Global concerns about safety, security, personal privacy and meaningful use all enter into consideration as drones are becoming far more sophisticated and widespread in their use.
As drone use becomes more widespread and more readily available to the public consumer so do concerns about their safe and proper use. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in charge of licensure and safety for all unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). Registration of the aircraft and a Remote Pilot’s Certificate are required through the FAA. A person may either register as an unmanned aircraft system pilot or a special model aircraft licensure for hobby and recreation use only.
“We have had a couple of situations where people created a safety issue by flying drones near the stadium on game days, which does require FAA authorization,” Chad Baldwin, University of Wyoming director of institutional communications, said. “Requests for commercial authorization for drone operation on UW properties are typically coordinated through the Risk Management Office.”
The general rules listed under the FAA’s UAS standards are for recreational or commercial use. Both forms of registration require the pilot to register their aircraft. The UAS certification for commercial use requires a remote pilot certification from the FAA while the model aircraft; recreational, non-commercial rules do not. A specified list of rules and regulations can be found at faa.gov.
During Laramie’s most recent snow-caused blackout, a drone was able to capture the stark and cold reality of a town’s business district plunged into darkness. The vivid imagery included incredible aerial views that really only included three discernable levels of light: black; grey (generally snow); bright white (headlights navigating the pitch-black streets). See it here.
The video of the blackout quickly went viral across multiple news sources and social media platforms including Facebook. U.S. Congressional hopeful Rod Miller has even adopted the drone footage from the blackout in a video about Miller’s experience and history in Wyoming. Editors of the video were able to add a distant and forlorn sounding steel guitar to the footage only adding to the video’s eerie effect.
The new technology could offer meaningful research and academic uses as well as uses in campus safety and management. Drones could be used as campus security to escort students to and from buildings late at night or to deliver concessions, millions of dollars of profit, to stadium sports fans. The opportunities could be without bounds.
According to the Wyoming Game and Fish website, they have released new regulations on scouting game animals with aircraft. The regulations are meant to confront the use of unmanned aircraft as an aid in game animal harvest. The regulations remind hunters that it is illegal to use any aircraft in their scouting or aid in their harvesting of game animals from Aug. 1 through Jan. 31 of the year.
“For me and most of the people I know I think it comes down to personal privacy, safety and actually the continued opportunity for private citizens to operate these craft as recreational and commercial situations arise,” UW senior Ryan Green said. “There’s probably a lot more uses to come for drones but I think it’s an important emergent technology for the public to have access to.”
The footage from the Laramie spring-snow blackout, and more importantly the local response to the footage on social media platforms, shows that the new perspective drones offer the world may be both powerful and useful for reporting purposes.
