Via Slashdot…this revealing little dustup between the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Gaston County Police Department in North Carolina…

AOPA has prompted the FAA to keep an unregulated unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operation out of navigable airspace above one North Carolina community.

"Safety is paramount, and current airspace users must be assured that a reasonable level of safety can be maintained," said Melissa Rudinger, AOPA vice president of regulatory affairs. "The prospect of small UAVs flitting around in the same airspace we use is frightening. We know what kind of damage a 5-pound bird can do to a GA aircraft. Imagine what would happen if you hit a 14-pound UAV?"

The issue came to head when AOPA learned that the Gaston County Police Department in North Carolina had bought a "CyberBUG" UAV from Cyber Defense Systems. The company sells the small radio-controlled drones as cheap helicopter substitutes for police, military, and news gathering uses.

The company says the 14-pound UAV cruises at 29 mph at 1,300 feet agl, which puts it easily into navigable airspace and creates a potential midair collision hazard.

"What do you think your chances are of seeing this thing before you hit it?" said Rudinger. "And it can’t sense you or get out of the way."

Oh tut, tut…  Your local police department has better things to worry about.  Like…unruly behavior…

This isn’t the first time law enforcement has flown the CyberBUG. The company claims it was used to watch for "unruly behavior" and "alert authorities about accidents" during the 12th Annual Southern Maryland "Blessing of the Bikes" in La Plata. And the company also sells a much larger 70-pound, turbine-powered drone that cruises at 250 knots.

Maryland.  Great.  Just great.  Next time I’m out enjoying myself at an outdoor gathering I’ll be keeping an eye on the sky like I’m a damn rabbit looking out for hawks.  All together now…My country ’tis, of thee…