A recent article in the New York Times outlines an interesting take on local drone laws, which are proliferating, despite the fact that the FAA is the controlling agency for all U.S. airspace. The article points out that some city officials, particularly in New York City, believe that their airspace is somehow special and deserving of stricter regulations because of the current climate of terrorism, and that this somehow makes their city’s airspace even more special.
This is kind of ridiculous, because terrorism can happen anywhere and via means—I almost hate to say it, but far more effective means—other than a hobby airplane or drone. Raising the specter of terrorism has become the flavor du jour for anything remotely connected to the safety of citizens, and suddenly every type of drone or model aircraft, from heavier airplane models to tiny lightweight quadcopters, is a terrorism tool. Sorry, but that is just ill-informed and clueless.
Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.
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