FAA: Drone sightings near airports continue to rise

The number of drone sightings near the nation’s airports — often within view of pilots coming in for landings — continues to rise despite efforts to combat the safety threat, the Federal Aviation Administration says.

Reports of drones in the skies around airports and other restricted zones more than tripled last December and January, compared to the same period in 2014-15, according to FAA data released Friday.

There were a total of 170 sightings in the most recent reporting period, compared to 48 a year ago, the data shows.

“There is still an upward trend in the number of these events,” said Arthur Holland Michel, co-director of the Center for the Study of the Drone at upstate Bard College, which is examining the data.

Holland Michel said the latest sightings continue to reflect illegal operation of the remote-control, camera-equipped devices, including “close encounters with all types of aircraft, many of which have occurred at high altitudes or in proximity to airports.”

FAA rules prohibit flying drones above 400 feet or within five miles of an airport, but reports of those incidents abound. On New Year’s Day, a private pilot flying a Cessna near Long Island MacArthur Airport saw a drone pass 10 to 15 feet below him while at an altitude of 2,900 feet.

Between Aug. 21, 2015 and Jan. 31, the FAA reported 582 drone sightings, many of which qualify as close encounters.

There were 59 sightings in New York State, including six near MacArthur, one near Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, and another near Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach. About 15 sightings occurred within five miles of LaGuardia Airport and about 15 took place within five miles of Kennedy Airport, according to the data.

A number of close calls have called attention to the potential for a midair collision, prompting the FAA to launch public education efforts and take safety measures. The agency now requires people to register recreational drones, and more than 400,000 have been registered since December, records show.

Those efforts might not be keeping up with the popularity of the devices, however.

The FAA’s latest 20-year aviation forecast released last week predicts sales of hobby drones will jump from 1.9 million this year to 4.3 million by 2020. Commercial drone sales are also expected to grow, from 600,000 to 2.7 million.

“Yes, 400,000 people have registered drones with the FAA, but the number of drone users is increasing . . . at a very significant pace,” Holland Michel said.

“It’s thought that around 1 million drones were sold in the United States in the 2015-16 holiday season alone,” he said, “and so that means there are still a large number of drone users who have not necessarily registered with the FAA and who may not be aware of some of these restrictions.”