Drone Supporters Make Their Case as Ocean City Council Considers Ban

When Totowa hobby shop owner Christian Loran initially learned Ocean City Council was considering an ordinance to ban the use of drones in airspace within five miles of the Ocean City Airport, it hit home for him.

“I saw there was a possible ban on drones, and it’s right here in New Jersey, said Loran, the owner of cinemaflight.com and njdronestore.com.

He and Eric Goldstein, a leader of the New Jersey Drone User Group, argue that fear from people about the possible invasion of privacy issues and weaponized drones are born out of misinformation and the media blowing negative incidents involving drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems or quad, out of proportion. They argue that education about drones, not a ban, is what is needed at this time.

“The media always walks in on these one in a billion incidents,” Goldstein said. “I read about the kid who weaponized a drone, but all he really did was strap a gun to a helicopter. I could weaponize my car or my bike.

“There was the guy who flew his quad onto the White House lawn at 3 a.m. That’s already a restricted area and the guy already surrendered, but the media wants to keep talking about it.”

Goldstein argued that a drone makes too much noise to sneak up on someone and spy on them without them knowing, and once they get over 300 feet in the air, it’s not possible to see anything. They said it would be easier to spy on someone using a zoom lens on a camera than by using a drone.

They also said an average drone can fly for 10-15 minutes, with a range of 500 feet to a mile, at best.

“Once you get past that, you risk losing them,” Goldstein said.

“Little kids love them and they take them home and fly them inside and they never enter the airspace in question,” Loran said. “But I have people who come into my store and ask me ‘Are these things legal?’ People need to learn about the more positive uses they have.”

Loran said that children who own drones learn how to fly them and repair them. They can also be used for photography and have many potential scientific benefits, they argued.

Ocean City Mayor Jay Gillian brought the ordinance before council on Oct. 22. The legislation doesn’t make owning a drone illegal, but it does ban their use outside.

Councilmen Michael DeVlieger and Anthony Wilson were cautious of banning their use outright, and Councilman Peter Guinosso thought the ordinance should be expanded.

The public hearing and final consideration is scheduled for Thursday night, 7 p.m. at city hall.

The Federal Aviation Administration has a set of guidelines concerning drones, but no concrete legislation. More definitive legislation, particularly when it comes to registration, is expected soon, prior to the beginning of the holiday shopping season.

Congressman Frank LoBiondo, a member of the Congressional Unmanned Systems Caucus, recently gave his input on the issue of drone registration.

Ocean City resident Steven Fenichel has been a vocal opponent of drone use.

A recent analysis by the Academy of Model Aeronautics published on modelaircraft.org tackled what looks to be misconceptions about drones, including:

• most serious incidents involving drones, including two crashes, involved government-authorized military drones, as opposed to a drone owned by a private citizen and purchased in a store;
• most sightings are not “close calls,” as they are often termed; and
• some of those sightings were within the FAA’s current recreational guidelines.

Goldstein and Loran recognize that regulations are needed, but also believe more education is needed.

Drones are classified in four sizes: mini, small, mid-sized and big. Goldstein and Loran argue they aren’t dangerous, as long as the person flying them is properly educated.

“If someone comes into my store, and they want to buy one of the bigger drones, first thing I ask them is if they’ve ever flown one before,” Loran said. “If they say no, I turn them down and direct them toward a smaller one.”

They said that a drone that falls out of the sky could hurt someone if it landed on them, but one way to avoid that is to be smart about flying them.

“It could leave a scar, but you’re not going to be mortally wounded,” Goldstein said. “Quads have killed zero people worldwide.”

They also had a suggestion for how to avoid the situation altogether.

“Don’t fly over a large crowd of people,” Goldstein said. “We have enough people out there who are using them the right way, we just need to get the word out so people can understand what they’re capable of.”

Goldstein is the leader of a New Jersey Drone User Group that has over 100 members. It is part of a network that features over 8,000 people nationwide.

Goldstein and Loran said they all want to enjoy their hobby in peace.

It’s an argument that arises every time new technology is introduced. Striking a balance between rights and safety is the cornerstone of every argument from gun control to Internet use, and now the argument has expanded to drones.

For many, it’s an argument that hits close to home, and it looks to be far from over.

A video of a demonstration of the Drone DJI Phantom Quadcopter With GoPro Hero 3 Demonstration on the Beach is attached to this post.