Drone sales soar, but many await finalized regulations

Consumer drones are a multimillion dollar industry. As the prices keep falling, some say regulations are needed now more than ever.

Enthusiasts say there’s something holding back the roles drones could have in everyday life.

Drones are taking off now more than ever, which creates opportunities for business and hobbyists.

“I picked up one of these Phanton III drones and I’ve been hooked ever since,” Kris Childress a drone pilot who recently launched Rocky Mountain Drones.

“I took plenty of pictures with my airplane,” he said. “With these things you can pop them up anywhere you want, and fly them.”

As a commercial pilot, he knows the ins and outs of flying and it’s that pilot’s license that allows him to operate his drone commercially.

“I understand the more seriousness of it, that it’s not a toy. So if they say I can only fly it so high, if I go above it, I’ll lose my pilot license,” he said.

With rising sales every year, there’s no question there’s an enthusiasm for drones. But with that enthusiasm, comes a concern over safety and security.

The Federal Aviation Administration reported 764 drone sightings near planes in 2015. That figure skyrocketed from 238 in 2014.

FAA rules forbid flying above 400 feet near commercial planes or airports.

Marcell Hirscher, an Italian world-class skier, barely escaped injury several months ago after a drone came crashing down just inches away. The fall was so rapid that drone broke into several pieces.

While commercial companies had tried to offer skiing vacation videos using drones to consumers, many resorts including Crested Butte prohibited drones from flying over slopes.

Drones have also been used to capture video locally – including a 1,000 acre fire in Teller County last April and a sinkhole that formed last summer in Colorado Springs.

Since we lost our air support program we’ve been looking at UAV’s,” said Lt. Dan Lofgren, who ran the police helicopter program with CSPD, until it ended in 2010.

He admits drones are appealing.

“They’re obviously desirable, you can get them for $500 to $15,000. Easily deployed,” Lofgren said.

The options would be constant – using drones to provide officers overhead views during crime scenes or to monitor traffic flow.

But the Department is hesitant to commit, because the FAA hasn’t completed its list of local regulation. Then there’s the issue of whether states would want to weigh in.

“We came real close, last year, to seeing the state decide we’d need a search warrant period,” Lofgren said. “That bill failed, but there’s nothing to say it won’t come back.”

And Lofgren believes the department would also need a waiver to purchase a drone and use it for police work.

Which means ultimately the rules, will decide how high drones can fly.