Do you own a drone, or know someone that does? Chances are that you will. That’s because drones have become so popular they were amongst the top Christmas gifts in 2016 and 2017. Drones can be seen everywhere; in airports, in fields, in parks, and, even delivering pizza and coffee in certain parts of the world!

Drones have tremendous value commercially and professionally, but they can pose a hazard and invade our privacy. In this upcoming issue, find out how drones are going to infiltrate every part of society and the world around you, and how potential risks might be mitigated. Read the latest research on the safe use of drones and be sure to know the latest laws and rules on the use of drones – many civilians have been prosecuted or dished out heavy fines for being none the wiser.

Watch out for our forthcoming best practice report on the Safe Use of Drones to be published in the next two weeks. Here is a sample snippet from the report:

Analysis of New Drone Incident Reports
Source: Center for the Study of the Drone (at Bard College), United States (date of information: 2016)

Application/Key learning points: Statistics of incidents involving drones are on the rise. The United States’ Federal Aviation Administration reported 582 incidents involving unmanned aircraft in its airspace system over a five-month period. The patterns observed in these new reports are similar to previous trends of incidents reported in Federal Aviation Administration data releases. Among the relevant information reported are the following:

• About one-third of the incidents were classified as close encounters or occurrences where a danger or potential hazard was presented.
• The rate of incidents has increased threefold compared to the same period in the previous year (August-January).
• Three out of five incidents occurred within five miles of an airport, and nine out of 10 incidents occurred above 400 feet.
• In 24 incidents, drones reportedly came within 50 feet of a manned aircraft. In 11 instances, aircrafts actually performed evasive manoeuvres to avoid a drone.
• Roughly one-third of all reported close encounter incidents involved a multi-engine jet aircraft.