The Bad News
A drone being flown by remote control by an amateur crashed into a skyscraper in Manhattan, reeled to the sidewalk below, and struck a man.
Worried tourists atop the Seattle Space Needle called police when a drone buzzed the Needle and then returned to a nearby hotel.
This article reports that a groom was hit with a flying UAV at his wedding, and one crashed into spectators at a sporting event.
Motherboard.com reports that the DJI Phantom, the most popular commercially available drone, is a “magnet for reckless pilots.” Author Jason Koebler asks, “How, exactly, do you get people to not fly these things like a bunch of idiots?”
What would happen if a UAV got into an airport’s airspace? It wouldn’t be pretty.
Lest you think drone accidents only occur with amateurs, take a look at this map of the world that shows the sites of drone accidents by amateur, professional, and military users.
Drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are becoming popular. In fact, you can buy one on Amazon for around $500. And they aren’t always about accidents.
The Good News
Farmers can check their crops with them; also, drones can monitor wildlife, transport medicine, and supply WIFI service to rescue workers in remote areas, according to uavcoach.com. And a drone is being developed by three hardy young scientists to chase storms and fly into tornadoes in an effort to understand them better.
Of course, all this talk of UAVs or drones brings up issues of privacy, but we’ll save that for another prompt.
Now it’s your turn: Do you think that a drone’s usefulness outweighs its potential for accidents? Should they be regulated or licensed to prevent more accidents? Should they be allowed to fly in crowded areas? Write your opinion in a paragraph. Use one or two solid reasons why you hold this view.
If you could use a drone for anything, what would you use it for? Write a paragraph or two to give your opinion. Use one or two solid reasons why you hold this view.
