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Amid Drone Dangers, CIO-Hobbyist Issues Caution

Andrew Armani, the CIO of the state Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency, is an FAA-certified drone pilot — and he has a word of caution for his fellow hobbyists.

The following is a Tribune News Service report, with additional reporting by Techwire.

A spate of close calls between commercial airliners and drones is prompting concern in both industries – and a word of caution from a California state agency CIO who flies the remote-controlled craft as a hobby.

“Advancement in technology and reduction in cost has made small drones readily available to the public,” said Andrew Armani, the CIO of the state Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency. Armani, who has been a drone enthusiast for years, commented via email to Techwire in light of a newly released FAA report recounting some close calls, including at the San Francisco and Oakland airports.

“Some people see these flying machines as toys and do not understand the ramifications of the danger they could cause to themselves and the public,” Armani said. “They purchase and fly these drones without seeking any training or familiarizing themselves with the rules.”

A Feb. 3 drone sighting — one of three reported in the first three months of this year to Oakland International Airport — concerned a device flying about 1,000 feet over the Oakland Coliseum.

More recently, The Chronicle reported July 23 that pilots of two jets reported a drone hovering 3,500 feet over Hunters Point.

This year, 11 sightings have been reported to SFO, almost equaling the 15 during all of last year. None has caused problems or delays for passenger flights, including the close call Jan. 23, said SFO spokesman Doug Yakel.

At Mineta San Jose International, one of nine sightings reported in the first quarter came March 12, when the pilot of a passenger jet approaching the airport at 5,000 feet said a circle-shaped drone with four blades came within about 100 feet. No evasive action was taken, and the incident was relayed to the Santa Clara County sheriff’s office, the FAA report said.

Most if not all of these potential catastrophes are avoidable, Armani noted.

“FAA has published a set of clear rules for flying drones both for commercial and hobby use,” he said. “There are consequences for anyone who doesn’t follow these rules. I always advise the people I train to do pre-flight checks to ensure the vehicle is safe to fly and check the area they intend to fly for any air space restrictions, such as near airports or flying over crowds.”

Drone sightings are bound to rise as sales soar. The FAA expects the number of drones to increase in the U.S. from 2.5 million in 2016 to 7 million in 2020.

“I am an FAA-certified remote pilot and enjoy flying drones both commercially and as a hobby. I have been building, programming and flying drones for many years,” Armani added.

“Currently drones are being used in areas of mapping, inspection, real estate, delivery and many other fields," Armani said. The industry is at its early stages, not unlike what the Internet was in the early '90s. I hope that between the manufacturers, remote pilots and hobbyists, we set good examples and help to reduce the anxiety a few accidents has caused among the public.”

The severity of a collision between a plane and a drone would depend on several factors, including the relative speeds of the aircraft, the size and weight of the drone and whether the airplane’s cabin was fully pressurized, said Javid Bayandor, director of the Crashworthiness for Aerospace Structures and Hybrids Lab at Buffalo State University.

Analysts say the burgeoning drone industry, including hobbyists, photographers, racers and potentially package shippers, could come crashing down if there’s a tragic incident.

“All it’s going to take is one major fatality, and the downside for the industry at large will be incalculable,” said Chris Carr, a drone law expert and partner at the law firm Baker Botts in San Francisco.

The FAA prohibits shooting a drone out of the air because it might cause more harm if it fell to the ground, although the U.S. Department of Defense recently authorized the military to shoot down drones over bases.

SFO is trying to map drone flights to determine whether there are patterns that will help find illegal operators. It also is examining various tech options for tracking and detecting drones, Yakel said.

For example, San Francisco startup Dedrone offers technology to track the unique communication signatures for individual drone models. But Yakel said the airport is still far from deciding what type of technology to use. One option is training its current systems, like radar and security cameras, to find drones.

NASA researchers in Langley, Va., recently developed an electronic GPS system that can force a drone to the ground before penetrating a designated zone. SFO has an electronic fence around its physical property to track the movements of ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, but installing a similar electronic fence covering flight paths would be difficult, Yakel said.

Still, Yakel said, “we want to understand what’s available.”

The FAA, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, which represents commercial drone operators, and the Academy of Model Aeronautics, which represents hobbyists, have launched a campaign called “Know Before You Fly” to educate drone pilots.

“We believe most people want to fly safely and care about safety,” the FAA’s Gregor said in an email. “But many, if not most, drone users have little to no prior aviation experience and might not know what operating safely entails. Drone operators have to understand that as soon as they start flying outside, they are pilots with the responsibility to operate safely, just like pilots of manned aircraft.”

©2017 the San Francisco Chronicle Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.