FAA proposes record fine for drone company

It’s increasingly common to see unmanned drones flying overhead. But this week federal regulators sent a chill through the drone industry with what would be a record-setting fine for violations of air space rules.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed a $1.9 million fine against the drone company SkyPan, for the company’s flights in high-use airspace in New York and Chicago, according to the Washington Post. SkyPan cameras record the landscape primarily for developers who want an aerial view in planning construction projects.

The FAA says that at least 65 SkyPan flights over the two cities between March 2012 and December 2014 violated federal rules, including flying without air traffic control approval, failing to have required radio and other equipment, and failing to have required registrations and other paperwork.

The company’s flights, the agency charged, were careless and “endanger(ed) lives or property.” Drone sightings are increasingly common: in 2014, just 288 drones were reported, mostly by pilots. This year there have already been more than 900 such sightings.

The FAA’s most serious concern, especially with flights in crowded air space in major cities, is that drones will disrupt commercial airliners. A U.S. House subcommittee on aviation heard testimony from the FAA and others at a hearing this week on the safety of drone flights.