Squabbles in the sky

Ashis Dutta Roy

That drones had really started worrying the powers that be more than ever was on display sometimes last year in a boring government briefing room in Arlington in the US state of Virginia.

Just days before a 400-dollar quadcopter landed on the White House grounds, the reasons why the mightiest country was unnerved lay on dark wood tables as exhibits for everyone to see.

A buffet of low-cost consumer drone models had been converted into simulated flying bombs. Among these were common models like DJI Phantom 2, strapped to 3 pounds of explosive.

Security snafu

Difficult to regulate and uncommonly easy to fashion, drones have increasingly grown into the bane of security agencies worldwide.

In 2014, just as the consumer drone fad was spreading over India, a Mumbai Pizza outlet decided to deliver a pie into the balcony of a high-rise as a publicity gimmick, posting the adventure in a video online.

The number of oohs and aahs it garnered was uncertain but it certainly stirred Mumbai Police into action and the pizzeria took a litany of questions. Consequently, the city has introduced some of the toughest rules for drones and these are all but forbidden baring some designated places.

But the threat of terror, in the shape of explosives or guns strapped to drones, is not the only problem bogging them down from an unrestrained take-off.

Privacy problem

The question of privacy perhaps fuels a fiercer debate involving the airborne gizmos. Just last month in Virginia, a 65-year-old woman took a shotgun and swatted a drone out her backyard making headlines everywhere and bringing the topic to the fore once again.

For now, laws in most countries worldwide do not recognise the concept of aerial trespass. Last year, a pilot in California, filed a lawsuit against a neighbour who shot down his drone and won.

Though historically, the air above a property was usually considered to be part of that property, in the 1950s, the US declared anything higher than 500 feet public airspace.

Those regulations were triggered in part by a 1946 Supreme Court case in which a chicken farmer sued the government to limit military flights over his property.

But even then, there is little clarity about airspace usage rights under 400 feet, the altitude limit for most small-drone operators.

A legal way

But that may change within a few weeks when a court in the States hears the case of a small town American roofer who took legal action against a neighbour for shooting down his drone.

The incident dates to July of last year when Kentucky’s William Merideth spotted a drone flying near his property and blew it to smithereens with his shotgun.

While Merideth’s neighbour, David Boggs has filed a claim for damages in Federal court, an unrepentant Merideth says it was hovering over his property and his daughter.

Regardless of the outcome of one of the most anticipated court cases at the intersection of technology and law, the debate over drones remains as controversial as it is exciting.

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First to fly

A host of organisations are waiting, teed only by apprehensions about law enforcement. Here are some that are waiting to take off when the good wind blows:

Amazon

The online shopping giant has been the most prolific in pushing for regulated use of drones. Their dream? Unmanned aerial package delivery. The company has expressed interest to deliver packets to doorsteps using flying robots in the US, UK and India.

Domino’s Pizza

Pizza from heaven may be a real thing if Domino’s has its way. 

Kaziranga National Park

India’s Kaziranga National Park has taken to testing drones to prevent rhino poaching. Their drones keep a watch in places difficult to access. The model may soon be replicated in other national parks.

News Media

BBC and Al Jazeera are among enterprising media outlets who have dappled into covering news events with drones — albeit to find themselves tangled in the hair of authorities at times.

DHL

Logistics firm DHL has also been working on drone deliveries using its own custom-made ‘Parcelcopter’.

EasyJet

Budget airline easyJet has begun testing the safety inspections of flights using drones.