Will drones take over the skies?

With Christmas fast approaching, the temptation to purchase drones as gifts will be very high this year. With cameras, drones are set to be very popular in South Africa, too. The United States, federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predicts there will be thousands of civilian cargo drones in the US airspace by 2020.

The drone expansion from military to commercial and, in recent years, civilian usage is becoming a reality and could become a growing threat to the safety of commercial aviation as stated by the lata at the Singapore Air Show in 2016. A British Airways flight from Geneva had a near miss with 137 passengers and crew on board. The drone actually struck the A-320 before landing.

A drone was also recorded delivering illegal drugs to inmates at Wandsworth prison in London. A drone narrowly missed a Boeing 737 after it took off from Stansted Airport in the UK. Authorities must also make sure that the radio spectrum used to control drones do not interfere with our air traffic control systems. Electronic jamming and laser systems are available as a last resort. Incidents in the US reveal drones hindering emergency services efforts in fighting fires. Reports compiled by the FAA reveal the following: From August 22, 2015, through to January 31, 2016, as many as 600 drones flew too close for comfort to airports and airborne planes. From November 13, 2014 to August 20, 2016, there were 746 similar drone incidents. From December 2013 to September 2016, there were 28 incidents involving pilots taking evasive action to avoid drones while flying. The Civil Aviation Authorities, globally, must take the threats of drones and powerful laser pointers seriously to avoid aviation tragedies.