FAA Begins Lookout Program for Drones Near Airports
Joe Cortez February 24, 2016
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2_Parrot_AR.Drone_2.0_in_flight.jpg
Aviation body teams with Homeland Security, CACI International, and the University of Maryland to take down unauthorized drones.
Drones flying near airports and helipads have created problems in the past, but a new initiative by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may have the answer. In a press release, the aviation body announced the introduction of a new technology-based plan to identify and locate the pilots behind unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) flying around airports.
“The explosive growth of the unmanned aircraft industry makes evaluating detection technologies an urgent priority,” Marke Gibson, FAA Senior Advisor on UAS Integration, said in the release. “This research is totally aimed at keeping our skies safe, which is our number one mission.”
The program is based on technology by CACI International, which utilizes radio sensors at strategic locations around an airport. When a drone flies into the airport’s monitored airspace, the radio sensors work to identify both the drone and the pilot. From there, the technology triangulates the pilot’s location, allowing law enforcement to intervene.
The technology was given a practical test in over 140 trials at New Jersey’s Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) between January and February 2016. In conjunction with the University of Maryland, the joint group will compile the data learned from the testing and present a final report by August. If successful, the FAA claims the technology could be used not only to keep airports safe, but also protect sensitive areas from “bad actors” who may potentially use data collected by drones for “malicious purposes.”
The technology is the latest step taken by the FAA to maintain responsible drone usage over American skies. In December 2015, the agency announced a UAS Registration program, requiring all pilots to register their unmanned aircraft with the FAA. The deadline for previous flyers to register passed on February 19.
[Photo: Wikipedia]
Airports make sense and they are easy to avoid for drone flyers ... but Helipads are everywhere and they are not obvious to recreational flyers. This smells like a sneak-ban on drones.
If the FAA pulls this off, I will be greatly impressed. It would be nice to hear that the FAA can do something right.