Local drone operators shrug at possible regulations
a hexacopter drone is flown during a drone demonstration at a farm in Cordova, Md., in this file photo. Concerned about rising reports of close calls and safety risks involving drones, the government announced Monday it will require many of the increasingly popular unmanned aircraft to be registered.
Budget-model drones with cameras at The Silver Mine hobby shop in South Strabane Township.
Federal regulators have reckless hobbyists in mind – not commercial drone pilots – as they seek to register the aerial cameras, according to PittsburghDrones.com operator Micah Rosa.
“Monday’s announcement that the Federal Aviation Administration was putting together a task force was kind of a pre-announcement to scare off hobbyist fliers,” the 24-year-old said, “but because professionals already need to get a permit with the FAA to fly commercially, this isn’t going to deter us.
“It’s squarely aimed at hobby fliers who are flying over PNC Park and scaring people at the beach,” he said.
Despite no reported deaths or accidents, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx made the announcement that a regulation and tracking system would be sought. Rosa said it would likely amount to something like registering a car, but the value of a central database is yet to be seen.
“Will they classify regular remote-controlled planes as drones? And there still wouldn’t be any way to track it (with just a serial number licensing system) unless a person caught it or it crashed,” Rosa said.
“So the FAA knows it doesn’t have the legal strength to ground these or really keep track of them, so they’re trying to deter hobbyists with this policy talk.”
However, Rosa said that the drones being used by hobbyists have much fewer capabilities than military drones, because they have to be in the line of sight, have no intelligence and have a much lesser range.
Looming registration requirements won’t deter Dante Pagliarulo, 25, of Avella, who uses a “DJ-I Phantom 2” worth nearly $1,000 to survey his 417-acre farm along Manchester Lane.
”They won’t stop me from using it as a promotional tool. I use the video from the sky to show how Manchester Farm is coming along,” he said, explaining the farm is switching from a dairy cow business to boarding horses come spring. But Pagliarulo said he’s already following FAA regulations.
“I won’t fly it off or away from my farm anyway, but right on the box it says you can’t fly above 400 feet. And there’s a switch on it that prevents it from going above that ceiling,” Pagliarulo said.
“If you want to fly one of these as a toy, fly around your yard,” he continued. “You don’t have to do anything so long as you’re flying under 400 feet … and if anything, new regulations will deter reckless behavior and improve the image of professional fliers, because the only stories you hear are scary incidents.”
Pagliarulo has real-life reminders not to fly too high.
“There are military planes that fly only a thousand feet off the ground over my property. I don’t want to get involved in that when they come flying by,” he said.
With local hobby stores carrying units for as little as $40 to 60, budget-priced drones will likely be in the hands of enthusiasts this holiday season, and another swarm of drones is likely to take to local skies.
Rosa estimates in addition to “six or seven go-to commercial operators,” there are likely a thousand amateur fliers in the Pittsburgh region.
To see Pagliarulo’s drone in action, visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JecnujqqGwY.