After a small plane recently avoided a collision with a drone over Catalina Island, a ban on drones has been put into place for most of the island.
The Catalina Conservancy announced on Tuesday, Sept. 8 it added new restrictions that bans the launching, landing and operating of unauthorized drones from the island or above the island. The ban applies across 42,000 acres managed by the Conservancy — or about 88% of Catalina Island.
Though drones in the airspace above the island have been reported in years past, the most recent incident underscored the seriousness of drones potentially affecting airplanes taking off and landing at the island’s Airport in the Sky, officials said.
On the afternoon of May 19, the pilot of a Cessna 182 flying southwest of the airport at about 3,000 feet suddenly saw the drone in its flight path. Acting quickly, the pilot avoided a midair collision, the Conservancy reported.
“Even a small bird can cause significant damage when it strikes an aircraft,” said Carl True, airport operations manager. “With a drone, and at the speeds these aircraft are traveling, a collision could cause severe damage and put everyone on board at risk.”
Although drones were already restricted within four miles of the Airport in the Sky, the Conservancy saw evidence that violators ignored that restriction.
“We regularly saw posted videos that were recorded well within that area,” said Pepe Barton, the Conservancy’s director of communications. “That raised concerns about compliance and the potential risks to pilots flying into the island.”
The idea of a more widespread ban — more unusual than what’s around small airports — came about after considering other tactics.
“We initially considered creating a permit system, but Catalina’s airport safety radius and sensitive habitats would have resulted in a confusing patchwork of areas where drones could and could not be used,” he explained. The island is home to rare plants and other indigenous species.
“A consistent policy across Conservancy lands provides the clearest and most effective way to protect pilots, visitors and wildlife,” Barton said in an emailed response.
The no-drones policy allows for some limited uses for scientific research and habitat monitoring, which is part of the Conservancy’s own land-management operations. Some limited uses are authorized, such as commercial filming, but these will need a permit in advance. Any permitted drone flights must follow restrictions on altitude, proximity to people and to wildlife, daylight operations and flights near the airport, and all FAA rules.
Drone flights for commercial or recreational use are prohibited without prior written authorization from the Conservancy, which manages the wildlands and operates the airport. The Conservancy said such authorizations will be granted in limited circumstances.
Any drone flights from private lands that are within a three-mile radius of the airport must be coordinated with the Airport in the Sky staff, the new policy says. Any flight from private lands may not fly over Conservancy territory.
“This incident showed that drones in the wrong place can become a serious safety issue,” said Barton. “We have a duty to keep the airspace over Catalina safe and to protect the native wildlife and habitat below it. A stray drone threatens both.”
“The approach is modeled after National Park Service restrictions on unmanned aircraft and is intended to protect aviation safety, native wildlife, sensitive habitat and the visitor experience,” the conservancy stated.
Enforcement will be the job of conservancy rangers.
Rangers can tell those operating drones to immediately land them and leave the area. Violations may carry a warning or be referred to the Federal Aviation Administration, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Conservancy explained in a statement.
Catalina Island is located about 22 miles south-southwest of Los Angeles. It is the southernmost island of California’s Channel Islands.