OAKLAND, Maine — Drones are flooding hundreds of retail stores in Maine to become one of the most sought-after gifts during this year's holiday season.
Drones take the form of a variety of model aircraft. But because of a few near misses between drones and actual passenger planes, the Federal Aviation Administration now wants them to be registered. That's raising concerns among hobbyists about what they view as increased government intrusion into a mostly benign pastime.
Don't make the mistake of calling the model aircraft Kevin Purnell sells a "drone." The owner of Granite Leisure in Oakland says the word conjures up espionage, which has nothing remotely to do with the pursuits of model aviators in Maine.
Purnell and other enthusiasts prefer to call them multirotor radio-controlled aircraft, and lately, he's been having a hard time keeping a lot of them them stocked on his shelves. Models like the UDI Lark FPV camera-equipped quadcopter, for example.
"This one here for example has a screen that's right on so that you can see it," Purnell says. "We have other ones that if you have a phone or a tablet you can use those on as well."
Purnell frequently advises new customers about the safe operation of the model aircraft, and effective this week, that includes informing them about a new FAA regulation to register their models with the federal agency by Feb. 19. The rule applies to the models the government classifies as UAS, or unmanned aircraft systems, weighing between 8.8 ounces and 55 pounds.
Purnell says there have been concerns about possible FAA intervention for years as the hobby continues to become more affordable and technically advanced. But when a multicopter crashed on the grounds of the White House in January, he knew that would trigger a response.
While Purnell questions the latest FAA approach, he doesn't disagree about the potential for abuse posed by reckless operators.
"I think something needs to be done," Purnell says. "I don't know if they need to go about it this way. But I think that what they're trying to accomplish is safety and they want to make sure that you don't have these things near the airports because now you're putting people's lives at risk. And I get that, I understand that. I just don't know as though this is the best way to do that."
Neither does Dan Dubord, a Waterville attorney and model aircraft hobbyist, who worries that the sales of multirotors are moving from the more responsible showrooms of shops like Purnell's and into chain retail stores, where sales staff have little or no experience in model aviation. That means more sales, and potentially, more multirotors in the hands of kids who may not fully grasp how quickly things can go wrong.
"It's public education and unfortunately, the government is going to have to stuff it down a lot of people's throats before they buy into the fact that they just can't fly these things recklessly over anyplace — these things can kill people," Dubord says.
Purnell and Dubord say they understand that the FAA's requirement to place an assigned numbered decal on their multirotors or model radio-controlled airplanes will help authorities identify the UAS owners. But they also argue the rule will do little to discourage those who want to fly their aircraft where it shouldn't be flown, saying those reckless owners will simply take the numbers off their models.
Worse yet, says Steve Girard, a multirotor owner from Gorham, what's to stop an irresponsible hobbyist from implicating a responsible one?
"If somebody actually saw my number I had registered with the FAA and they copied my number and put it on their quadcopter and then go and do something stupid, now does the FAA go after me or after the guy who stole my number?" he says. "We don't know. So there's a lot of things up in the air right now."
One of the things that the FAA is clear about is that the agency does not want any UAS models in the air that aren't registered. Kathleen Bergen, communications manager at the FAA, says hundreds of thousands of the model flying devices will be sold this month and that the registration provides an opportunity for the agency to educate new hobbyists to what is expected of them — and what could happen to those who violate the rules.
"Our main goal is to encourage voluntary registration and voluntary compliance with all regulations," she says. "However, when we find violations of the regulations, the agency can take enforcement action."
Depending on the circumstances associated with a failure to register violation, the FAA may assess civil penalties up to $27,500. Criminal penalties include fines of up to $250,000 and-or imprisonment for up to three years. Further information on the rule can be found at the FAA's website.