Drone sightings in decline
A new study from the The Academy of Model Aeronautics has reported that drone sightings by airplane pilots are in decline, despite the growth of sales. Only 3.3% of drone sightings were categorised as near misses by the pilots, showing recent educational efforts and registration requirements are having a positive impact.

Bart Jansen

USA TODAY

Drone sightings reported to the Federal Aviation Administration from other aircraft have declined since peaking in August 2015, and only 3.3% indicate near misses with passenger planes, according to an analysis released Tuesday.

The results in the 12-page study from the Academy of Model Aeronautics came despite industry groups estimating 700,000 to 1 million drones were sold during the holiday season.

The latest batch of 582 sightings were reported from Aug. 21, 2015, through Jan. 31. The reports included 19 described as “near misses” or “close calls,” according to the academy's analysis. Monthly sightings peaked in August at 185, according to the report.

A previous batch of 764 reports from November 2014 to August 2015 found 27 near misses, or 3.5%, according to the group.

“We’re glad to see a decline in (drone) sightings as more people are learning how to fly responsibly,” said Dave Mathewson, the academy’s executive director.

The academy represents 188,000 model-aircraft operators. The group has argued that it educates members about how to fly responsibly through programs such as knowbeforeyoufly.org. But the group has resisted federal registration of drones and stricter rules governing operators.

The FAA’s concern is that a collision with a passenger plane could be catastrophic, given the damage that birds can do to engines, navigation equipment or windshields.

To educate and keep better track of those operators, the FAA created a database in December for registering drone operators by name and street address, with a unique number placed on each aircraft to trace after a possible collision or crash.

The number of registrants, who could each own more than one drone, passed the number of passenger planes with 325,000 by February.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta has said enforcement goes hand in hand with education for anyone operating irresponsibly.

FAA: Drone registration eclipses that of regular planes

The Senate approved legislation governing FAA would require drone operators to pass an online test before flying remote-controlled aircraft. That bill must still be considered by the House.

Airline pilots remain concerned about potential collisions. For example, a Delta Air Lines pilot reported Jan. 4 seeing a drone at 4,500 feet in the air about 10 miles from Los Angeles International Airport and a JetBlue reported a “near miss” at 5,800 feet in the air on Jan. 17 while departing New York’s John F. Kennedy airport.

Minister: Object that hit British Airways jet wasn't a drone

But the Academy of Model Aeronautics contends that many reported sightings are mistaken. The academy also found reports of drones obeying FAA guidelines for hobbyists to fly drones lower than 400 feet and farther than 5 miles from an airport.

A high-profile example in the United Kingdom occurred in April, when a British Airways pilot reported colliding with a drone while landing at Heathrow. But Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin told parliament days later that the object didn’t appear to have been a drone.

Among the latest batch of U.S. reports of unmanned aircraft systems, the academy found a Sept. 17 report of “someone using a jet pack (possibly a large drone)” near an Oklahoma City airport, a Sept. 24 report of a balloon near the tower in Pensacola and a report Nov. 7 of a white object that was either a bird or a drone at 14,500 feet while departing Tampa’s airport.

The latest batch of reports found that pilots took evasive action 14 times, or 2.4%, while 69.2% took no action and 28.4% the action was unknown, according to the analysis.

“Despite estimates that as many as 1 million drones were sold during the 2015 holiday season, the number of sightings has not increased as one might expect,” the report said.