Talk about pent-up demand.
In the 49 days since the Federal Aviation Administration started requiring drone users to register their devices, some 325,000 UAVs, or unmanned aerial vehicles, have been signed up.
God help us all!
Now that the number of registered drones has surpassed the number of airplanes accounted for by the feds, we can all look forward to more and more Americans having the time of their lives flying these things dangerously close to our heads.
The explosion of drone use comes at the same time that police, state and federal law-enforcement authorities are scrambling to deal with the rise in cases where drones are being used to harass or stalk people, interfere with firefighters battling blazes, and commit crimes.
As The Guardian reported, the folks at Scotland Yard are considering doing what Dutch police have already done, and train eagles to snatch bad guy s drones right out of the sky:
Scotland Yard is interested in emulating a Dutch police initiative to use eagles to take down drones, the has said. The force s commissioner, Sir , was impressed by the Dutch programme in which trained birds hunted down drones. There have been concerns that drones are increasingly being used to commit crime.
have warned that they can be deployed to spy on homes targeted for burglaries and there have been reports of them being found in the grounds of prisons with drugs attached.
As would be expected in an organisation that is transforming we take an interest in all innovative new ideas and will of course be looking at the work of the Dutch police use of eagles, said a Met spokesman.
According to blog reports, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the strong registration drive was actually good news, showing the public is receptive to the federal government s need to stay on top of the growing fleet of unmanned vehicles popping up all over. Reports of drone sightings by commercial airline pilots, say officials, prompted the FAA to move quickly in setting up the registration process.
The speed with which we were able to roll this out is a testament to the invaluable input we received from the diverse task force of stakeholders we brought together to work on this issue, Huerta said in a speech at a drone policy summit this week. It s proof that when government and industry partner, we can innovate, cut through red tape, and use technology to tackle emerging risks, he continued.
The registration protocol began Dec. 21, 2015, and it requires drone operators to sign up their equipment in an online tracking system. Users have until Feb. 19 to register.
Registration is simple – and it s mandatory in order to fly aircraft that weigh between about 9 ounces and 55 pounds, said Huerta. You enter basic information – name, address, and email address – into our online system, and read and acknowledge our basic safety guidelines. Then you pay $5 and get a registration number that s valid for all of your unmanned aircraft for three years.
Credit: Robert MacPherson/AFP/Getty Images
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