California reported most drone near misses in US
California had the highest number of near misses in the air involving drones, with the airline industry again calling on the FAA to speed up planned regulation of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Commercial use of drones is banned, but hobbyists continue to fly, with an increasing number of incursions into commercial airspace, according to FAA data.
"It’s unacceptable, even one near-miss, if it was a little to the left or a little right, could have a created a larger problem. We need to address this," said Captain Moak, president of the Airline Pilots’ Association.
The FAA says 193 UAV sightings were reported in the US between January and November 2014.
California had 25 mid-air sightings by commercial pilots, including one that came close to hitting a plane 4,500 feet above Sausalito and another drone seen just a few hundred feet from the runway at San Jose Mineta International Airport.
Next was New York with 20 sightings and Florida with 17.
The FAA said it receives about 25 reports a month from sightings of either drones or model aircraft and in the most severe cases it says pilots have altered course to avoid a collision.
"The main issue is, you have seconds to react," said airline pilot Fred Robinson to NBC Bay Area.
"When you look at something that is, depending on the type, that’s maybe two feet in diameter and it weighs maybe two pounds, that’s hard to spot when you’re in the cockpit," said Robinson.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025
U.S.A. and Israel attacks on Iran impact air movements in the Gulf (Update 1.00pm CET)