devices off the shelf and operating them without any experience or training because they’re easy to use.”

Drones are a big part of our lives, whether we see them or not. All big companies are playing with the idea of using them in one way or the other and still the question remains unanswered. Regulations on drones, when and how much?

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