The Providence Journal (R.I.), Oct. 30:

It was surely inevitable that one day, federal officials would take steps to regulate the operation of drones. Once a futuristic novelty, these remote-controlled flying devices are now believed to number in the hundreds of thousands in the United States, and the number is expected to surpass 1 million – if it’s not already there – during the upcoming Christmas season.

At the same time, the rapidly growing numbers and the activity that comes with them are raising more and more concerns about safety.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration, pilots “have reported seeing drones at altitudes up to 10,000 feet, or as close as half a mile from the approach end of a runway.” Out West, “the presence of multiple” drones near wild fires recently “prompted firefighters to ground their aircraft on several occasions,” out of concern for safety.

Law enforcement officials have done little in the wake of such incidents, because it is difficult – if not impossible – to identify the person or persons responsible.

Clearly, something has to be done.

To that end, federal transportation and aviation officials are creating a task force that will be made up of 25 to 30 people, government and industry officials, pilots and hobbyists. Their mission: make recommendations for a drone registry system, one that is not overly burdensome in terms of what has to be done to register, and one strong enough to cover the sort of craft that can present a danger, while exempting those deemed to present “a low safety risk.”

This latter part is critical. While safety is of the utmost importance as more drones take to the skies, it is also important that a wellintended effort not devolve into blatant overreach that affects the backyard hobbyist who wants to fly a model plane 20 feet above the ground. A good dose of common sense will be needed as the task force makes its recommendations.

We look forward to seeing those recommendations, which are due Nov. 20.