Drone-xiety: a look at how planes without pilots are used in Missouri

July 02, 2012|by Paul Adler, KY3 News / Follow Paul on Facebook, Twitter @KY3Pad | Email padler@ky3.com

FORT LEONARD WOOD, Mo. -- The prospect of planes without pilots patrolling U.S. skies by the end of this decade is sparking a round of anxiety about Big Brother peering into backyards. We wanted to see how these drones are being used in Missouri right now.

An area of Fort Leonard Wood looks like a foreign war zone. Signs are written in Arabic; twisted metal is all around, and planes without pilots are in the air. Soldiers peer into shaded viewers. They play with joysticks and use laptop computers to connect to unmanned aerial vehicles.

"All we're trying to do is train soldiers and get them ready for their upcoming deployment," said Damian Johnson.

One day last month, Steven Luttrell was trying to get the hang of launching 13 pounds of foam, fiberglass and technology. Luttrell had two weeks to get it right because he and his fellow soldiers would soon be counting on that eye in the sky to spot danger for convoys. With the camera on-board, the operator can see disturbed dirt on the ground.

"They basically use this vehicle to scout ahead (for IEDs, or improvised explosive devises) to watch the enemy tactics as they're driving down a route, watch for possible IED placement or an ambush," said Johnson.

"It opens up a lot of opportunities for us to help keep us safe and save lives," said Luttrell.

These guys soon won't be the only ones flying unmanned aerial vehicles in the United States.

"It has no weapons. It has no offensive or defensive. It's a camera, basically a flying camera," said Sgt. Andrew Cohen of the Miami-Dade Police Dept.

Police departments from Miami to North Little Rock are gearing up to use this technology. It could be used for everything from tracking fires to traffic surveillance and more. That prospect has some worried about the possibilities.

"In an era when we have warrantless searches and all this privacy intrusion, these drones are just an excuse to trample on the constitution," said Terri Burke of the American Civil Liberties Union.

At Fort Leonard Wood, these vehicles are not supposed to leave the base's airspace -- no SWAT situations, no traffic surveillance, no spying on backyard barbecues.

"It's all training specific, and nothing leaves Fort Leonard Wood," said Johnson.

As for Luttrell, he got the hang of it and graduated to take his skills overseas.

"I believe there's been many before, and will be many after me," he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration has received applications from more than 60 agencies, police departments and public universities to fly drones. The list includes the North Little Rock Police Department, Kansas State University and The National Weather Service.

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