Drones Flying Near US Airports Raise Big Risk for Passenger Airplanes

Post by: Omar Nasser

Planes in the United States are having more and more close calls with drones near big airports. In one case, a plane was landing at San Francisco when the pilot saw a drone near the front window. The drone flew by only 300 feet away. There was no time to move. Just one month before, a different plane flying near Miami also saw a drone very close. Another time, in August, a drone flew only 50 feet away from a plane’s wing at Newark airport.

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These things are very risky. If a drone hits a plane, it could cause a big crash. These are not small problems. A report says that in the past year, drones were part of most of the near crashes at the 30 busiest airports in America. This is the highest number since 2020. Drones started causing trouble in 2014. Since then, more than half of all near-crash reports included drones.

Planes near airports have always been in danger from things like birds. But drones are now a bigger worry. Drones are now very common. The government says over one million drones are flying in the U.S. People can easily buy drones online. Some drones can fly very high—where they should not be. Many people don’t know the flying rules, and some don’t care.

The FAA, which is the group that makes flying rules, says drones must stay away from airports unless they get permission. Drones that weigh more than 250 grams must be registered. They must send out a signal that shows where they are and who owns them. This helps find the drone if something goes wrong.

The FAA is also trying new ways to stop drones near airports. Some ways include using radio to stop them, or using lasers to take them down. But experts say more must be done. One idea is to use a drone’s signal like a car license plate. This way, police can find who was flying the drone and send them a fine. Another idea is to make all drones stop themselves from flying near airports. This is called geofencing.

One big drone company, DJI, used geofencing before. But in January, they stopped using it. Now their drones only give a warning when they are near no-fly zones. The company said too many people were asking to turn off the rule, and it became too hard to manage. Since other drone makers don’t use geofencing either, and there is no law for it, DJI dropped it.

The FAA has not said if it will make geofencing a must for all drones. Some drone users are getting caught. In Boston, two men were arrested after flying a drone near Logan Airport. Police found them by using the drone’s signal. In another case, a man flew a drone to see wildfire damage in California. His drone hit a firefighting plane and made a hole in the wing. The plane had to stop flying for days. The man admitted he lost sight of the drone after it flew far away. He is now facing charges.

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