Drones have become more and more popular the past few years as a hobby or toy for people. While yes, drones come in all shapes and sizes, they too, also come with responsibilities. Smaller drones that can fit in one’s hand may not be as dangerous as its larger siblings may. However, in the wrong hands, any drone can be a danger to those around them.
Drone Registration and Society
For example, smaller drones with ten minutes of battery life can wreak havoc around the house. It can knock items off shelves, hit ceiling lights, and even injure housemates with its spinning rotors. Larger drones can even be a danger to thousands of people, if you can believe it.
Drones and airports are a bad combination. A single drone can shut down an airport, as demonstrated by the Gatwick incident, along with several others worldwide. The threat of drones colliding with planes is a serious matter. One successful hit can take down an entire plane instantly – along with everyone onboard.
Airports and Drone Scares
A number of solutions have circulated over the course of the many incidents. Drone jammers are an idea that may soon come as a staple in airport security. Another is mandatory registration of drones weighing above a kilogram. This exempts the lighter drones, usually Nano versionsmeant for kids. Everything else requires a matching name of the owner to the drone itself.
The goal is to ensure accountability on the part of the owner of the drone. In most of these airport cases, the owner of the drone in question is almost always long gone before authorities arrive. This creates a problem – how can a single person create delayed flights and cancelled plane arrivals and not be held accountable? With registration, any captured drone retains an identification plate of its owner. Is this a violation of privacy? Or is this the potential solution to these growing airport incidents?
