There is no secret that drones are technology’s latest trend, and the aviation industry needs to be careful with sharing the sky. Drones must compete for space in an already crowded commercial sky and there can be many risks associated to this. The danger of crashing into a commercial flight is a real threat, and it has recently been reported that drones have come real close to planes coming in and out of London’s Heathrow Airport, and the pilots could identify the color of the smaller flying object.
With this danger so evident, there have been steps taken by aircraft dispatchers and other flight crew to figure out the precise location of a drone with fully equipped technology that is similar to what a commercial plane contains. These transponders help air traffic controllers track where planes are located always. Michael Huerta, an FAA administrator, stated that identification is one of the highest priorities right now. While he believes that automated systems hold great promise, there needs to be a plan put in place when the systems fail.
The aviation industry has been able to log 850,000 drones since the FAA opened a registry specifically for drones flown in the United States in the last 18 months. The standards for what technology drones should use to be identified will be constantly evolving as the aviation industry flourishes.
