Just before Christmas, the Federal Aviation Administration unveiled the online registration process for people who own drones.
Jeff White, director of safety for HealthNet, thinks that is good timing. Over the past year or so, HealthNet helicopters have had several close calls with unmanned drones, he said.
In Morgantown, people were flying their drones over the helipad at Ruby Memorial Hospital. In Charleston, a drone was between 150 and 300 feet from a HealthNet helicopter near Yeager Bridge as the helicopter was trying to leave CAMC General Hospital.
"If it hits the aircraft, it could absolutely crash the aircraft," White said. "We consider them all close calls."
White wants to raise awareness of the FAA registration process, as well as safety guidelines, for those who found drones under their Christmas trees. He also wants to encourage drone owners to never fly near emergency responders.
Asked how registration improves safety, Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the FAA, said that drone operators are presented with safety information when they register.
"One of the benefits of the registration process is that it gives us the opportunity to educate unmanned aircraft operators about the safety regulations for flying in the national airspace system," she said.
She said the FAA also wants people to register so they can determine how many drones are being used in the country.
Bergen stressed that the FAA is encouraging voluntary registration when asked about penalties, but when pressed, pointed to the website, where it says the FAA may assess civil penalties up to $27,500, and that criminal penalties include fines up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.
Nationally, drones have been seen near airports as well.
Mike Plante, a spokesman for Yeager Airport, said the airport hasn't experienced any encounters with drones, but airport officials have been keeping an eye on the issue as drones grow in popularity, because most of the widely available drones don't contain transponders. Transponders would allow other aircraft to identify drones through radar.
He noted that with general, commercial and military aircraft, there are numerous training requirements, but with hobbyists flying drones, "there are no such requirements."
He also noted that some people use drones to take aerial photography, and the airport is a popular spot for photographers.
"You can imagine, well it'd be great to get pictures of aircraft, and that's all well and good until they get too close to an aircraft," he said. "Then that's a recipe for disaster."
While announcing that the website registration process was active, the FAA issued the following safety reminders:
n Fly below 400 feet altitude.
n Keep your unmanned aircraft in sight at all times.
n Never fly near manned aircraft, especially near airports.
n Never fly over groups of people, stadiums or sporting events.
n Never fly near emergency response efforts.
The FAA says hobbyists who fly unmanned aircraft are required to register at www.faa.gov/uas/registration no later than Feb. 19. For those who purchase drones after that date, they should register before the first flight.
The FAA charges $5 for the registration, but the fee will be refunded for people who register by Jan. 20.
The rule applies to those who fly drones between 0.55 pounds and 55 pounds.
Frequently asked questions can be found at www.faa.gov/uas/registration/faqs/.
Reach Erin Beck at erin.beck@wvgazettemail.com, 304-348-5163, facebook.com/erinbeckwv, or follow @erinbeckwv on Twitter.