As a pilot, I know firsthand how intrusive and restrictive the Federal Government can be. Anyone who believes that freedom and liberty exist in the open sky is sadly mistaken.
Let's say I want to make a simple, local flight in my own airplane, so I decide to fly from Monroe to Oshkosh. The distance traveled is only about 90 miles. It will take me less than an hour to get to Oshkosh. Yet, there are a plethora of rules and regulations to which I must adhere. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) dictates that I must remain above certain altitudes, even in isolated rural locales. As much as I might like, I simply cannot buzz houses, farmers, or downtown urban areas. I cannot even pick out a lonely stretch of highway and practice low-altitude, high-speed approaches at automobiles.
That's not all. Since I fly through Madison airspace, there are even more rules that I must follow. I actually have to call the Madison tower and personally talk to them, just to get permission to fly to Oshkosh. And, if I want to land at Madison to pick up a passenger, forget about it - I have to talk to at least three separate entities just to be allowed to land at Madison, which is a public airport. Should a prominent politician or dignitary be in the area, I may not be able to fly near Madison at all. Oh, and the entire time I'm doing this, the control tower is monitoring me on radar and via transponder.
Now, let's talk about drones.
When you hear the word 'drone', you may think of something like the military's Predator Drone; a large, unwieldy, noisy thing that looks and sounds like a lawnmower buzzing high over the mountains of some God-forsaken country.
Not true - most drones are small, stealthy and shockingly high-tech. Drones are purposefully being manufactured to look and act like birds and insects, so that they blend into the natural environment and are practically undetectable. They are nimble, able to fly through open windows and navigate buildings. An article by John Horgan in March 2013's "National Geographic" gives a peek into the awesome technology behind drones:
Drones are able to be equipped with high-powered, super lightweight cameras that, when combined with infrared technology, can "see" through buildings and other physical barriers. No longer does one need to look through a window to see what's going on inside. And, forget about batteries - some drones, when equipped with tail hooks, need only hover above a power line to recharge. Still others are designed to fly into an area, hide, and turn dormant until given a signal or are remotely activated. They are even being programmed to fly visually, like a human pilot, since GPS can be easily hacked.
As mentioned above, the FAA currently controls the airspace within the United States, the jerks. As a pilot, I must adhere to their rules and regulations. The same is true for someone who wants to fly a drone. In order to remotely pilot or program a drone, one must obtain a permit from the FAA. Private individuals are only granted permission to fly drones on a case-by-case basis. Current FAA rules dictate that drones cannot be flown above 400 feet, near airports or heavy air traffic areas, and the operator must maintain visual contact with the drone.
All of this, thanks to the United States' Congress and President Obama, is about to change.
In February 2012, President Obama signed the FAA Reauthorization Act, which essentially throws open US airspace to drones. Among other things, the FAA is required to streamline their application process, which is expected to greatly enhance the ease and efficiency by which one can obtain permission to fly a drone. No longer will applications be approved on a case-by-case basis, any individual, corporation, government agency, or group will have access to public airspace.
The possibilities are endless.
Farmers can use drones to check livestock and crops. Animal welfare groups like Animal Liberation in Australia are using drones to spy on farmers. How cool would it be, to fly through the St. Louis Arch, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, or take up-close footage while flying laps around the Statue of Liberty? For that matter, why pay for front-row seats to a sporting event or concert? With a powerful enough camera, why pay for amateur adult entertainment when you can simply find it on your own?
The paparazzi will have greater access to celebrities. Any reason that someone might carry a camera or recording device has just been made airborne, stealthy and highly mobile.
Of course, incidents like the one in November 2012, when a man was sentenced to prison for plotting to attack Washington, D.C. with drones loaded with C-4 explosives, are probably rare and won't happen again.
Especially with the FAA's mandatory relaxation of regulations, civilian drone use is certain to increase. As stated in Horgan's article, "[T]he civilian market for drones ... could soon dwarf military sales," which is already a multi-billion dollar industry.
Yes, it is about time the FAA gets taken down a notch or two. This is a great day for personal freedom and liberty.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a column for the Times each Tuesday. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
Let's say I want to make a simple, local flight in my own airplane, so I decide to fly from Monroe to Oshkosh. The distance traveled is only about 90 miles. It will take me less than an hour to get to Oshkosh. Yet, there are a plethora of rules and regulations to which I must adhere. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) dictates that I must remain above certain altitudes, even in isolated rural locales. As much as I might like, I simply cannot buzz houses, farmers, or downtown urban areas. I cannot even pick out a lonely stretch of highway and practice low-altitude, high-speed approaches at automobiles.
That's not all. Since I fly through Madison airspace, there are even more rules that I must follow. I actually have to call the Madison tower and personally talk to them, just to get permission to fly to Oshkosh. And, if I want to land at Madison to pick up a passenger, forget about it - I have to talk to at least three separate entities just to be allowed to land at Madison, which is a public airport. Should a prominent politician or dignitary be in the area, I may not be able to fly near Madison at all. Oh, and the entire time I'm doing this, the control tower is monitoring me on radar and via transponder.
Now, let's talk about drones.
When you hear the word 'drone', you may think of something like the military's Predator Drone; a large, unwieldy, noisy thing that looks and sounds like a lawnmower buzzing high over the mountains of some God-forsaken country.
Not true - most drones are small, stealthy and shockingly high-tech. Drones are purposefully being manufactured to look and act like birds and insects, so that they blend into the natural environment and are practically undetectable. They are nimble, able to fly through open windows and navigate buildings. An article by John Horgan in March 2013's "National Geographic" gives a peek into the awesome technology behind drones:
Drones are able to be equipped with high-powered, super lightweight cameras that, when combined with infrared technology, can "see" through buildings and other physical barriers. No longer does one need to look through a window to see what's going on inside. And, forget about batteries - some drones, when equipped with tail hooks, need only hover above a power line to recharge. Still others are designed to fly into an area, hide, and turn dormant until given a signal or are remotely activated. They are even being programmed to fly visually, like a human pilot, since GPS can be easily hacked.
As mentioned above, the FAA currently controls the airspace within the United States, the jerks. As a pilot, I must adhere to their rules and regulations. The same is true for someone who wants to fly a drone. In order to remotely pilot or program a drone, one must obtain a permit from the FAA. Private individuals are only granted permission to fly drones on a case-by-case basis. Current FAA rules dictate that drones cannot be flown above 400 feet, near airports or heavy air traffic areas, and the operator must maintain visual contact with the drone.
All of this, thanks to the United States' Congress and President Obama, is about to change.
In February 2012, President Obama signed the FAA Reauthorization Act, which essentially throws open US airspace to drones. Among other things, the FAA is required to streamline their application process, which is expected to greatly enhance the ease and efficiency by which one can obtain permission to fly a drone. No longer will applications be approved on a case-by-case basis, any individual, corporation, government agency, or group will have access to public airspace.
The possibilities are endless.
Farmers can use drones to check livestock and crops. Animal welfare groups like Animal Liberation in Australia are using drones to spy on farmers. How cool would it be, to fly through the St. Louis Arch, underneath the Golden Gate Bridge, or take up-close footage while flying laps around the Statue of Liberty? For that matter, why pay for front-row seats to a sporting event or concert? With a powerful enough camera, why pay for amateur adult entertainment when you can simply find it on your own?
The paparazzi will have greater access to celebrities. Any reason that someone might carry a camera or recording device has just been made airborne, stealthy and highly mobile.
Of course, incidents like the one in November 2012, when a man was sentenced to prison for plotting to attack Washington, D.C. with drones loaded with C-4 explosives, are probably rare and won't happen again.
Especially with the FAA's mandatory relaxation of regulations, civilian drone use is certain to increase. As stated in Horgan's article, "[T]he civilian market for drones ... could soon dwarf military sales," which is already a multi-billion dollar industry.
Yes, it is about time the FAA gets taken down a notch or two. This is a great day for personal freedom and liberty.
- Dan Wegmueller of Monroe writes a column for the Times each Tuesday. He can be reached at dwegs@tds.net.
