Drone incidents in airports and runways sparked fears of collision with planes. The idea that these recreational drones are small enough to actually fly into a plane’s wing engine is a terrifying thought. Birds on occasion have flown into plane engines in the past, leading to unexpected landings and airplane damage.
This time however, it is a more serious scenario. A drone can easily rip apart a plane’s engine given enough momentum. At the very least, a drone can still damage the exterior body of an aircraft, leading to expensive repairs and maintenance.
If a wary drone receive reports at an airport, emergency staff usually hold flights and redirect incoming ones. Yes, the fear of drone collisions is an ever growing threat that airport security take seriously. Not only do these recreational drones cause flight delays, reroutes, and virtually stopping airport operations for a few hours. They also endanger the thousands of lives that pass through these runways.
1 Kilometer Airport Restriction:
With all these recent near-misses in airports all over the world, you just know something had to change.
Even before these incidents, recreational drones had regulations to follow. One, they cannot go up past 400 feet in the air. Another is that constant line of sight must be maintained by the owner while their drones are in flight. Drone users are also not allowed to fly in crowded areas or enclosed spaces.
But of course, as the statistics show, some recreational users do not seem to follow these for the most part. The airport incidents drew criticism not only for the delays and problems in flight schedules. They also received disdain for not apprehending the ones responsible. Alas, the irresponsible drone owners are gone before authorities check out the area. Thousands of people at risk, with nobody to blame for it.
Well not anymore. Alongside the incoming law of drones requiring license plates tacked onto them, drones in the United Kingdom also cannot be within 1 kilometer of an airport boundary. Yes, this means unless you truly intend to fly a drone in a busy airspace, these sort of mistakes would decrease in number. This new rule along with the 400 feet limitation hopefully could prevent future airport incidents from happening.
But of course, only time will tell if this is the key airport safety needs. This law will enact around July of this year in the United Kingdom. Now we wait to see its effect, and if it does prove its effectiveness, you may see this regulation in an area near you.
