Drones hovering into the mainstream
BY SARAH BURGE
After a semi slammed into a freeway overpass in Perris this summer, causing a collapse that blocked the road, emergency responders and the media descended on the scene as workers cleared the debris.
Hovering overhead, taking in the scene on a camera, was a small, white quadcopter. Most know it by another name: drone.
It belonged to the Inland Caltrans office. It was new and Caltran officials were just learning to fly it. Spokeswoman Terri Kasinga said they hope to use the drone to get a bird’s-eye view of construction projects and major accidents.
With prices dropping, drones are becoming an increasingly common sight. They’ve been spotted taking in a protest at Temecula’s Duck Pond Park, above the Murrieta firefighters’ barbecue, near the Mount Rubidoux 4th of July fireworks show in Riverside and elsewhere.
Professional photographers are using lightweight quadcopters, operated by cellphone or tablet and equipped with high-resolution cameras, to snap stunning aerial shots of solar panel installations, real estate, charity 5K runs, weddings and more.
But even though drones are popping up all over the place, some flights might not be legal.
Hobbyists are permitted to fly small drones at low altitudes, but commercial use is forbidden, as far as the Federal Aviation Administration is concerned. To date, the only commercial operations that have won exemptions are oil companies operating in the Arctic, said Les Dorr, an FAA spokesman. The agency is reviewing about two dozen requests for exemptions from other companies, FAA officials said.
In the coming months, the agency is expected to release proposed policies for small drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems or unmanned aerial vehicles. But there’s no telling when final rules will be adopted.
Though the potential threat to privacy posed by camera-equipped drones has stirred public concern, the FAA is focusing on safety issues. FAA officials say that even small drones can put manned aircraft – as well as people and property on the ground – at risk.
Dorr said the agency is trying to maintain safety without putting an undue regulatory burden on a burgeoning industry.
“Our main consideration has to be safety first,” Dorr said.
The FAA doesn’t have dedicated staff to seek out people violating the ban on commercial drone use, he said. But when it learns of such an operation, the FAA will send a warning letter. Someone flying a drone carelessly could be fined, he said.
“Our main goal is to get them to comply with FAA regulations,” Dorr said.
Michael Loeschnig of Murrieta began using a drone this year for his photography business, Skyphotos. Organizers have hired him to shoot special events including the Temecula Mud Run and Murrieta’s Birthday Bash, he said.
He already had a traditional aerial photography business with his sister, a pilot who flies out of French Valley Airport, but the drone is far more affordable and allows him to take low-altitude shots, he said.
