As Drone Usage Soars in Mexico, So Do Concerns Tim Johnson - Miami Herald
go to original August 31, 2015

As the chief executive of what may be the first academy to train drone operators in Latin America, José Luis González is acutely aware that unmanned aerial vehicles can be used for both good and evil.

Most of the students who study at his Drone Academy are photographers seeking to capture sweeping aerial images, engineers using drones to photograph damage to structures like bridges or hobbyists eager to attain new playthings.

But Mexico has its share of bad guys, and González said it might not be long before drones are used for malevolent aims, such as remotely controlled murders.

“This is our own brand, Helidroid, and we put this toy gun on it and if you press this button,” González said, pausing as a rapid ft-ft-ft noise came out of the airborne drone, the sound of toy gunfire finishing his sentence for him. “Imagine if instead of a plastic gun you had a real gun, or if you put a grenade on it?”

Across Latin America, the sale of drones to civilians is taking off. In most cases, the drones are mini flying devices, suitable only for tiny payloads of a couple of pounds or so, perhaps a small video camera with a gimbal to stabilize the image.

But authorities around the region are scrambling to enact regulations to catch up to the reality of drone usage, seeking to reassure a citizenry that is not altogether calm about the phenomenon.

Read the rest at Miami Herald

Photo: Tim Johnson/McClatchy

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