After a pilot departing Airport in the Sky nearly hit a drone, the Conservancy is putting new restrictions in place across its lands.
A near collision between a small plane and a drone near Airport in the Sky has prompted the Catalina Island Conservancy to ban launching, landing or operating drones on its lands without prior written authorization. The new policy applies across the 42,000 acres managed by the Conservancy, or about 88% of Catalina Island.
About the incident
On the afternoon of May 19, the pilot of a Cessna 182 was flying southwest of Airport in the Sky at about 3,000 feet when a drone appeared in the plane’s flight path. The pilot had to act quickly to avoid a midair collision.
“Even a small bird can cause significant damage when it strikes an aircraft,” said Carl True, airport operations manager. “With a drone, and at the speeds these aircraft are traveling, a collision could cause severe damage and put everyone on board at risk.”
Conservancy rangers responding to the incident later spotted a drone descending toward Goat Harbor. Based on its location and flight path, they believe it may have been launched from a boat offshore.
It was not the first time drones have been reported in the airspace above Catalina. Similar encounters have occurred in years past, but the May incident underscored how quickly drone activity can create a serious and life-threatening aviation hazard.
A National Park-Style Approach
Airport in the Sky is unusual among U.S. airports. Rather than a city, county or airport authority, it’s owned and operated by the Conservancy, a nonprofit that also manages the surrounding wildlands.
The Conservancy’s new policy prohibits launching, landing or operating any drone on Conservancy lands, regardless of size or weight, for recreational or commercial use without prior written authorization, which is granted only in limited circumstances.
The approach is modeled after National Park Service restrictions on unmanned aircraft and is intended to protect aviation safety, native wildlife, sensitive habitat and the visitor experience. The policy allows for limited authorized uses, including scientific research and habitat monitoring, commercial filming under permit, Conservancy land-management operations, emergency response and utility work. Authorized operations require advance approval and must follow restrictions on altitude, proximity to people and wildlife, daylight operations and flights near Airport in the Sky.
Why it matters
“This incident showed that drones in the wrong place can become a serious safety issue,” said Pepe Barton, the Conservancy’s director of communications. “We have a duty to keep the airspace over Catalina safe and to protect the native wildlife and habitat below it. A stray drone threatens both.”
Drones can also interfere with critical flight operations over Conservancy lands, including search-and-rescue, medical transport and fire suppression. As the Conservancy conducts more of its own authorized drone flights for Operation Protect Catalina Island, its long-term restoration project, keeping unauthorized drones out of that shared airspace becomes even more important.
What the policy allows
The policy does not restrict drone operations conducted entirely from, on and over privately owned property within or adjacent to Conservancy boundaries, provided the operator has the property owner’s permission. Because of aviation safety concerns, the Conservancy also requests advance coordination with Airport in the Sky staff for private-land flights within three miles of the airport.
The FAA continues to regulate the national airspace, and all drone operators remain responsible for following federal aviation requirements and other applicable laws. Low-altitude, repeated or intrusive flights may violate laws concerning trespass, nuisance, privacy or wildlife disturbance when they substantially interfere with property use or cause other prohibited impacts.
Enforcement and detection
Visitors will begin seeing changes on the landscape. New signs explaining the drone restrictions will be posted across the interior of the Island.
The Conservancy is backing up the policy with an investment in aviation safety by adding drone-detection technology at the airport. This technology can detect drone activity and use federally required Remote ID broadcasts, when available, to provide information that can assist staff and authorities with investigating unauthorized flights.
Conservancy rangers may direct people launching, landing or operating drones from Conservancy lands without authorization to cease operating and leave the area.. Violations may also result in warnings, loss of access to Conservancy land or referral to the FAA, California Department of Fish and Wildlife or Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. The Conservancy may also seek to recover the cost of any damage to Conservancy resources.
Questions about the policy can be directed to co************@*****************cy.org.