Drone On and On

Ready or not, here come the drones.

There are many reasons to be opposed to the coming ubiquity of these unmanned flying machines: privacy concerns, a healthy distrust of the military and police agencies that will be flying them, and safety concerns.

Let's forgo the first two reasons for opposition for now and focus on the third problem, safety concerns. Since 2001, there have been 47 reported drone crashes within the continental United States. I emphasize the word reported here, because these numbers most certainly do not include drones that have crashed on military bases. The US military has tripled the number of hours it flies these drones within US airspace since 2011, and the air time will only increase in the future. With the passing of a new federal law that will open American airspace to private and corporate drones, the military is planning on operating drone flights from no fewer than 110 bases in 39 states and Puerto Rico. The Defense Department reports that it currently owns some 10,000 drones for use worldwide.

Unsurprisingly, military officers are in full propaganda mode, assuring Americans that there is nothing to be feared from these machines, that they are incredibly safe and will not lead to an increase in aviation accidents. This, of course, is a ridiculous assertion on its face.

In what possible scenario does allowing civilians to operate aerial drones not lead to an increase in aviation accidents? Consider your neighbors. Consider your family. Consider the people that you work with? How many of these people could be trusted with a 300 pound airplane that they control with a joystick? I am in no way suggesting that many people would set out with the intention to do harm to others (although that is obviously a huge concern with a segment of the population), only that flight is an inherently dangerous undertaking and should not be something that the guy with the pickup truck next door should be able to participate in after downing a six-pack of generic beer.

I'll not bore you with the details of the drone crashes that we know about. Look them up yourself if you're interested - the information isn't difficult to find.