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Blumenthal seeking federal restrictions on drones

At 8:51 a.m., a white drone startled the pilot of a JetBlue flight, appearing off its left wing moments before it landed at Los Angeles international Airport. Laura Brown, an FAA spokeswoman, declined to comment on the reports obtained by The Post. One reason for the enforcement gap is that Congress in 2012 barred the FAA from regulating recreational drones.

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Several problems have been faced by the government in recent years.

Canada has even granted blanket approvals for people flying the smallest drones, weighing less than 4.4 pounds, according to the report.

The regulations also call for drone flights to be limited to daytime hours and conducted only by U.S. residents who are older than 17.

That technology, which Schumer says is already available and is supported by drone manufacturers, would work to prevent the remote-controlled aircraft from entering selected zones such as airports or other high-security areas.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – Philadelphia will be a no-drone zone when Pope Francis is in town.

With drones becoming more prevalent, they pose an issue that deserves attention, according to Davidson, the Smith Reynolds director. As of July 31, there were nearly ten reported near-misses involving drones and airplanes in the New York metro area, according to Schumer.

The previously unreported test, which ran into difficulty because of interference from nearby media broadcasts, was part of the nationwide development effort that includes the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Defense Department, the source said. “The U.S. aviation system is the safest in the world, and nothing is more important to us than the safety of our passengers, crew and aircraft”, she said in an e-mail.

The number of unauthorized drone flights has surged over the past year, raising concerns that one could hit a commercial aircraft during landing or take-off, or be used as a weapon in a deliberate attack, the sources said.

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Under the proposed Consumer Drone Safety Act, which Blumenthal is co-sponsoring with other Democratic senators, there would be restrictions on where, how and when recreational drones can be flown. Some, equipped with video cameras, can be purchased at hobby stores starting at about $500. Drone operators are also prohibited under the FAA proposal from conducting flights that take the devices out of their line of vision, which was a big blow to companies hat have touted the possibility of using the technology to conduct deliveries. For now, though, these disparate authorities may be engaged in a power struggle over who has the right to regulate the sky, and whose plan is most likely to be successful.

AP Newsbreak: Schumer seeks to mandate anti-drone technology