Drones are becoming more prominent on college campuses across the globe every year. A lawsuit was filed against the Federal Aviation Administration classifying the administrations handling of the rise of drones as “a grave threat to science, research, education, and technological innovation across the United States.”

An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) commonly referred to as a “drone”, is a remotely piloted aircraft. Individuals who use these drones for hobby or recreational purposes are referred to as hobbyist drone users.

As of right now the current federal safety guidelines on hobbyist drone users include:

• Fly below 400 feet and remain clear of surrounding obstacles

• Keep the aircraft within visual line of sight at all times

• Remain well clear of and do not interfere with manned aircraft operations

• Don’t fly within 5 miles of an airport

• Don’t fly near people or stadiums

• Don’t fly an aircraft that weighs more than 55 pounds

• Don’t be careless or reckless with your unmanned aircraft

As technology is becoming cheaper and more readily available to the public the use of drones have increased dramatically.

DJI is the current leading distributor of hobbyist drones in the United States. DJI has created a mandatory firmware update that will help customers comply with FAA guidelines.

DJI plans to update this no-fly zone firmware as new restricted areas are created.

According to Sgt. James Johnson from Campus Safety the University of Denver does not currently have any drone regulations for its campus.

Johnson’s biggest concern with the increasing drone use on campus is having drones looking into private windows as well as using them for counter intelligence.

Keenan Grady is a current student at the University of Denver who owns and operates a drone.

He uses his drone for taking personal photos as well as shooting for his company Lioneye Aerials.

The University of Denver already uses drones in the Engineering program, the remote sensing program, and the Geography department according to Grady.

University of Denver’s Lacrosse team also uses a drone routinely in their practices says Sgt. Johnson.

Dan Murphy, a commercial drone operator, uses his drone for marketing footage for his real estate company Team Murphy Realty.

He creates active livings videos that produce feelings of knowledge and comfort for future owners.

By creating these videos Murphy opens up a whole new form of marketing. Using drones to create a full 360-degree experience for future customers.

Universities such as MIT, University of South Florida, and Bard College have been using drones to enhance their academic life.

This includes Drone-led tour guides, being able to check a drone out from the university library and creating courses for drone research.

Academic research for drone technology is currently in development at academic institutions across the world. This research is bridging gaps in the science world and revolutionizing technology as we know it today.

If you would like to know more about drone regulations in your state you can visit the FAA website or Drone-Laws.com for more information.