“I wasn’t going to fly a toy and lose my ticket. I’ve been flying 35 years and have never gotten a violation and always followed the regs. Why would I jeopardize my livelihood?” Why, indeed? So reasoned Bob Howie, Gulfstream V captain at a Houston charter/management company, when he purchased a couple of DJI Phantom Pro 3 drones and contemplated starting a commercial operation. What attracted him to the small UASs that seem to have burgeoned overnight was a lifelong love affair with model aircraft.

Registration may identify some small drone operators, but it won’t keep those intent on mischief, terrorism or just plain stupidity from flying their UASs irresponsibly, illegally, or even malevolently.

Modesto, California, resident Tom Davis’s background includes 25 years as a scientific programmer during which he developed software apps and performed software engineering for high-speed computer systems. Having been raised on a farm in California’s Central Valley, he also was familiar with mechanized agriculture. And since his father had been an air traffic controller and flight instructor, this spawned an interest in aviation.