All drones must be registered or a mid-air tragedy is merely a matter of time

This Christmas we may imagine that the most sought-after presents will be the 3D Star Wars virtual reality viewer or the Nerf Mega Mastodon, but there is one inexpensive gift we could be getting which is far more disturbing.

In a year when there have been more than 30 near-misses between major aircraft and drones, it is all too easy to buy your own drone.

For as little as £25 you can get one, provided it is not for commercial purposes, weighs less than 20kg, you do not fly it above 400 feet, within 50 metres of an individual or 150 metres of a busy area. You are meant to be au fait with complex aviation regulations, but who is?

They are a menace. The Lords EU committee has called for all drones to be registered, as most people are unaware of these aviation rules.

Do we have to wait for a disastrous aircraft crash before adequate legislation is brought in? The committee has recommended there be mandatory geo-fencing like “Altitude Angel”, with software preventing them flying near an airport, ground hazard or other no-fly zone.

The Civil Aviation Authority has reiterated that it is totally unacceptable to fly drones near airports and warned of severe penalties including imprisonment. However, how can the police arrest a culprit if the drone is not registered?

In the US, the Federal Aviation Authority last December brought in just such registration and drones can be traced. Incidents have reduced.

The airline pilots union Balpa has warned that it is a matter of time till there is a major incident. While the impact of a bird strike on an aircraft is well-researched, less is known about the threat if a drone were to destroy an aircraft’s engine or smash a cockpit window or the lithium battery in the drone collided with the plane’s nose cone.

They also point out that radar cannot pick up a small drone and that, at Heathrow, they have been flying as high as 8,000 feet! Hence, a plane is particularly vulnerable at take-off and landing.

There is no denying that commercially drones have real benefits, eg crop surveillance, rescue operations, delivering medical supplies and historical research.

However, as David Cameron pointed out earlier this year, terrorists can also easily get hold of one too, and could spray nuclear waste over a British city.