Drone's Making News

Technology keeps getting smarter, but are you keeping up with it? Underwater drones, quadcopters, "follow me" and hover cameras; the drone industry is taking off. But before you fly your drone, there are things you must consider. 

Take an event from just this past month (Sunday, April 17th).

As you may have heard, a British Airways flight from Geneva to London was descending upon Heathrow Airport when the pilot says 'something hit the plane'.

That 'something' was reportedly a drone striking the nose of the aircraft. Fortunately everyone on board was safe and the plane landed without issue. Yet this was a hot topic in mainstream media.

Well, upon further investigation the British government says it was unlikely that a drone hit the plane.

However, with the near-collisions between drones and manned aircraft occurring more frequently, it seems only a matter of time before an accident like this does happen.

Plan Before You Fly

With drone technology on the consumer level still being relatively new, government and lawmakers are still working to establish regulations and educate the public. 

The laws between UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) and manned aircraft are inherently different. But since the average resident doesn't have access to commercial airplanes, new legislation is still being drawn up for UAS.

The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) and several industry partners are working to create legislation and an educated public. They've begun to do so with their campaign, 'Know Before You Fly'. 

What Can You Do? Think Before You Fly

For starters, make sure that you have registered your drone.

Educate yourself and be familiar with drone laws.

Some other general things you should know:

• Your drone should never fly above 400 ft (recently was only 200ft)
• Your drone should always remain in your sight while flying
• Learn more facts before flying your drone

When looking for a good, safe place to fly, Google Maps is a good starting point. Stay away from heavily populated areas, stadiums and events, airports and racetracks.

While drone photography is awesome and getting a great aerial shot makes for a nice Facebook post, it's not worth the potential trouble. The FAA have set regulations for a reason.

Plus, you can follow the laws and still get incredible shots

Photo Cred: Dronestagr.am: taken by Capunagero

While there wasn't an actual collision between drone and manned aircraft at Heathrow, similar reports are becoming more regular. As new technologies emerge, evolve and adapt, we are bound to continue seeing an expanding assortment of drones.

New and better drones means more people owning them. 

There's no reason this needs to be a bad thing. In fact, it's a very good thing.

We are going to see drone technology incorporated increasingly more into many areas of our lives. 

Just make sure you do/know a few things before putting your drone into flight.