The rapid rise of incidents involving UAV use prompted this
quick regulation change in NZ. NZ has seen drone incidents go from 1 in 2011 to 27 last year and 53 already this year.
Those irresponsible owners have screwed over what are likely hundreds of responsible pilots.
The thing is, so many people argue about the FAA guidelines being guidelines and not regulations. So they push and push and they post video after video of out of LOS and high altitude operation. They don't give a rats *** if their bragging affects others in the future because it's all about THEM and RIGHT NOW.
I even had one owner tell me that since the FAA has to go through Congress, any changes would take years to implement. So basically, he said screw it, he will fly as he wishes until forced not to.
Those same irresponsible operators will be among the first to complain about this hobby being over-regulated once those changes hit the books. Never admitting their own habits led to those changes.
Does anyone know if a central database is kept either by the government or, by another entity, that tracks actual drone incidents here in the U.S.? I think it would be interesting, also, if NZ has a database which gives a brief description of each of the 53 drone incidents mentioned in the above link.