With skyrocketing usage of unmanned aircraft, or drones, by the public within the last year, local officials are looking to educate the public so the remotely piloted aircraft can be safely incorporated into the skies.
Industry, airport and military leaders will hold “Drones 101” at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Golden Triangle Regional Airport to raise awareness of the requirements and procedures for safely operating an unmanned aircraft in and around the Golden Triangle, including Columbus AFB and the five public-use airports in the area. The seminar is offered free of charge to the general public.
First developed for military use, unmanned aircraft, or drones, are now being used for commercial purposes — especially in agriculture — and by a large number of hobbyists.
Since a U.S. Government rule requiring registration for all unmanned aircraft, or drones, went into effect Dec. 21, more than 181,000 of them have been registered.
That likely represents only a small fraction of drone ownership in the U.S., however. Industry officials estimated the number of drone sales in 2015 at 700,000.
That growth is not without some serious implications, most notably in the area of air safety. The Federal Aviation Authority continues to work on policies to prevent drones from become a hazard to aircraft. According to FAA data, there were 51 incidents in a 20-month period where a drone came within 50 feet of a manned aircraft.
Speakers will include Greg Stewart, vice president at Aurora Flight Sciences, Dallas Brooks of Starkville’s Raspet Flight Research Center, Mike Hainsey, executive director of GTRA and a representative from Columbus Air Force Base.
They’ll discuss the current and future capabilities of unmanned aircraft and cover some of the research being done by the FAA Center of Excellence at Mississippi State University. There will be a discussion of the current FAA rules and regulations and how they apply to operations in the Golden Triangle. Representatives from Columbus AFB and GTR Airport will also discuss potential safety conflicts with the flight operations from those airfields.
While GTRA hasn’t had any incidents with drones yet, Hainsey said he has had many calls from real estate agents and the like wanting to know what the rules are regarding drones. Columbus Air Force Base has encountered some instances where drones were flying in its area, he added.
“It’s funny. We were thinking about having this seminar and the phone rings and it’s CAFB, suggesting the same idea,” he said. “So we’re looking forward to getting the information out to people. We hope we’ll have a big turnout.”
Hainsey said another new development will also be discussed during the meeting: GTRA’s involvement in nation-wide testing for tracking drones.
“The biggest commercial maker of drones, a company called DJI, has a GPS system on their drones and it’s connected to a server. They are working with the American Association of Airport Managers on some test that will allow us to access their server,” he said, adding that a GPS will notify airports when a drone is in the area and notify the drone operator that it is in unauthorized space. “They will start testing later this month, I think, and they want to have the testing done at airports of all sizes. Anytime we can be a part of something like this, we’re excited.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 35 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
