Drone Showdown Ahead?

In a letter to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called on the agency to “take aggressive action” to prevent drone activity that could endanger commercial aircraft. “Numerous recent news stories have detailed the growing capability of ordinary citizens to launch and pilot sophisticated, sizeable devices that have flown into prohibited airspace, threatened privacy and peace of mind, and posed a serious risk to air travel,” Blumenthal wrote.”It is incumbent on your agency to use your enforcement powers to stop activity that could result in the horror and havoc of a downed passenger plane or similar tragedy.” There has been a sharp increase in the number drone sightings by pilots this year – more than 650 in the first seven months, compared to 238 in all of last year, The Hill reports. Meanwhile, the FAA is developing regulations and is under intense pressure to allow rapid expansion of commercial drone activity.