Editorial: Think safety as drones users join 'aviation community'

It is alarming enough that officials at Chicago Executive Airport in Wheeling recently found a downed drone near one of their runways. But there's more.

In her In Transit column this week, Daily Herald transportation writer Marni Pyke notes that more than 100 drone sightings occur near airports nationwide every month. The Federal Aviation Administration recorded seven close calls in the Chicago area in the three-month period at the end of last year.

And the potential for danger is only going to get worse. The FAA estimates Americans will purchase 2.3 million drones this year - and 13 million over the next three years. Clearly, drones are a hobby to be reckoned with on many levels, and one of the most urgent of those is the need to keep them away from airports.

As Pyke writes, that may at some point mean becoming more serious about requiring registration and training even for operators using drones merely as a hobby. Court rulings so far on this young pastime have upheld it as a hobby that can be kept distinct from the regulations imposed on users who operate drones for commercial reasons. Some operators are beginning to wonder whether that distinction is in the best interest of safety.

Arlington Heights photographer and drone owner Fred Pfeifer told Pyke he's come to believe strongly that registration "will help make it possible to create a culture of safety that deters careless and reckless behavior."

It's a notion worth close investigation.

Meanwhile, operators certainly must recognize the importance of abiding by rules already in place - including prohibitions against flying near airports, stadiums and groups of people.

"We don't need to be waiting for some closer call or for an aircraft to run into one of these things with its wing or engine or cockpit," said pilot Rob Mark, who handles Chicago Executive Airport communications. "We want people in the community to understand that they're all part of one big aviation community and we have to look out for each other."

That's a pretty expansive and inclusive approach to encouraging peaceful coexistence between tiny drones and huge commercial and private aircraft. One hopes drone operators will take it to heart. But one also knows that the sentiment is just a start. It has to be supported by action.

And that involves drone operators - whatever their motivation, whether for a commercial venture or just a bit of recreation on a pleasant Sunday afternoon - who understand that enjoying their craft assumes a great responsibility. As more and more people join that "aviation community," the potential for tragedy will surely increase. While we're searching for the right approach to minimize the danger, authorities must be vigilant in enforcing the rules that exist, and drone users must be conscientious about respecting them.