By Hank Russell
After hearing reports of drones flying over Francis S. Gabreski Airport in Westhampton Beach, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) (pictured below left) and Sheriff Errol Toulon, Jr. (D) (pictured below right) held a press conference with elected officials to address this issue. They described how these drones pose a danger to the facility and the ramifications for flying these machines into restricted airspace.
“We’ve all heard about the rise of drone activity across the tri-state area,” Toulon said, “but what concerns us even more is the increase in unauthorized drone flights within the restricted air spaces, particularly near airports like Gabreski.”
Toulon said his agency has documented “multiple incidents” of drones flying “dangerously close” to Gabreski. He said incidents such as these violate the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) regulations. Those who violate these regulations could face local, state and federal civil and criminal penalties. That includes a prison sentence of up to three years and a fine of up to $250,000.
Those who fly a drone without proper registration can face civil penalties of up to $27,500, Toulon said. If a drone crashes onto a military facility, there will be civil and criminal penalties as well.
Toulon listed the following incidents:
- December 13 — one drone was sighted near Gabreski Airport
- December 17 — four drones were seen “in or around” the airport
- December 24 — six drones were spotted in the airspace
- December 25 — 17 drones were reported in the area,13 “hovering around the airspace” and three “outside the airspace”
To address these issues, Toulon announced that a drone detection system will be implemented at the airport. “Flying drones near an airport pose a risk to air traffic and public safety,” Toulon said. “They can not only disrupt the usual airport functions, but also the military operations that take place.”
Drones can also “be used maliciously,” Toulon added, “which can raise serious security and potential threats.” He also noted that these drones can unexpectedly fall out of the sky and land in the water, on top of people’s homes or on airport terminals. The reasons could be either the end of battery life or a loss of signal.
Holding up a small drone, Romaine said the ones that have been flying over the airport are “larger than this. Sometimes, it’s 20 times larger than this. Larger than a car.”
Romaine called these drone sightings “an ever-increasing problem.” In response, the county executive is asking the FAA to have the Federal Bureau of Investigation look into these drones that violate Gabreski’s air space. He said he wants both agencies to “step up to the plate and do their job.” This means “finding out who’s behind it and to prosecute, if necessary.”
He spoke out against shooting down these drones, saying doing so would pose a greater safety risk.
Legislator Ann Welker (D-Southampton) said a drone “is not a toy and should not be treated as such.”
County Comptroller John Kennedy (R-Nesconset) praised Romaine and Toulon for their “forward-thinking” approach when it comes to tackling the issue of illegal drone activity. He also emphasized the financial importance of protecting the airport.
“Not only is this a critical safety issue, but there are multiple millions of dollars of investment here,” Kennedy said. “Not only do we want to protect our military installation, our civilian and commercial aircraft, but we want to be proactive and protective on the considerable municipal investment that we have.”
Toulon told those in attendance that, if they know or see someone who is illegally flying a drone into restricted airspace, they should report that person to local law enforcement. He also emphasized that anyone who has received a drone as a holiday gift should register it immediately and learn the rules on where drones can and cannot be flown.
This article originally appeared in Long Island Life and Politics. For more from LILP, visit them online at lilifepolitics.com.
