The drone was about the size of Mike Hainsey’s hand.
That did not stop looks of consternation as it flitted with a high-pitched whine over the heads of some Columbus Rotary Club members Tuesday at Lion Hills.
Hainsey, the executive director of the Golden Triangle Regional Airport, told the club that more than 1 million drones were purchased during the Christmas season.
“Notice how nervous you all are,” Hainsey said. “Now imagine a million of these flying in the air. As you’re flying them you’re wondering if the guy perhaps is a pilot and knows where they’re going or is it someone who just bought it as a toy?”
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration began requiring the registration of small drones weighing between 250 grams and 55 pounds.
Hainsey said the new regulations are split into two categories — hobbyists and commercial use, which applies to any drone usage involving an exchange of funds. He said small drone regulations are strict.
“If you’re flying — even a toy one — within five miles of the airport, you’re supposed to call the airport,” Hainsey said. “That lets us know that there’s going to be something else flying around.”
According to the FAA website, failure to register could result in civil penalties up to $27,500 or criminal penalties up to $250,000 and/or three years in prison.
“A million of these in the air bothers me as a pilot and it should bother you as a passenger,” Hainsey said.
Hainsey said there were 241 near-miss incidents where drones passed within 500 feet of a manned aircraft during a 14-month period that ended last September. Fifty-one of those incidents saw a drone come within 50 feet of a manned aircraft.
According to a FAA December 2015 fact sheet, pilot reports of interactions with suspected drones rose from 238 sightings for all of 2014 to 780 through last August. The FAA also notes that firefighters in western states grounded their aircraft on several occasions due to drones flying near wild fires.
Still, Hainsey said drones can be a very enjoyable pastime, and the field will continue to see heavy growth for agriculture usage. However, he said they need to be used safely.
“They’re fun to fly,” he aid. “I got hooked on this thing. Driving a car can be fun, too, but it’s registered and the operator is trained. That’s what we’ll eventually do.”
Westbound service
Hainsey also told the Rotary crowd that work on getting direct westbound flight service out of GTRA is currently on hold.
GTRA presently does not offer any direct flights west. Passengers must first fly to another location, such as Atlanta, to connect to a westbound flight. However, Hainsey said the airport has been in talks with several airlines to start offering westbound service.
Hainsey said the airport hopes to offer the service through American Airlines, which would offer flights to Dallas. Airbus Helicopters is headquartered near Dallas and PACCAR has a facility near Dallas.
“We have the CEOs at all the major industries ready to write letters when the time comes,” Hainsey said. “They’re ready to say, ‘We will go and use you guys. We will guarantee this type of travel if you go westbound.’ We have them lined up. We just have to pull the trigger when the time comes.”
For now, though, GTRA is waiting for American Airlines to finish a merger process with US Airlines. Hainsey said he expects to resume communications with American Airlines later in the fall. If things go well, he said it might be the fall at the very earliest before GTRA begins offering westbound flight service.
Insight on terror arrest
Hainsey offered some insight into the Aug. 8 arrests of two former MSU students accused of attempting to join the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.
Jaelyn Deshaun Young, 20, and Muhammed Oda Dakhlalla, 22, were arrested at GTRA after reportedly trying to fly to the Middle East to join ISIS.
Hainsey said the FBI contacted airport officials a week before the incident. He said they worked with the airport and airlines to ensure the operation happened without risk to staff or passengers.
“They wanted them to get to the point to hand in the ticket so that they showed true intent,” Hainsey said. “We had the airplane already loaded. We were able to delay them checking in, going through security when everybody was already on the plane. The only people left in the ticket area that looked like passengers were actually FBI agents.
“When they handed the ticket in, three minutes later they were out of the ticket area,” he added. “Three minutes later they were out of the airport. The FBI did an outstanding job. They coordinated well in advance and kept us all safe.”
Young and Dakhlalla remain in federal custody while awaiting trials later this year.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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