TECH & SCI

Drones increasingly pose a safety risk to planes, need regulation

2017-02-26 22:16:24 GMT+8
Editor Gong Zhe
By CGTN's Ge Yunfei
There are many ways to fly a drone. But the most dangerous is to approach a plane carrying hundreds of passengers as it takes off. 
From 2013 to 2015, at least 320 such dangerous approaching incidents happened around the world, and 28 caused the flights to change course.
There has been a sharp spike in incidents where drones have flown close to commercial planes, putting lives at risk./ CFP Photo
‍At a time when drones are gradually shifting from remote high-tech robots to household flying toys, safety problems are emerging.
The growing number of drone safety incidents also puts a lot of pressure on DJI, the world's largest drone manufacturer. The company is trying its best to prevent users from becoming too creative.
Shao Jianhuo, vice president of DJI, said the company has installed a geographic-fencing function into every product, preventing its drones from flying within a radius of major airports around the globe.
"We've re-established the approach zones of the airports. Inside the zone, the drone can't fly. And near the zone, the drone can only fly under a restricted height. We're also developing our early warning system for passenger planes," said Shao. 
DJI is the world's largest drone maker headquartered in Shenzhen, China's silicon valley. /CFP Photo
Each DJI drone has a unique ID code and a black box that can record all flight information. But even with the most technologically advanced safety features in place, there is still one uncontrollable factor -- humans. Still, Shao remains optimistic, citing cars as an example. 
"If we can connect each drone with each user, then new technologies can be applied to monitor the real-time flying process of each product. We have tens of millions of cars but they seldom cause big problems. If we have more clear regulations, drone safety control wouldn't be a problem," he told CGTN. 
In 2016, some provinces in China ruled that drone users would have to get a flying license for aerial devices. 
But such rules may not be so easy to enforce.
A drone flier attends a license test in Guangzhou. /CFP Photo
One of the problems is the authentication of flying licenses. As He Weishen, president of Guangzhou Model Aircraft Association, said: "A driver's license is issued by the police. But the drone flying license is issued by a social organization and its authority is under scrutiny. In fact, for many drone owners it’s a grey area in China to fly a drone."
Vague regulations seem to be the norm in the drone world, according to He. 
"The best way is for the government to give a clear map of no-fly zones and restricted fly zones," he noted, adding that "the drone company can then embed those maps into their devices. Then users will know the rules."
But in China it may not be so easy to regulate drone flying, as it is governed by various government departments. With overlapping duties, no one authority seems to be stepping forward to shoulder the responsibility.
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