Drones are a menace where RC airplanes were not. RC models are operated by aviation enthusiasts who are aware of airspace issues and generally keep their planes low and close.

Drone operators are an entirely different breed...in addition to being downright oblivious to airspace and manned aircraft safety, they often have incentives to break the rules or disregard safety.

Contrary to what congress and Obama thinks, they need more, not less regulation. The regulation probably needs automated features to avoid manned terminal airspace and stay low. The things are perfectly capable of using GPS and a simple database to stay out of congested manned airspace.

Alternatively you could have less-restricted ops for drones which are small, light, and soft enough not be a significant threat to aircraft. Technology should soon allow for very tiny drones to do most commercial missions except cargo delivery.

 

I disagree, I'd say the reason it was like that in the past was due to the barriers to getting an RC airplane. The expensive radios, the engines, the planes, etc. It was usually no small matter, and you had to be pretty careful, because it wasn't like you could go buy another one, you spent dozens of man-hours building the thing usually, if not more. Then ready-to-fly kits came out, then miniaturization of electronics, then high capacity batteries, and mass production, etc. Now, no need to be so careful when learning to fly. Now whether it's drones or R/C airplanes, the technology is so easy and cheap to produce, there are no barriers, where there use to be. Sure, the airplane takes a little more skill to fly, but the barriers and cost are not nearly what they were. I know of R/C airplanes creating real and direct hazards to aircraft, my own aircraft in fact. Said plane appeared to be a glider model at my altitude, possibly hooked up to goggles or a display. Drones may be more frequent, but I think the problem extends to R/C airplanes too.

 

RC aircraft and AMA membership came with a long "responsible use" guide that described basics of airspace (basically don't operate within 10 miles of airport and don't go over 500 ft). Not sure if the current drones have any such reading, but from the descriptors of some of the operators not sure it would do much good.

They don't seem to be the readin' type.

 

By the way in case it wasn't incredibly obvious I meant Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA)

Academy of Model Aeronautics

not American Medical Association. A small subgroup of non-pilots here are fascinated by my MD and frame all my posts in that regard. (They also aren't the readin' type.)

 

I used the past tense re. RC airplanes. You're right, the old-school RC airplane paradigm has morphed and expanded such that drones and RC airplanes really can't be treated separately at least not in the eyes of the law/regulators. Maybe make an exception for hand-built aircraft which have no advanced technology (ie no GPS or computer-aided flight control features).