ROCKINGHAM — Drones are flying off the shelves this season as two of the top 10 Christmas gifts of 2016 for kids, according to Amazon.com, are whizzing, whirling, hovering quadcopters.

With a price range starting below $40 and soaring over $1,000, there seems to be a drone for everyone’s budget. Some of the flying devices are as small as a penny, while others are large — and some have built-in cameras.

Recreational hobbyists have used drones for the past few years, but they are not only toys. The North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles Aviation Division refers to them as unmanned aircraft systems, and regulates their use according to Federal Aviation Administration laws. Their users are called pilots, and all drones must be registered with the FAA.

Currently, UAS have three types of pilots: commercial, governmental and recreational.

Kenneth Robinette — chairman of the Richmond County Board of Commissioners, as well as asset manager and chief operating officer of Tri City, Inc. — said he has utilized camera drones for business and governmental purposes.

“We use ours at the (Richmond Plaza) shopping center for aerial photography, and we do the same thing with the industrial park with the county,” he said. “We used to have to hire somebody to do aerial photos for us, and now we just fly over and can do that ourselves. It really comes in handy when we have a potential client. Neil (Robinette) has all the background material, all the demographics. He shows the aerial photo of the site, so it kind of gives the person who’s not familiar with Richmond County an idea of what’s out there. When you get up around 800 or 900 feet, it gives you a very good view of what’s out there.”

Robinette added that camera-equipped drones allow people to view the roofs of buildings in the area, see the property lines and the surrounding topography.

“You register them,” he continued. “I actually took at class at Richmond Community College. They had a drone certification class. They tell you how far you can fly them, and you have to kind of do a flight plan showing where you’re flying it and how high you’re flying it. It’s basically just good common sense.”

According to Robinette, one way to look at piloting a drone is to compare it with driving a four-wheeler.

“You’d have to practice it,” he explained. “It’s like anything else. If you had a four-wheeler, you wouldn’t just take off driving it without practicing first, learning to drive. I practice mine behind my house, because it’s really open out there.”

“Flying a drone is thrilling and fun, but it can also be dangerous if not used responsibly,” NCDOT Aviation Division Director Bobby Walston said in a press release. “These guidelines help ensure the safety of people in the air and on the ground while enjoying this activity.”

The guidelines, also available on the Web at www.ncdot.gov/aviation/uas/, are:

• Always fly below an altitude of 400 feet and fly within your direct line of sight.

• Do not fly within five miles of an airport, near stadiums or other public events, or for compensation.

• Do not fly drones that weigh more than 55 pounds.

• Do not fly at night, even if your drone is equipped with lights.

• Do take lessons before flying.

Chris Gibson UAS Program Manager for the NCDOT Aviation Division, said of the three classifications of pilots, only commercial and government users must be licensed by the FAA.

“Recreational pilots do not have to be licensed or permitted by North Carolina,” Gibson said. “However, they are subject to the safety rules and laws of the state.”

Asked how recreational pilots can educate themselves on the laws, Gibson said the internet is a helpful resource.

“There’s definitely a couple of ways to do it,” he said. “There’s an FAA site, ‘Know Before You Fly.’ We also have it on our site. The best way would be for the recreational user to go on our site and take the knowledge test. The study guide for the test and the test itself have all the information. There is no charge to take that test.”

Beyond that, there is one step recreational pilots must take before they can legally operate their drones outdoors.

“They are required by the FAA to register their drones,” Gibson said. “There is a website, registermyuas.faa.gov, and they go right on there, and they just need to choose whether they want to register as a commercial or recreational user. If they select recreational user, they will get a number from the FAA that they can put right on their drone. If commercial, they have to actually give the serial number for the drone.”

In either case, Gibson said there is a fee for registration.

“It’s about five dollars,” he said. “It’s a very streamlined process. The intent is to get people to comply, not to make it so difficult that they try to get around it.”

Asked what advice he would offer to kids of all ages who receive drones for Christmas, Gibson said knowledge is key.

“The most important thing is to understand that there are rules, and the rules are there to protect them and those around them,” he said. “They can find all that information on our website, and I encourage people to go there where they can learn what they need to learn.”

Reach reporter Melonie McLaurin at 910-817-2673 and follow her on Twitter @meloniemclaurin.

Courtesy photo Chad Osborne of Richmond County Schools pilots a drone, which must be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, even when used for recreational purposes.
https://www.laurinburgexchange.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/web1_drone.jpgCourtesy photo Chad Osborne of Richmond County Schools pilots a drone, which must be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, even when used for recreational purposes.
State encourages safety, feds require registration

By Melonie McLaurin

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