Cape May drone flights won’t snoop, researcher says
By DONALD WITTKOWSKI Staff Writer
CAPE MAY — Drone flights scheduled to begin next month in Cape May County as part of research conducted by a New Jersey college will not be used to spy on homeowners, businesses or anyone else, the project leader said Monday.
Michael Chumer, a New Jersey Institute of Technology professor who will oversee the test flights, said the drones will fly well out over the ocean — far away from any residential, commercial or public areas.
“We’re not peeking down on the homes of people,” Chumer said during a webcast in which he emphatically denied that the drones would invade anyone’s privacy.
Chumer responded to a story published Sunday in The Press of Atlantic City that raised questions whether drone flights could constitute “aerial trespassing.” The story focused on a Cape May County homeowner who fired a shotgun at a drone as it flew near his property on Sept. 26, damaging the drone.
Police charged Russell Percenti, of Lower Township, with criminal mischief and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the drone shooting. The Percenti case has generated debate about whether homeowners control the air rights above their property and whether their privacy is being invaded if a drone flies over them.
“Who controls the air is the basic question, really. As far as I can tell, it hasn’t been established as far as drones,” Nick Mottern, who runs a website about unmanned aircraft, told The Press in Sunday’s story.
The New Jersey Institute of Technology is preparing to launch its first drone flight Nov. 10 from the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May. Chumer used his webcast Monday to try to assure the public that his college will not have drones buzzing over homes or businesses. The drones will fly off the Cape May coast while conducting research on emergency communications, weather forecasting and surveying storm damage.
“We’re not trying to invade anyone’s privacy. We’re not out to put the public at risk. We’re here to make things safer,” Chumer said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has granted approval for the New Jersey Institute of Technology to fly drones as far as 14.5 nautical miles out over the ocean, at an altitude up to 10,000 feet.
Chumer noted that the college is also in discussions with the FAA, Cape May County officials and the Delaware River & Bay Authority about possibly using the Cape May Airport in Lower Township as another launch site for drone tests. If drones were to fly out of the airport, they would follow routes that would take them out over the ocean, without encroaching on homes and businesses, Chumer said.
The research flights launched from the Coast Guard training center in Cape May will be done in collaboration with the New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness and the New Jersey Office of Emergency Management. Chumer said drones could help state officials be better prepared for natural disasters, such as Hurricane Sandy, and assist them when they respond to the destruction.
Chumer, though, expressed concern that his college’s research flights might be confused with drones that are operated privately by model airplane hobbyists or being used for commercial purposes. Those drones fly at low altitudes and have the ability to take pictures or video, perhaps invading the privacy of the homes and businesses below.
Chumer stressed that any snooping that is done by private or commercial drones would be “the antithesis” of the college’s research flights.
Police said the drone that was shot down in Lower Township was inspecting a construction site next to Percenti’s home. Lower Township Police Chief William Mastriana said the charges against Percenti could expand into an invasion-of-privacy case involving the drone operator, whose name has not been disclosed.
Hoping to allay any spying fears, Chumer said he is willing to invite legal-advocacy groups to the test site to watch the research flights. The maiden flight on Nov. 10 will be closed to the media while researchers ramp up operations, but press coverage will be allowed the following day, Chumer said.
“I want the public to understand what we’re doing,” Chumer said. “I want them to be informed.”
Joseph M. Sheairs Sr., executive director of the Stockton Aviation Research and Technology Park, suggested that Chumer should hold town hall-style meetings with the public to discuss the flights and any privacy concerns. Sheairs added that it is crucial to let the public know that the research drones, unlike their military counterparts, will not carry bombs or other weapons.
Although drones are more closely associated with military use, the technology’s potential commercial applications are thought to be huge. Photography, law enforcement, border patrol, emergency communications, farming and weather tracking are often mentioned as civilian uses. Cape May County officials also see drone research as a catalyst for jobs and economic development.
New Jersey, Virginia and Maryland are part of a regional partnership for drone testing that is separate from the research that will be conducted by Chumer and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Known as the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, the regional coalition has been considering the Cape May Airport and the Eagles Nest Airport in Eagleswood Township, Ocean County, as possible test sites. The FAA has not yet announced where the Mid-Atlantic partnership will operate its drone flights in New Jersey.
