Noise

Interesting article. I remember very well the days that followed 911 during which all non-military aircraft over the continental US were ordered grounded. At the time, I was working as a commercial pilot, and I had returned home from a 7-day rotation on Sept 10th...

Where I reside in southern CT, there is a large volume of jet traffic high overhead - with arrivals/departures in/out of Boston and the New York Metroplex - and the silence that defined those already surreal days following 911 could only be described as eerie. I will never forget it, especially the silence at night.

What I found most interesting, was that nobody recognized or noticed this silence consciously, but if we were sitting around outside at night and I mentioned it, everybody would suddenly say, "Yeahhhh", as if their 'ears' were opened for the very first time.

Now, there is a new noise that can be occasionally heard from the skies - in the form of drones. Is this bad? It doesn't physically hurt the ears, but maybe it can ruin a quiet moment in a natural setting while sightseeing. I wonder though, will there ever come a day when the absence of that drone sound could only be described as eerie? I say yes, this technology has only just begun, and it is unstoppable, the direction it is going.
 
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...this technology has only just begun, and it is unstoppable...
If it is unstoppable I think that it is capable of being regulated. Operators with libertarian tendencies who smugly claim that only the FAA can regulate UAVs will be surprised that jurisdictions at multiple levels can restrict UAVs on a wide variety of grounds, from public safety to noise to environmental and other concerns. UAV hobbyists are learning that homeowners do not want UAVs flying over their property. Whether such flights are illegal or not they cause ill will and in the Hipshooter States of America that means trouble. Unnecessary trouble. Further, this is a fairly expensive hobby—just read the number of Lost and Crashed threads here (crashed mine while photographing roof damage in high winds). As you say, this is new and it remains to be seen if this is a fad that will pass as so many others have done, leaving a small core of dedicated fliers like the model plane hobbyists, with designated flying fields such as the model plane enthusiasts. The video footage that I see on Youtube is already looking clichéd. There isn't much that I can do in the way of legal UAV photography that hasn't already been done.

My community, with my full support, is hoping to bar Amazon and all commercial concerns from flying UAVs in our vicinity on the grounds that they are a nuisance due to safety concerns, noise, and endangerment of wildlife, especially migratory birds here near the Chesapeake Bay. We also argue that they are an unnecessary gimmick and that traditional delivery methods work just fine. Our proposed local ban would not apply to utility companies inspecting wires or pipelines and it would not apply to recreational UAVs such as my Phantom 4 (which are already banned, as we are near BWI). It is my personal view that Amazon's plan is a contender for the "worst idea of the decade" award.
 
I am confident that regulations are coming. In my opinion, the FAA has been blindsided by the growth of the UAV industry. They are a very cautious organization - for good reason - and fairly slow and pensive when it comes to progression and change. Then, along came the UAV... Yes. It may be legal right now to hover over your neighbor's backyard at 100' because they have no ownership of the airspace above their home - other than that used for the ordinary comings and goings of daily life - but there is a huge, 'not rightness' about doing so, and I think that the majority of us can agree upon that.

I have read about Amazon's plans to perform UAV deliveries, and I don't see it as at all practical on many levels. On the other hand, when the concept of FedEx was presented in a College term paper prior to the advent of overnight shipping, the good professor scoffed at the idea citing demand and 'cost-vs-return' issues and serious impracticality. We all know how that turned out.
 

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