See drone safety tips for drone pilots from UF/IFAS researchers and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Drones are on the forefront of Ag artificial intelligence, or AI, with the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) being put to many uses. A Citrus Industry article points to the increase in drone usage to the increase in injuries caused by drones—an average of 1,000 injuries per year. It also shares drone safety tips from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a UF/ IFAS Extension document co-authored by UF/ IFAS researchers Yiannis Ampatzidis and Serap Gorucu. See the details below.

Drone Safety Tips

According to the article, there were approximately 1.7 million drones in the U.S. in 2020. “Drones can cause injuries because of their quick movements and because they include rotating parts, sharp blades and edges. It’s not just the drone users that can get hurt; it’s other people around the drone. They can lose some of their hearing,” Gorucu said in the article.

The FAA recommended the following drone safety tips:

  • Keep your drone within sight.
  • Do no fly a drone over people.
  • Fly during daylight.

Ampatzidis and Gorucu offered the following additional tips:

  • Keep your distance when taking off or landing a drone and keep at least 16 feet from all those surrounding the drone. When using drones around young children, be extra cautious.
  • Keep your fingers and other body parts away from a moving propeller.
  • Stay away from power lines: If a drone entangles with a power line, do not try to retrieve it.
  • Before you operate the drone, read the user manual to learn safe operation.

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