With pilots reporting an increasing number of sightings of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) aircraft, authorities are exploring new ways to tell rogue operators to keep their distance — with an emphasis on educating new operators and enforcing existing laws.
At the same time, representatives of model airplane enthusiasts say that reported sightings of a small UAS or a model aircraft are often just that — sightings — and do not constitute “close calls.”
The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), which represents 180,000 people who fly model aircraft for recreation or educational purposes, issued a detailed analysis1 of U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data on 765 reported UAS sightings from Nov. 13, 2014, through Aug. 20, 2015 (see “Reports of UAS Aircraft Sightings”),2 concluding that only about 27 were explicitly identified as near-midair collisions. Some reports specifically quoted pilots as saying t…
