Leave the flying to the professionals. That’s the message coming from the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) out of concern for spectator safety and the safety of air show pilots who fly nearly 10,000 performances at over 300 North American events annually.
Supporting the FAA’s “No Drone Zone,” “Leave Your Drone at Home,” and “Know Before You Fly” initiatives, ICAS wants air show spectators and those in an air show venue’s surrounding area to understand that flying an unmanned aircraft in unauthorized air space is not just illegal, but unnecessarily puts people at risk.
“Even one close call is too many,” said John Cudahy, ICAS president and CEO. “While performing, air show pilots require total concentration and precision. If a drone interferes with an aircraft’s flight path, that’s a distraction that could have disastrous consequences. If a drone actually collides with a plane while that plane is performing an aerobatic maneuver, the result could be catastrophic for the pilot and the viewing public.”
North American air shows are highly regulated and regarded as the safest in the world. Air show pilots go through a battery of medical assessments, aerobatic competency evaluations and certifications before being able to perform. There hasn’t been a spectator fatality in North America since 1952, according to ICAS officials.
Pilot reports of unmanned aircraft increased dramatically in 2015, from a total of 238 sightings in all of 2014, to more than 650 by August of 2015. The FAA in recent months has sent out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal. Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.
“We want everyone at air shows to enjoy their experience without having to worry about or experience the repercussions of a drone-related accident,” said Cudahy. “There are plenty of outlets to see great air show video footage and photos taken by professionals. Leave the flying and photography to the professionals and come see the air show in person.”
The FAA is leading a public outreach campaign to promote safe and responsible use of unmanned aircraft systems and offers a digital toolkit with downloadable outreach materials to federal, state, and other partners to educate unmanned aircraft operators that flying in certain areas is prohibited.
Drones need special regulations to how be operated …and like pilot certificate should they have
I attend a few Airshows Each year and i had never seen an Accident Thank god these pilots do a fine job of entertaining the public, if a Drone is at an airshow The drone operator will be caught and a Heavy fine and Years of prizon time
will begin, lets keep the airshows safe ok, It take one Drone Operator to Ruin a good weekend.
I think the concerns are real and sooner or later there is going to be an incident with a drone being flown in airshow space and causing a safety issue. Yes the serious drone operator will respect the law and not do such a stupid thing but the reality is that any idiot with the money can buy a drone these days and will then operate them with total disregard for rules and safety or even registration. These things are being sold by the thousands every day and like I said, sooner or later this will become a problem.
“There hasn’t been a spectator fatality in North America since 1952, according to ICAS officials.” Really ?? I guess Reno NV is not in North America ? Unfortunately there was a very tragic accident with spectator fatalities in 2011. Technically I suppose one could argue this was an “AIR Race” but it certainly comes with an accompanying “Airshow”. I’m a little disappointed in the generally negative/anti-drone flavor of this article given so many are working hard to integrate UAS activity into the National Airspace System – and yes, eventually you can expect UAS activities to be part of the “Airshow” in the future. And to be clear, they will be flown by professionals with proper training and certifications same as any other Airshow Pilots. You can also expect the UAS professionals to provide photo services at these and other spectator events. While I get the intent and message the article intended to convey, I think a little forward thinking should have been included to provide some “balance”. (I am speaking as a Commercial, Instrument, Seaplane rated pilot with thousands of hours and 38 years of accident free flying – and yes,,, many hours and years of UAS experience along with UAS Commercial Part 107 certification)
Considering that all airshows in the US have an active TFR covering the area, this should be a nonissue. According to existing rules, you should not operate a UAS (Drone) inside o TFR. Doesn’t matter if you are flying for Hobby or for Hire. It is a good reminder that you shouldn’t fly. But you shouldn’t have been flying anyways. (I am speaking both as a licensed Pilot and a Part 107 Licensed UAS operator).
Well said Ken…
Unfortunately, Ken is incorrect. Many flyin events across the US have impromptu “air shows” – i.e. low passes – even some abrupt maneuvers, and many have events like flour bombing, spot landings, etc. None of these would have a TFR. Sorry Ben, you missed the editorial Fact Checker boat on this.