LOS ANGELES — Recreational drone use has increased over the years. Drone pilot and educator Emily Frangie said this is because they have become more accessible and allow you to see the world from a new perspective.
While she flies over a local Orange County community, Frangie knows where she can and cannot operate her drone like near sports stadiums and controlled airspace.
“You should not fly near airports simply because it is dangerous and it is against the law,” Frangie said.
If a drone comes within a 5-mile radius of an airport, it can disrupt operations or cause pilots to divert or redirect their planes during take-off or landing, according to the TSA Federal Safety Security Director at LAX Keith Jeffries.
“All of this could not have only a safety impact on personnel on the aircraft, the people on the ground, and the economic impact on the airline or airport,” Jeffries said.
This is why LAX is joining Miami International Airport as only two airports in the country testing technology that will detect, track and identify drones entering restricted airspace. Miami already reported thousands near the airport during their project.
According to a video provided by LAX, the TSA can see the latitude, longitude, and serial number of a drone entering the designated area. They can even access the live video feed, as well as learn where it took off from, where it lands, and even the operator’s location. Jeffries said this will help them contact the owner to find out why they were flying so close to the airport.
“Any time you are operating near the protected airspace of any airport in the country, that is a concern. The chances are you will get law enforcement to visit you and no one wants that. It’s not a game or a joke. It is about keeping folks who are flying safe,” Jeffries said.
As of now, he said most operators have been naïve, not knowing the rules. But TSA can use this technology to flag any drones that may have actually had bad intentions and then can contact the proper authorities.
While Frangie supports the use of this technology and understands the benefits, she said viewing the live footage is an invasion of privacy and is unsettling.
“They can accomplish their safety objectives by just tracking the drone pilot. They don’t need to view the live feed,” Frangie said.
TSA at LAX will continue to collect data from this test to see if this should expand to other airports in the country.