FAA chief: Threat of drone, airplane collisions a ‘serious concern’

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said he is concerned about the threat unmanned aerial systems – drones – colliding with commercial aircraft.

{mosads}“That is certainly a serious concern,” FAA Administrator Michael Huerta told CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday

He added that the FAA is working to make sure “any aircraft does not come into conflict with one another.”

Records released last week show 25 incidents in which drones came close to hitting commercial aircraft in the past six months.

Huerta said drones have “great potential,” such as use of surveillance of power lines.

But, he warned operators should not fly their aircraft higher than 400 feet, stay away from airports and “maintain line of sight.”

He said the FAA needs to do a better job of educating people as the technology evolves, adding “regulation is evolving with it.”

Huerta said his agency had enforced “hundred of cases “ in which operators were flying their aircraft “carelessly and wrecklessly.”

Last week, a bipartisan group of senators sent a letter to Huerta demanding his agency “streamline” its process for permitting UAS operators to test their aircraft.

The FAA has created six test sites to study the safety of drones and has until September, 2015 to issue a strategy to integrate the aircrafts into U.S. airspace.

Huerta said the agency is trying to strike a balance between commercial operators, who want to use drones to boost their business, and traditional pilots, who are concerned about seeing the new aircraft.

He told ABC’s “This Week” that the FAA expects to solicit comments on a rule for small unmanned aircraft, those weighing are under 55 pounds, later this year.

Huerta declined to speculate on what the final agency rule would look like, saying only that it will consider “the full scope of activities, the certification of the aircraft, the qualifications of the operator and the sorts of uses all with the goal of maintaining a safe system.”

–This report was updated at 1:27 p.m.