Schumer proposes new law to virtually eliminate chance of drones crashing into planes

August 20, 2015 Brooklyn Daily Eagle

In light of several unauthorized drones spotted in Brooklyn and nearby New York area airports, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer on Thursday pledged to propose an amendment as part of the FAA Reauthorization Bill this fall that would require manufacturers to implement geo-fencing technology or other similar solutions on all drones in order to prevent them from flying into “No Fly Zones,” like airports. Eagle photo by Mary Frost

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In light of several unauthorized drones spotted nearby New York area airports, U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer on Thursday pledged to propose an amendment as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization Bill this fall that would require manufacturers to implement geo-fencing technology or other similar solutions on all drones in order to prevent them from flying into “No Fly Zones,” like airports.

Geo-fencing or other similar technology, which Schumer has long-advocated for, limits where drones can fly through the installation of built-in software, firmware and GPS tracking in the device and helps take human error out of the equation. Manufacturers are already experimenting with placing this type of technology in their drones; however, Schumer said that all manufacturers should be required to implement the software right away — and that’s why he will be proposing this amendment.

Schumer pointed to at least seven reported drone sightings by pilots at both JFK and Newark airports — in just the past week or so — where drones were at an altitude of 2,000-3,000 feet. In addition, the FAA recently reported pilot sightings of unmanned aircrafts have increased over the past year from a total of 238 in 2014 to more than 650 by Aug. 9, 2015. Schumer said that these drone sightings are extremely troubling because a collision could put hundreds of airplane passengers and pilots in real danger.

In February, the FAA released its draft rule on drones; however, Schumer said that it does not go far enough because it does not require the use of geo-fencing technology to limit where a drone can fly. The senator said he would propose his amendment as part of the soon-to-pass FAA Reauthorization that must move through Congress this fall.

Schumer explained that he had hoped a geo-fencing requirement would be included in the reauthorization bill but with recent reports that Congress will simply extend current FAA policy through at least 2016, an amendment to that extension could be the only way to implement such a requirement this year. If language like Schumer is proposing is not included in the upcoming bill, legislative action on geo-technology could be stalled until at least 2016. Schumer said that this issue is far too important to wait and Congress should act now regardless of whether or not they do a full FAA reauthorization or just an extension of current policy.

“Near-misses between drones and passenger airliners are spiking and we must act now, before a real tragedy occurs,” said Schumer.

Drones are unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that fall under three categories denoted by the FAA: civil, public and model aircraft. The public unmanned aircraft systems are used by government agencies, law enforcement agencies and research institutions to aid in their operations. Schumer supports the use of drones under all of these categories, but said that there must be clear limits to their usage when privacy and safety are threatened.

Furthermore, drones may also be used for illegal purposes. For example, a drone in Ohio recently dropped a package of drugs into the prison yard at Mansfield Correctional Institution. This package contained drugs which included 7 grams of heroin, 57 grams of marijuana, and 140 grams of tobacco. Once the package was dropped to the intended inmate, a fight immediately broke-out. The prison guards used pepper spray to break-up the fight and some inmates were sent to solitary as punishment. Schumer made the point that this instance suggests that drones can be used for malicious purposes, like transporting weapons or other contraband.

—Information from Sen. Schumer’s Office