FAA considers tracking nearly every model of drones

The Federal Aviation Administration is considering the requirement of nearly every drone to have a remote ID system. This comes as there have been a number of crashes involving planes and news helicopters.

Andrew Kobza is a person who flies these products for a living. He uses drones to monitor construction progress and inspections. Kobza, the owner of Naples Drone Solutions and the Florida Aerial Survey Technologies, said flying a drone “is more about keeping our airspace safe” by doing it in the right way.

As the FAA is proposing rules allowing it to track the location of nearly all drones in U.S. airspace – it will not track drones under 0.55 pounds – Kobza sees the pros and cons.

“Having a more transparent process for drones in general is excellent,” Kobza said. “It opens up the market for big players like Amazon and Google to finally start doing their deliveries. But at the same time, it imposes restrictions on drone pilots of smaller companies.”

Through the use of “remote identification technology,” the FAA, law enforcement and federal security could spot drones in their jurisdiction. Kobza told WINK News, a lot of people “fly where they shouldn’t be.” He adds: “breaking the altitude lock on one of these is as easy as flipping a switch in my settings.”

There is a 60-day public comment, likely starting on Tuesday before the requirement becomes law or is withdrawn. Overall, Kobza believes the pros outweigh the cons. If adopted, the rules proposed by the government agency could make the sky safer for everyone.

“It will deter people like, you know, that are inexperienced a little bit,” Kobza said. “But I think it would ultimately purify the kind of person that would get into it, someone that’s really serious about it.”