The drone hysteria now erupting in no less than four northeastern states actually had its origins more than twelve years ago, but as usual people have the memory of gnats. Indeed, I've been blogging about this issue since the drone menace first reared its ugly head, e.g.
http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/02/no-to-more-drones-in-us-skies.html
http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/02/time-to-snuff-this-drone-bullshit-now.html
http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2013/03/the-drone-pandoras-box-how-long-before.html
http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2014/07/drones-gone-wild-why-moire-air.html
http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2018/06/drone-makers-whats-little-risk-for.html
As long as ten years ago I warned:
"There are many players to blame in this, from a weak-willed, bought out congress anxious to get campaign donations from the drone makers, to the manufacturers themselves - who want as few regulations as possible."
Then one wonders why the chickens, errr drones...have now come home to roost, and so many citizens as well as politicos are going ape shit. But ape shit at what? In fact, nada, nothing. Hell, you'd think it was a saucer invasion such as occurred in Washington DC in 1952,
Now that would be cause for worry given the testimony of Navy pilots and how UAP-UFOs totally outmaneuvered their planes, e.g.
But these aren't alien craft. According to the WSJ yesterday (p. A3, 'Officials Want Answers on Sightings')
"National Security C0uncil spokesperson John Kirby said there are more than one million legally registered drones with the government, with thousands of them flying across American skies every day. Of the 5,000 drone sightings reported to the FBI over the past few weeks only about 100 needed follow-ups."
Adm. Kirby also appeared on CBS Mornings yesterday and noted:
"We assess the sightings to date include a combination of lawful commercial drones, hobbyist drones, as well as manned fixed wing aircraft, helicopters and even stars that were mistakenly reported as drones."
Stars mistaken as drones? Sound like we have a desperate need for aerial object education.
And what about if you spot an actual drone (like shown in the top graphic) flying directly over your home? Well, you've got no comeback - according to one air security specialist quoted on NBC News Monday night: "That's because you don't own the space over your home".
And as the WSJ piece points out:
"Flying a drone below 400 feet is legal in most locations, according to the Federal Aviation Administration"
But it's actually the FAA that we can now (partly) blame for the plethora of nuisance excursions - along with a weak congress and drone manufacturers. Indeed, as long ago as February, 2012 I had written:
"Yet another federal agency (FAA) is now being held hostage to the corporatist-industrial complex, attempting to find new avenues for drone production since the occupations in Iraq and Afghanistan are ending (well the first has officially ended, the second nearly so....
In the case of this new FAA bill, worth some $63 billion (and already four years in the lobbying and rewriting phases), U.S. skies would be inundated with tens of thousands of unmanned drones sharing airspace with commercial planes - and recall these are already at the beck and call of overworked air traffic controllers, as gauged by nearly 300 near misses per year. Imagine if they now had to contend with thousands of these unmanned drones flying who knows where?
Certainly the commercial pilots themselves aren't too enthused. As a WSJ article observes ('U.S. Skies Could See More Drones', Feb. 4, p. A7):
"Barely hours after the 374-page bill became public pilot union officials urged a more deliberate approach. Lee Moak, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, which represents 53,000 pilots across North America, said his organization remains worried about safety issues such as training and certification of those unmanned aircraft."
Then, in a Feb. 27, 2012 post some weeks later I cited a Denver Post front page story noting:
"Congress has told the FAA that it must allow civilian and military drones to fly in civilian airspace by 2015"
In other words, even then congress myopically invited the potential for a slew of near collisions and drone hysteria! All for what? MONEY! Each drone that ended up in the skies put lobbyist money in the craven congress critters' pockets, likely from the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).
This is the selfsame "industry trade group" that has pushed this bullshit down the FAA's throat and used congress as the Trojan Horse to do it....with billions of dollars of money exchanging paws in the background. I then quoted a PR specialist for the same AUVSI outfit, a Ben Gielow - who could barely control his drooling:
"The potential civil market for these systems could dwarf the military market in the coming years if we can get access to the airspace.."
If?....Well hell, they've now gotten that access to the civilian commercial airspace to the extent of creating hysteria in four or five northeast states. And which is sure to spread to others as the panic remains and people affected refuse to believe they're all legal, or just hobbyist creations. Basically, we - or at least our politicians - have reaped what they sowed over a decade ago. True.
In fact, the current drone plague could have been nipped in the bud when stringent proposals were offered by the Obama FAA, i.e. making all drone operators get a pilot's license to conform to a certain professional standard - given simple amateurs can't be trusted to "fly right" .
But the drone makers went ballistic, and the FAA and the sentient members of congress were cowed.
The rest as they say is history.
Common sense screams that the FAA (and congress) must implement powerful provisional regulations including licensing and registration of all operators. Cumbersome? Maybe. But preferable to having irresponsible jerks sow panic far and wide.
And there's worse to come if you can believe it. As reported 2 years ago the FAA is moving toward allowing drone flights beyond "the visual line of sight". This would open up our skies to drones taking over everything from package, grocery deliveries to police patrols. Indeed, it appears this phase has already transpired.
But don't look for any regulatory relief under a new Trump administration. Not the way we behold ass kissers from across the corporatocracy lining up to go on bended knee. Not to mention the Reepo politicos who can't help putting business above citizens' interests.
Best thing for ordinary folks to do. Don't go out to stare at the skies and get a good pair of earplugs if you need 'em.
See Also:
Massive Drone Found by Police in New York Raises Questions
And:
Intelligence officials reveal source of drones in classified briefing
And:
White House gives major update on source of drones swarming over NJ
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