U.S. authorities are intensifying efforts to stop the illegal operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and model aircraft near airports and in restricted airspace, proposing a high-tech campaign to detect the aircraft and a stiff penalty against one operator.
“Education and enforcement must go hand-in-hand,” said Michael G. Whitaker, deputy administrator of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “Our preference is for people to voluntarily comply with regulations, but we won’t hesitate to take strong enforcement actions against anyone who flies an unmanned aircraft in an unsafe or illegal manner.”
Whitaker made the remarks during testimony in early October before a U.S. House of Representatives aviation subcommittee that met to consider methods of ensuring aviation safety as UAS aircraft are integrated into the National Airspace System (NAS).
A day earlier, the FAA proposed what it said was the largest civil penalty ever against a UAS operator for “end…
