Too close for comfort

In the wake of three recent incidents at John F. Kennedy International Airport involving civilian drones — two on Nov. 16 and one on Nov. 19 — Sen. Charles Schumer has called on the Federal Aviation Administration and the Office of Management and Budget to enact new drone regulations.

The Nov. 19 incident involved a JetBlue flight from Savannah, Ga. The pilot reported spotting a drone when both aircraft were about two miles from the runway. On Nov. 16, authorities say, a Virgin Atlantic flight from London reported a drone sighting while the jet was flying at 3,000 feet. Also that day, a Delta flight from San Diego reported a drone near one of its wings.

According to Schumer, federal bureaucracy has stood in the way of drone rules, and the FAA and OMB need to establish new regulations to keep airspace safe. “With the three recent incidents …, it’s clear that commercial drone use has crossed over from unregulated to potentially deadly,” he said in a prepared statement. “Drones are an important technology for business, law enforcement, agriculture and more, but the lack of clear rules about small drones, the difference between commercial and a hobby drone, and how and where they can be used, is creating a serious threat to New Yorkers’ safety.”

The Town-Village Aircraft Safety and Noise Abatement Committee’s executive director, Kendall Lampkin, expressed interest in Schumer’s push for controls on drones. “I think it is full of good intention and great ideas,” he said. “There is something to his request for drone regulation, as I think it is a matter of time before something more serious could happen in one of the busiest airspaces in the world. This is scary.”

TVASNAC is a Town of Hempstead organization focused on ensuring that aircraft noise is at a safe level for residents. Its members include representatives from several villages near JFK.