With prices coming down as low to as $80 for some models, up to a million drones may be sold this coming holiday season. Unfortunately, that wasn't an exuberant prediction from a retail merchant, but a warning from the F.A.A.
Speaking in late September at the Airlines for America (A4A) Commercial Aviation Industry Summit in Washington DC, Rich Swayze, F.A.A. assistant administrator-policy, international affairs and environment, said his agency was planning to send a representative to Walmart to educate its salespeople about the safety issues around unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), among other moves.
"We're trying to get out and educate people about potential dangers," said Mr. Swayze, according to Aviation Week.
On Monday, federal regulators announced that recreational drone operators would be required to register their aircraft. A task force has been created to establish guidelines for the national registry by Nov. 20, with the goal of instilling the program before the end of the holiday season.
Drones are a particular concern for the airline industry with several pilots reporting drones flying too close for comfort. Others have expressed concerns about potential risks with drones being used around crowded public venues. Some drones have impeded efforts to fight wildfires this summer in California, and others have drawn unwanted attention at stadiums, hospitals and other public areas. Beyond safety, privacy advocates are concerned drones could be used to spy on people.
People often buy a drone for fun, but they "don't understand that there is responsibility, and there are rules that you have to follow," Tom McMahon, a spokesman for the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) told CBS News.
Accusing legislators of "fear-mongering," Michael Drobac, the executive director of the Small U.A.V. Coalition, a drone advocacy group whose members include Google, Amazon, and camera maker GoPro, told Fortune he is concerned that the F.A.A. and the Department of Transportation (D.O.T.) "won't come up with something that will help us move us forward as a country in advancing this technology on their own."
Many also wonder how drones will be registered.
Florida lawyer Jonathan Rupprecht, author of a book on drone law, told MarketWatch he believes registration may ease concerns over safety and privacy, but also wondered who would be responsible for any registrations.
"Who is going to regulate this? Point-of-sale? Walmart? Best Buy?" he asked. "What if I'm ordering parts off the Internet and put them together? That's what the gun industry does."
- FAA Nightmare: A Million Christmas Drones - Aviation Week
- U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Announces Unmanned Aircraft Registration Requirement - Department of Transportation
- New drone rules to include hobbyists - USA Today
- Drone for the holidays? That's raising concerns - CBS News
- The number of drones expected to sell during the holidays is scaring the government - Fortune
- All drones to require federal registration - MarketWatch
- FAA Fears That 1 Million Drones Could Be Sold This Holiday Season - Slate
- Drone Owners to Be Required to Register Devices - The Wall Street Journal (sub. required)