Three aviation associations are urging Congress to reverse the section of the 2012 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Modernization and Reform Act that limits FAA regulation of drone operations.
The section states that the FAA cannot regulate or apply rules to drones that are used for hobbies or recreation.
The Airlines for America, Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday.
“We strongly urge you to remove legislative restrictions that have been placed on the FAA that limit its safety oversight of UAS,” the letter said. “The likelihood that a drone will collide with an airline aircraft is increasing. By providing the FAA with the full authority to regulate all UAS operations, the safety of passenger and cargo flights will be protected.”
Recreation and hobby drones need to be regulated, the letter said, because drones have nearly collided with manned aircraft. This is because small drones are not required to be equipped with electronic anti-collision technologies.
The technology would allow flight crews to take evasive action, avoiding a collision, the letter said.
Recently an unidentified drone flew a few feet above a Frontier Airlines jet on its final approach to Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.