While some people are working out ways to down them, the Federal Aviation Administration is writing up rules to rein drones in. The rules would require drone operators to register their Unmanned Air Vehicles.
The FAA has tasked a group of experts, from both the manned and unmanned aviation industries, with developing recommendations for drone registration. US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx called for the task force to finalize and submit its recommendations by Nov. 20.
Drone registration will help preserve public safety in both the air and on the ground, said Foxx.
"Registering unmanned aircraft will help build a culture of accountability and responsibility, especially with new users who have no experience operating in the U.S. aviation system," said Foxx.
There have been too many cases of industry newcomers ignoring the rules and putting other aircraft at risk, Brandon Torres Declet, CEO of drone operator Measure, said in response to the news of the task force. And that has been bad for business, the industry and the public, he said.
"Over 1 million drones will be sold over the holiday season and we need to ensure that everyone learns how to operate safely," said Declet. "The technology is clearly here and can be used to society's advantage; what the industry needs are reasonable regulations to ensure safe operations while respecting people's privacy."
Over the last two years, pilot sightings of drones have more than doubled, according to the FAA. Mandating drone registration will help ensure that operators know the rules and can be held accountable for flying irresponsibly.
"When they don't fly safely, they'll know there will be consequences," stated FAA Administrator Michael Huerta.
While the registration requirements should help to curtail the rise of rogue UAVs, an applied sciences firm has worked out a weapon to down drones safely.
Individuals toting Battelle's DroneDefender can blast a cone of radio waves at the drones, interrupting the UAVs' communications and guiding them back down to earth. Combined with drone registration, the death-ray drone gun could seriously discourage those who, allegedly, like to sneak into secure facilities.
