Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/614916
ByJoanLowy The Associated Press WASHINGTON There has yet to be a confirmed U.S. collision between a drone and a manned aircraft, but there's a growing number of close calls as drones fly where they least belong — near airports. A report released Friday counted at least 241 reports of close encounters be- tween drones and manned aircraft that meet the Fed- eral Aviation Administra- tion's definition of a near- collision, including 28 inci- dents in which pilots had to veer out of the way. The analysis by Bard College's Center for the Study of the Drone found that 90 of the close drone encounters involved com- mercial jets. The FAA defines a near- collision as two aircraft fly- ing within 500 feet of each other. In 51 of the incidents studied, the drone-to-air- craft clearance was 50 feet or less, the report said. Most of the sightings occurred within 5 miles of an airport and at alti- tudes higher than 400 feet. Those are spaces in which the FAA prohibits drones from flying, raising ques- tions about the effective- ness of the rules. The cities with the most incidents were New York/ Newark, New Jersey, 86; Los Angeles, 39; Miami, 24; Chicago, 20; Boston, 20; San Jose, California, 19; Washington, 19; Atlanta, 17; Seattle, 17; San Diego, 14; Orlando, Florida, 13; Houston, 12; Portland, Ore- gon, 12; Dallas/Fort Worth, 11; and Denver, 10. The report is based on an analysis of government records detailing 921 inci- dents involving drones and manned aircraft between Dec. 17, 2013, and Sept. 12, 2015. Researchers cau- tioned that it's hard for pi- lots to judge their distance from another object when flying at high speeds. The majority of the in- cidents, 64 percent, were sightings of drones in the vicinity of other aircraft with no immediate threat of collision. The FAA has previously released data on reports of drone sightings, but the Bard report is the first com- prehensive analysis of the sightings by researchers outside the aviation com- munity. Its findings are likely to fuel more debate over how much of a threat drones are to manned air- craft as the government struggles with how to reap the benefits of unmanned aircraft without undermin- ing safety. Reports of drones flying where they aren't supposed to have increased dramati- cally. In May 2014, 10 inci- dents were reported to the FAA; in May of this year, there were 100 incidents. The FAA confirmed to the report's authors that the trend has continued, with 127 incidents in September and 137 incidents in Octo- ber. "It's hard to say if or when there might be a drone crash, but certainly we've seen an increase in the number of reports and an increase in the num- ber of close counters," said Dan Gettinger, co-director of the drone center. Government and in- dustry officials have ex- pressed concern that if a drone — much like a bird — is sucked into an aircraft engine, smashes a cockpit windshield or damages a critical aircraft surface area, it could cause an air crash. "With sufficient speed, bird strikes have been known to penetrate the cockpit," the report said. "It's entirely possible, then, that a drone could also break through into a cock- pit, potentially causing se- rious harm to the pilots or other occupants." Helicopter blades are considered especially vul- nerable. Thirty-eight of the near collisions identified by researchers involved heli- copters. Aircraft engine manu- facturers currently test the ability of engines to with- stand bird strikes by firing dead birds at the engines at high velocities. The FAA hasn't yet said when it will require engine makers to conduct tests with drones, but officials have unoffi- cially acknowledged they are working on the issue, the report said. The report cited re- search by engineers at Vir- ginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Virginia, that used data on bird strikes to create computer simu- lations of drones striking planes in order to identify the riskiest impact loca- tions. They concluded that hobby drones weighing be- tween 2 and 6 pounds "can potentially cause critical damage." The FAA is in the process of finalizing rules for the use of commercial drones weighing less than 55 pounds. The agency is also expected to shortly issue rules requiring the regis- tration of small drones, in- cluding those used by hob- byists, in an effort to help create a "culture of respon- sibility" among drone oper- ators. The agency is trying to get the registration rules in place before Christmas. CLOSE TO AIRPORTS Report cites 241 near-collisions between pilots and drones RICKBOWMER—THEASSOCIATEDPRESSFILE A drone is demonstrated in Brigham City, Utah. SUSAN WALSH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at the Republican Jewish Coalition Presidential Forum in Washington. By Steve Peoples and Emily Swanson The Associated Press WASHINGTON Most Amer- icans don't have much af- fection for Donald Trump. Even Republicans tend to think he's not so likable. But he's running for pres- ident, not for Mr. Congeni- ality. Trump is overwhelm- ingly viewed by Republi- can voters as decisive and competent. And that's what mattered most to Republi- cans surveyed in a new As- sociated Press-GfK poll. Nearly 6 in 10 Ameri- cans had an unfavorable view of the Republican presidential front-runner. That's the worst rating of any candidate in either party, a reminder that de- cisiveness alone might not be enough for Trump to prevail in the 2016 elec- tion if he becomes the GOP nominee. The poll was taken before Trump called for a ban on Muslims coming into the United States and does not reflect reactions to that statement. Among Republican reg- istered voters, nearly 6 in 10 offered a favorable opin- ion of Trump. But just 31 percent said he is at least somewhat compassionate. Only 43 percent found him at least somewhat likable. Yet 8 in 10 Republican voters, and 55 percent of all Americans, called Trump very or somewhat decisive. In short, he is seen as the most decisive candidate of either party — both by Re- publicans and by Ameri- cans at large. "I wouldn't give him a 10 on the compassionate scale," said poll respondent Lisa Barker, 55, of Worces- ter, Massachusetts, an unaf- filiated voter who says she's all in for Trump. "I'd prob- ably put him in the middle. But I love the fact that he's decisive." After rocketing to the front of the Republican pack in the race for pres- ident, Trump has stayed there for months with a brash approach that has captivated a healthy slice of the GOP electorate. People frustrated with the status quo appear to love his style — even when his policies draw wide- spread condemnation and his facts are wrong. Trump drew criticism from within his own party and from leaders around the world this week after calling for the ban on Muslims enter- ing the United States. In the new national sur- vey, three-quarters of Re- publicans said Trump would have a chance of winning the general elec- tion if nominated, signifi- cantly more than said so of any other GOP candidate. 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