The reason the FAA has been so cautious with drone regulations is that commercial drones can be incredibly dangerous to low-flying aircraft. Pilots have reported more than 650 close calls with drones so far this year, a massive increase over last year’s cases. According to a statement that the FAA released earlier this week, there were only 238 of these reports in 2014, which means that number has more than doubled and 2015 isn’t even over yet.
Encounters between drones and aircraft are increasingly becoming an problem, with pilots reporting more than 650 close calls through August 9th this year. According to a statement released by the FAA yesterday, that’s a worrying increase from the 238 reports it received in all of 2014. In June alone there were 138 reports of drones flying at heights up to 10,000 feet, up from 16 in the same month last year, raising concern about the potential for a deadly collision. The FAA says that flying a drone near airports, airplanes, and helicopters is extremely dangerous, and generally warns against flying drones above 400 feet. And for good reason — just last month drones hampered emergency efforts to combat a massive wildfire in California, when water-carrying helicopters were unable to take off due to recreational drones flying around the area.
