Industry sources estimate that 1 million drones will be sold this holiday season. Their increasing numbers has pilots concerned about their proper use, especially where they may interfere with aircraft operations. Even a very small drone can cause a catastrophic accident, if it collides with an airplane.
Locally, an education campaign is underway by California Pilots Association, Region One Director, Paul Osterman. This is being done in cooperation with Redding Airports Manager, Bryant Garrett, and Chapter 157 of the Experimental Aircraft Association. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which has sole jurisdiction over airspace in the United States, has issued guidelines for hobby and recreational use of unmanned aerial vehicles, including: flying no more than 400 feet high and not flying within five miles of an airport without contacting the airport operator and control tower before flying. As there are two airports in Redding, Redding Municipal Airport and Benton Airpark, this 5 mile radius includes most of the cities of Redding and Anderson.
A website, www.knowbeforeyoufly.org, is available with resources for drone owners. Also,
there are several local radio control model aircraft clubs, with designated flying areas, that
encourage drone operators to join them – NorCal Flyers on Ash Creek Road East of Anderson-Cottonwood, Anderson River Park Flyers, and Shasta Lake RCers in Shasta Lake. These clubs are sanctioned by the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA).
For more information, contact Paul Osterman at (530)-524-9580 or email: [email protected]
Other contacts:
Bryant Garrett, City of Redding Airports Manager: (530) 224-4321
Jim Bremer, President of Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) Chapter 157: (530) 524-5744
Drone operators wishing to fly anywhere inside the circles below are required by FAA regulation to contact Redding Airport Management (530-224-4321) prior to any flight, as well as the Air Traffic Control Tower for flights within 5 miles of the Redding Airport.
