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Illegal drone activity is far more widespread than most people realize.
I work for the FAA and am a commercial pilot. Our office has received hundreds of reports of illegal drone activity (suspected and actual). The majority of them are impossible to trace back to the drone or drone operator.
There is a requirement to register your drone (if over 250 grams in weight). Guess what - lots of people never register their drone, either due to ignorance of the regulation or they choose not to. The hardest part is locating the operator, they may be miles away from the actual flight of the illegal drone. Then there are the bad actors who are purposely skirting the rules for their reasons.
We had a recent report of a SkyWest flight and an American airlines flight that both reported a drone the size of a basketball several miles east of Denver International right in their departure path at 13,000 ft(!). Air Traffic Control diverted following traffic and it was reported to law enforcement. These kinds of reports are not uncommon. You know what's out east of Denver International? Rural nothingness, farmland. Law enforcement found nothing. Whomever it was was either long gone or in a completely different area when they launched and retrieved their drone.
What's happening at Langley AFB and other military installations are not enthusiast drone pilots or folks messing around. I've read of reports of drones flying right past the guard shack at an air force base and out on to the flight line and then leave a little while later. All base security can do is watch.
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Kurt
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