But these small drones have proven to have a remarkable safety record over the last few years of their exponential growth. In total there were 1,274 drone sightings reported to the FAA during this time. I reviewed a sampling of those reports: the 59 reported drone sightings from September 1 to 15 of last year. Of these 59 reported sightings, 52 were by pilots: 15 airline, 27 general aviation, 9 helicopter and 1 US military. Reporting drone sightings that cannot be verified and appear to have no safety impact doesn’t make much sense.

Source: Forbes February 26, 2017 11:23 UTC