Drones have become a major security threat near airports, where they are unrecognizable by pilots, according to a new study by US researchers.
According to researchers at Oklahoma State University and Embry Riddle University of Civil Aviation in Daytona Beach, Florida, in just three of a total of 22 cases, civil aviation pilots were able to see drones parked in mid-air at low altitude.
The flying object was seen somewhat better as it moved, with the number of aircraft the pilots could recognize as it moved to 12 out of a total of 40 cases, which also means 30% of cases.
The researchers published the results of their experiments in the current issue of the International Journal of Aerospace (IJAAA).
The pilots were able to identify the drones about 65 to 700 meters.
Even if they could see planes from the farthest distance, the researchers said, the time they would have to take the appropriate reaction would be minimal, especially when this remote-guided flying object moves towards the plane.
Ryan J. Wallace, of Embry-Riddle University, said there was an increase in cases where pilots were surprised by the presence of these remote-guided planes near them, and the numbers reported by the pilots were probably only the tip of the glacier.
Over the past years, there have been repeated alarms over the presence of drones near civilian airports, for example, temporarily halting work at London´s Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
Air traffic at Frankfurt International Airport, Germany, was briefly suspended due to the presence of these aircraft in the airport area.
According to the researchers, drones can cause civilian aircraft to crash, if they reach the engines of the aircraft.
