A new study released by Aero Kinetics Aviation, LLC explores the hazard created when a toy drone is involved in a collision with a conventional airplane or helicopter. Aero Kinetics, an Aerospace and Defense firm released a study entitled “The Real Consequences of Flying Toy Drones in the National Airspace System.” Their conclusion was that toy drones do cause a threat to manned aircraft and especially to manned rotorcraft in all phases of flight.

In order to understand the potential for damage, drone collisions are compared to Bird Strikes. The FAA has done considerable research on Bird Strikes and realizes that catastrophic damage can be done to manned aircraft and even cause loss of life. Estimates are that Bird Strikes cost $951 million per year in the United States alone. In 2013 alone, four hundred forty-four Bird Strikes resulted in damage to manned aircraft in the National Airspace System (NAS). 

Impacts with a bird, an animal that consists of more than 50% water can be catastrophic to manned aircraft. The drones are made of solid plastics, batteries and metal which cause greater damage compared to bird flesh according to the study.

The Aero Kinetics study stated that it is a common misconception that Toy Drones are the same as Unmanned Aircraft but they are not designed or built to the same aerospace standards. In addition, they are a hazard to operators and bystanders and require no significant training to operate. The rapid growth in the number of Toy Drones make a collision between a manned aircraft and a drone inevitable.

Aero Kinetics believes that the solution should be focused on public education, additional testing, dedicated operating areas, air-traffic separation, and airworthiness certification. Equipping drones with ADS-B could be another aid in tracking the location where the drone is flying. The bottom line is that much more research is needed in order for drones to safely share the NAS with manned aircraft.