Drone regulation goes through Wild West stage

With annual spending on drones expected to double in the US to $11b over the next decade, regulators are still struggling to develop the needed regulation for the sector.

Pilots have reported seeing drones flying at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet marekuliasz

Philip McNamara, organised of the Drones Data X Conference Santa Cruz, said: 'Drones are in a bit of their Wild West period right now, but in the future they'll be used to transport people, medicine, goods; anything done on a highway will just as well be done by air.' Many different kinds of regulators will now be deciding how they respond to them. Richard Doolesh, a vice president of the National Recreation and Parks Association, says that national parks have banned drone use within them. He said: 'Drones are going to be everywhere and people who are managing outdoor land and outdoor recreation are pretty clueless right now about what it's going to take to effectively manage them....People travel long distances for peace and solitude.'

Drone investment

The Teal Group puts current US spend on drones at $6.4 billion a year and likely to double in annual terms over the next decade. The Drone Data conference, starting on Friday, will be told that some 90 per cent of venture capital going into the sector is coming from Silicon Valley. Source: State Journal

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