In fact, there have already been multiple security issues involving drones in the news, both domestically and internationally. In April 2018, a medical helicopter in Dallas, Texas was forced to take evasive action to prevent crashing into a drone. This drone was spotted in class B restricted airspace, congested airspace surrounding the nation’s busiest airports where drones are not permitted to fly. What’s more, the drone was operating at night, which is prohibited without a specific waiver, and was well above the maximum permitted elevation for drone flights. The drone and operator violated at least five Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) regulations and nearly caused a crash as a result. No drone or operator was identified after the near miss.
It’s clear that drones have the potential to disrupt major government and private operations in the US. But what is the likelihood of something like the Dallas near miss happening again? Brian Harrell, the Assistant Director for Infrastructure Security with the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) considers unmanned aircraft systems “an imminent threat, given their retail availability here in the United States.” And he is correct; the FAA has registered 1.56 million drones in the past four years, which is more than five times the number of commercial aircraft registered in the entire history of the agency.
Of those 1.56 million registered drones, more than 1.1 million were registered as recreational craft. There are major differences between flying a drone recreationally and commercially. Recreational pilots have very lax requirements. Under previous US CFR Title 14 Part 101 regulations, the FAA did not require recreational pilots to pass any exams or certifications to fly a drone. These rules are in the process of changing, but currently all recreational pilots need to do to fly is to register their craft with the FAA, then they can fly drones weighing up to 55 pounds in uncontrolled airspace! The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, when fully implemented, will require hobby and recreational pilots to pass an aeronautical knowledge and safety exam before flying, as well as obtain authorization to fly in controlled airspace. The recreational pilot knowledge test is expected to be implemented sometime in 2020. But until then, recreational drone pilots will be flying with no training regarding airspace restrictions and regulations, flight operations and procedures, or risk management skills that the FAA deems necessary.
Innovative Engineering, Inc (IEI) is uniquely qualified to perform drone work as part of their engineering offerings. IEI’s certified pilots have experience flying drones for building envelope inspections, including roofing and façade inspections. IEI’s drone is equipped with a FLIR thermal imaging camera for use by certified thermographers conducting moisture, air leakage, and insulation efficiency surveys.
