{"id":3388,"date":"2017-05-15T09:42:03","date_gmt":"2017-05-15T13:42:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/?p=3388"},"modified":"2017-05-15T09:42:03","modified_gmt":"2017-05-15T13:42:03","slug":"as-drone-sales-soar-vast-majority-of-reports-remain-simple-sightings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/amablog.modelaircraft.org\/amagov\/2017\/05\/15\/as-drone-sales-soar-vast-majority-of-reports-remain-simple-sightings\/","title":{"rendered":"As drone sales soar, vast majority of reports remain simple sightings"},"content":{"rendered":"

AMA\u2019s analysis also finds that some sightings appear to be users flying appropriately; \u201cdrone\u201d continues to be a catch-all term for any object in the sky <\/span><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

A new analysis released today by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) reviews the 1,270 new unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) sightings reported by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) earlier this year. AMA\u2019s analysis finds that the vast majority of these sightings are just that \u2013 sightings. Importantly, when releasing the latest data, the FAA specifically stated that no collision between civilian aircraft and a civilian drone operator has been confirmed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn comparison to the growing number of drone sales and operators, the total number of UAS reports in the FAA\u2019s data is just a small fraction,\u201d said Rich Hanson, President of AMA. \u201cSafety has always been our number one priority. That\u2019s why we\u2019re encouraged to see that most of the reports are mere drone sightings and do not appear to pose serious safety risks.\u201d<\/p>\n

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While the number of reports included in the FAA\u2019s latest data set increased, it covered a longer time period and occurred within the context of an increase in the number of people flying UAS. According to the Consumer Technology Association, drone sales reached 700,000 units<\/u><\/a> in 2015 and 2.4 million units<\/u><\/a> in 2016, an increase of 112 percent. And in late March 2017, the FAA announced that more than 770,000 UAS operators<\/u><\/a> have registered their drones with the FAA since the registration rule went into effect. The total number of drone sightings the FAA has reported \u2013 2,616 since August 2015 \u2013 only accounts for 0.34 percent of the total number of registered operators.<\/p>\n

Among the findings in AMA\u2019s new analysis of the FAA drone data:<\/p>\n