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How to regulate drones without choking the industry

This is an open letter to all aviation ministries of the world — especially my native India’s!

Drones are incredible technology which have the potential to change the world.

Countries and companies that are embracing this technology with open arms are heading fast towards amazing achievements that used to be the stuff of dreams.

As you can see, drones can be a force for good — a way to change the world and make it even more connected than it is today.

We should not let irrational fears cloud our judgment here!

For starters, I am very opposed to the term “drone” — I only use it because I have to, as that’s the accepted terminology now.

Drones used to bring up images of killing machines, and it seems that the word still leaves a bad taste in many people’s mouths.

I prefer the word “multi rotor” or “multicopter”.

There have been incidents of people shooting down drones because it was supposedly “invading” their privacy. While I can totally appreciate how someone may not want anything flying over their own private property, in general, drones are very poor tools for spying on anything or anyone.

For starters, to spy on someone, you’ve got to be discreet. Drones are not discreet. They have four or more propellers spinning at thousands of RPM, causing currents in the air, and making quite a lot of noise. The nature of propellers is such that there is going to be noise.

Noise makes for very poor spying.

However, do you know what’s a really good tool for spying?

A cell phone.

Cellphone cameras are so good, you can discreetly photograph or video anyone or anything, and most likely without their knowledge.

Why aren’t we banning camera phones? Dear government, why don’t you slap regulations on importing phones with cameras built in?

Do you know what’s an even more potent spying tool?

A dSLR with a telephoto lens. The kinds that real spies and private investigators use. These can be used for such egregious invasions of privacy that no words can describe.

A drone buzzing outside a window would quickly alert anyone — but a telephoto lens can take pictures from huge distances and no one would be the wiser.

Why are we not banning telephoto lenses?

The image below was taken using a drone:

With all this said, I firmly maintain that people operating drones should be responsible individuals and not fly over or near people or someone else’s land unless it’s with their express permission.

In this case, there could be some way to press charges against an invasion of privacy — but banning drones altogether is not the solution.

2. Another concern is the safety of aircraft

I fully agree in this case that drones should not be allowed to fly near other full size aircraft. It is risky and dangerous — and places like the United States have already implemented laws that you can’t fly within 5 miles of an airport unless you notify the tower and get their permission.

There’s also a maximum ceiling of 400 feet — after which you’re in restricted airspace. This is also a smart move.

This is smart, and manufacturers like DJI have implement geolocking in their drones that prevents the drone from taking off altogether if you’re in a restricted zone.

However, what I don’t agree with is the scares that the media loves to eat up — in India especially, there have been multiple reports of so-called “drone” sightings by airline pilots.

When you read the story, though, it’s totally bogus. Take this one, for example:

Here’s a quote from that article:

A typical drone(DJI Phantom) is 330mm by 330mm. That’s just a little over one square foot.

Do you really think a pilot was able to spot a one square-foot, white colored drone out of a tiny cockpit window and gauge that it was 3 nautical miles from the runway?

I’ve flown drones, and believe me, when they’re just 200 feet away, they become nearly impossible to spot.

For all I know, that pilot could have seen a rogue plastic bag floating in the wind!

I still maintain though that drone operators should be responsible individuals with common sense and not fly drones close to aircraft.

3. Finally, there is the concern of using drones for illegal activities

Drones, in all honestly, are terrible ways to conduct illegal activities, mainly for the same reason they are terrible tools for spying.

Criminals have used airplanes and cars for their activities, too — and you can understand the impracticality of banning aircraft and cars altogether.

At this point, I’d like to draw some distinctions and point out that there are different kinds of drones.

You have large, heavy lift drones that are capable of carrying many kilos worth of payloads. These are huge, hard to transport, and eyesores.

Then you have aerial photography drones such as the DJI Phantom. These are barely capable of carrying any payload besides the camera.

Finally, you have racing drones and toy drones — these drones have hardly any range, are a challenge to fly straight, and not capable of carrying any meaningful payload.

What governments should do is regulate how people can access certain types of drones in the same way people can access only certain types of vehicles.

I would need one kind of license to drive a motorbike, another to drive a car, and another to drive a truck. But I don’t need a license to ride a bike!

Your concern for security and contraband could be alleviated by requiring drones above a certain weight be registered and the owner require some sort of paperwork to fly it, the same way you need a license to drive a car — but not to ride a bike.

Instead of a weight cutoff, I would recommend a cutoff on propeller size. I must emphasize that these are merely suggestions and completely open to discussion!

Anything larger than 10 inches can be regulated in any way you wish — require the owner to have a license and registration, require them to write the registration number on each drone.

Craft capable of flying only 10 inch propellers or less are harmless and are either consumer grade photography drones like the DJI Phantom or racing drones.

Don’t require GPS and flight logs in all drones. If you must have GPS and flight logs, then only in drones with 7 inch propellers or larger. These are the only kinds of drones that are capable of meaningful long range flight.

Mark off no-fly zones — you can certainly denote that airports, military bases and cantonments, and government buildings are all no-fly zones and make every effort to prosecute people that violate that airspace without prior permission.

At the end of the day, drone operators must be responsible people and fly in ways that respects the safety and privacy of everyone.

Here are some tips for flying your drone:

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