you can join the conversation on twitter.and "washington journal" is next. ♪ good morning. 2014., december 1, congress returns this week with less than two weeks before the federal government is set to hit another funding deadline. retailers preparing for cyber monday. in the wake of black friday totals down from 2013. we will get to the stories on "washington journal." we want to discuss commercial and recreational drones. withclear messes commercial flights on the rise, some legislators looking to

books restrictions on the . we are asking you to weigh in and tell us about your experience with drones. if you support commercial and recreational drone used, 202-585-3880. if you oppose, 202-585-3881. drone owners, 202-585-3882. catch up on social media. on twitter, facebook, or e-mail us. good monday morning. we're talking about drones. not the military kind, commercial and recreational drones. as are authorized by individuals around the country. here is the front page of "washington post" last week. in dangerous encounters

with small drones in the past six months at a time when the faa is opening skies to remotely controlled aircraft. host: the topic of drones and the safety of drones was the subject of some sunday shows yesterday, including "date of the union." the faa administrator talked about airplane collisions and the safety of drones. [video clip] the thing we are most concerned about is to ensure that any aircraft do not come

into conflict. they do not crash into one another. >> you cannot see these. >> these are high-performance aircraft and they are difficult to see. rules requiree people stay away from airports. please been working with the modeling community and with clubs so we can educate people. these are not typical pilots flying one of these for the first time. a big part of what we are doing is educating people. wait? you afford to we are educating people about how to drive a car. meanwhile we have amateurs who .ly it trying to get a sense of your sense of the danger should one of these get sucked into an engine or had a propeller. >> that is a serious concern. something i'm concerned about.

we are focused on education and we are focused on enforcement and we have enforced hundreds of these cases where we have seen someone operating one of these things carelessly and recklessly and posing a danger to aircraft. that cannot happen. host: asking viewers on "washington journal" if you support or oppose recreational and commercial use of drones. we have a special line for drone , owners 202-585-3882. the phone lines are open in the first 45 minutes of the "washington journal." here;s a graphic from last ink's "wall street journal" the wake of the reports by the faa. monthly drone sightings reported this year. numbers rising from zero in january. october at its highest, just pilots andhtings by

air traffic controllers reported to the faa. the subject has caught the interest of members on capitol hill, including chuck schumer, the senator from new york. chuck schumer called for new rules from the faa on drone usage. here's a story about it. he notes that the federal aviation administration and the office of management and budget must speed up the release of rules on drones in the light of near misses that are happening. when pilots can easily see drones it is a huge problem, chuck schumer said last week. we need drone rules now. november 16, at jetblue pilot reported spotting a drone. a virgin atlantic and delta

airlines pilot reported a drone. the delta pilot said the drone came within feet of the plane's left-wing. chuck schumer called on the faa to expedite the rules making process. want your stories about commercial and domestic drone use. asking if you support or oppose it. on the line for those who support it, walter from rome, new york. caller: good morning. host: you are on the "washington journal." caller: i support it 100%. it is a great example of american innovation. if anything it should be regulated and a more strict way on how they are to use these drones. it should not be taken away or or banned inay --

any way. >> do you own a drone? >> i do not. to the savvy technology. it strictly for military or government use? they are used for good reasons. host: members of congress are supporters of the drone industry and feel the same way. here's a letter from senators last week ending actions on drones. saying some of the current actions are too little, too late. signed by ron wyden, jeff merkley, heidi heitkamp. stated that their concerns will be costly, needlessly restrictive, and hinder

. the senators stated the faa needs to act quickly to issue guidelines for developers and operators of unmanned aircrafts, to ensure the safety and privacy of americans. the head of the faa going on some of the sunday shows yesterday to address some of these concerns. we want to hear from you about your experiences with drones, commercial and recreational drones. south river, new jersey on the line for those who support drones. caller: good morning. host: go ahead. caller: i think they are great for war.

as far as them being allowed to fly airplanes, i think one of them should be shot out of the sky to teach everybody that you do not go that close. thank you. host: from south river, new jersey. owners,a line for drone 202-585-3882. s on our comment facebook page. join us on that and twitter. causeebook, "they seem to a huge hassle." "i don't need one, drones are a fraud." "drone utilization, it depends. using a drone in protected airspace should be prohibited." making thef drones front page of the new york times

last week in the wake of some of those reports by the faa. here's the front page story from thursday's new york times. now anyone can buy a drone, heaven help us. drones being a favorite tool for some unruly groups. as the price has fallen and sales have risen, the have risen in stocks. bolsterne day fear will

regulators to keep a leash on the machines." your opinions on drones. west alexandria, ohio on the line for those who oppose. caller: i wanted to say that i oppose these. i do not want somebody coming in my backyard with a drone. i've got privacy fences and that is why i bought them. going overe owners my privacy fences. i've got a right to be private. host: how do you think the faa should balance those issues? any recommendations as they go process hereinal of new regulations that are expected to come out in the next weeks or months? caller: take the camera off. host: drones are ok, but no cameras? caller: that's one thing.

another thing, drones can distract people. just like they are distracting the pilots. you have people driving down the road and a drone in the middle of the road is going to distract someone and they will get in a car accident. this ain't good. you've got people flying things -- it should be restricted to a aviation, how of far it can go up. and the distance of it. regulated where it can go way up in the air where airplanes are flying and go down the street without, you know, making signals. just trying to get rid of our privacy. towards, one more step

taking the rights our forefathers fought for. host: your recommendation is low levels and no cameras, correct? caller: yeah. just like an airplane -- host: how do you feel about commercial industries out what to use cameras on drones to make money? photographers at weddings or hollywood using drones for flling? -- for ilming. caller: they should be restricted to military use only. host: on the line for those because the use of commercial drones in the u.s. hollywood using drones. in september, the faa took a step on drones. allowing some filmmakers to

operate robotic flying cameras on movie and tv sets. the first time the agency has granted a commercial entity and exemption from the rules. industry hasne been pressuring the faa to relax that ban. the story notes that while we are waiting for formal rules, the faa is saying making movies or anything in a closed so longon set is legal as you can prove that it is safe. that is the news that happened in september. b reports of some of those near misses at airports have sparked the renewed interest. the faa administrator go on some of the sunday shows. peter from north carolina on our line for those who support commercial and recreational

drones. caller: a flying rc radio controlled aircraft is nothing new. i was familiar with it 40 years ago. it awould use radio to fly mile away. the idea was to fly to an area where you could not see the plane. it would give you directions. it was a challenge. an ultralight flight instructor. concerningules ultralight aircraft. what the faa has to be careful of is that there was a booming industry. were as ago, ultralights multimillion dollar industry. the faa changed the rules and regulations and they killed the industry. host: aren't you worried the faa is going to kill other industries?

caller: yeah. you imagine, let's say they want to check underneath the verizon average -- verrazano bridge. you can get a camera flying underneath the bridge to check the bolts. or a giant radio tower. a drone can get up there immediately and look at something. and determine whether you have to do something. what about the guy that has to work on house? he wants to fly a drone up there and look at something that is broken. he can do easily. you have to be careful how you make the rules so you do not kill industry. host: let me read you a tweet and get you to respond.

already busy, s -- with the skies already busy, i cannot envision drones." an ultralight from new jersey to florida. i had to make a lot of stops on the way down. i only had 120 miles before i could land. i would pick airports along the way. on the way down, i don't know if i saw three planes. the sky is not clogged with aircraft. host: what do you do in north carolina? could beany way drones incorporated into your business? caller: absolutely. it is an important tool. the faa cannot come up, people who have never flown light aircraft part radio controlled

aircraft should not be making rules to kill an industry before it gets started. ultralight's, you could not come within three miles of an airport. he stayed under 500 feet. about 500 feet was controlled airspace. if you say not within three miles of an airport and no unless you 500 feet have a special permit, you want to inspect the radio tower or underneath a bridge. it is within three miles of newark airport or teterboro. it could be restricted. your point.got several folks waiting to talk about this. we want to show some history of ngs and current

regulations. this according to a story from cnn. in 2012, the faa set a september 2015 deadline to set out rules and regulations for commercial drones, many of which were operated from the ground by untrained owners. that is from cnn. new york on our line from this who support drones. caller: good morning. i have a question. with the danger of increased terrorism, what kind of rules can be made to stop the terrorism from using a drone with explosives and crashing it into some sort of a target he

wants to harm? 2 years ago while angela merkel was carrying out a campaign somebody did ay, prank and flew a drone in front of the place where she was talking. the security personnel took it away. once you get drones to people, w madeossible rules can be to avoid them using it for terrorist purposes? host: is the answer to ban them entirely? know.: i don't i'm raising the question so somebody can give me an answer. i have not been able to see how -- and effective role to control drones used for criminal or

terrorist purposes. host: there is a story in the wall street journal about an endorsement for drones by london mayor boris johnson. he said in a trade mission to singapore that we have a problem , internet shopping is leading to an increase in white van traffic dropping the stuff off. if you want to read that, the wall street journal. joe is up next in woodbridge, virginia on the line for those who oppose commercial drone use. caller: on for the use of drones for the military, for border control, and for some cases in law enforcement. said, it ist caller

much too easy if we allow drones for commercial use, it is too easy for drones to get into terrorist hands and fly them into government buildings, etc.. just because there is an industry that can be created does not mean that it should be created. if the u.s. does not get involved in this industry do you think other countries will? people will go by then there -- buy them there? caller: they might be able to buy them there that they will not be able to bring them into this country. host: sell it enforcement issue you are talking about? you think the faa is doing enough? in light of the restrictions that are already in place and the uptick of reports of the near misses. caller: it is only going to take

bringingp of a drone down an airliner or a terrorist group getting their hands on a flying it into an institution or a known entry elementary school. it is only going to take one instance. host: a headline in "the washington post," if you buy a drone, watch out for planes. the story noting that shoppers are not the only ones afraid of drones and shopping models. the federal government is worried. according to statistics compiled by the washington post, .5 have beenall drones

sold in the u.s. in the past three years. the aviation safety administration lacks the manpower to enforce and track down offenders. according to their story on drone usage. near misses that have happened at airports over the past summer. r-collisions reported since june that the washington post was able to get statistics on. july 29 -- on july 18 -- flight 4797 from greenville, north carolina.

incidents2 of 25 detailed in "the washington post" report that ran thursday. we had getting your thoughts and comments on commercial and recreational drone use. a special line for drone owners. for those who oppose -- on the line for those who oppose drone use. caller: good morning. let me tell you something, brother. i disagree with it. too many problems with near misses and whatnot. not to mention with terrorist attacks. you never know what's going happen. i could see flying 30 feet in the air. on the other hand, as the caller from the bronx said, you never know. it could fly into an elementary

school or state building. how are we going to stop it? host: is the answer to wait until the technology gets better? to keep accidents from happening? or is it a regulation problem? caller: i think it is a regulation problem. sensor.d be like a if they had a sensor or something like that that would prohibit it from coming in to the airspace. i think that would help. i'm sure that is years down the road. if -- ifthey do, drones come into restricted airspace, what is the problem? we had a caller talk about shooting them down to make an example. should police have drones to intercept drones? caller: that is what should happen. what are you should do when drones run wild on you?

host: talking about commercial and recreational drones. getting your thoughts and comments. lana from virginia. on our line for those who oppose drone usage. caller: hello? host: you are on the "washington journal." caller: i'm calling from washington, d.c. area. nobody is talking about commercial drones proposed by amazon delivering goods. i'm disturbed by the. y that. we might get a lot of accidents. their cars,ng distractions. how many times have you driven a car and seeing a plain driving over you and you take your eyes off and you look at the plane. all over theands

sky delivering goods to people because amazon and thousands of by other industries to deliver goods. why do we have to get things in one day or three hours? can you imagine the noise level and he destruction of the birds?ment, the and peace. there will be thousands of drones flying over year. nobody is discussing the commercial dronesthere will be f drones delivering goods for people. flying all over the place and distracting drivers. nobody is addressing that problem. this is one case where drones should not be allowed. we should not get into amazon and other stores who want to

deliver goods to your house. host: are there any places you would be ok with commercial drones? caller: i do not know what is considered a commercial drone. host: we are talking about hollywood using drones for film ing or photographers at weddings. caller: my biggest concern is delivereing used to goods. if that comes, we will have thousands of them flying over our heads. we will not be able to sit in the backyard yard or on the beach. the animals will be scared, birds will be killed. about environmental issues and accidents caused on roads because of distractions. there will be millions of drones flying over you. from falls church.

the headline in thursday's "new anybody can buy a drum, heaven help us. the use of drones is largely prohibited in the u.s. a few film companies have the exemption to this rul the faa is expected to proteste. the faa is expected to propose rules. according to records released 6 reports since february of drones flying over or near . we are getting your thoughts on commercial drones in the u.s. ginny in texas on our line for those who support drones.

criminals and terrorists acts and all that. law is going a to stop that? host: so you are saying you cannot regulate criminal use of this? caller: they cannot regulate robbing banks. what is the difference? you can pass over the laws you want, people break laws. host: a viewer on twitter what agree with you. "drones make a lookout for criminals." your answer be, to allow industries to move forward and do what we can on the prevention site? caller: that's the only thing you can do. they are going to be used.

people do criminal things. there is no way you can stop that. all you can do is try to regulate the honest folks and keep an eye on everybody else. host: we continue the discussion on drones in a minute. i want to turn to other news that is happening today. specifically the fact that the .014 election is not over the one race in louisiana, the senate runoff. mary landrieu's seat in louisiana. here to talk about the raw is happening this saturday -- here to talk about the runoff happening this saturday is elizabeth crisp. remind us of where the race stands. guest: thanks for having me. we are a few days from the election. tonight is the debate, which will be on c-span, online, and

on tv. we are heading into the final stretch. -- : mary landrieu" the mary landrieu and bill cassidy in the runoff. you bring up the debate. what does each side have to do tonight?bate caller: there have been some little things being promoted. tonight? right now.w things mary landrieu's campaign is focusing on bill cassidy's time as a teacher. he has also been a congressman. how much work he was doing for lsu.

bill cassidy refused the allegations, saying he was doing a lot of work. had people in d.c. he was working with. as far as the cassidy side, he has been only agreeing to a limited number of debates. this is literally the only debate between the primary and the runoff. for his campaign, it has really keep your head down and get through this. story on the a teaching controversy. askseadline, mary landrieu bill cassidy to bring records.

the keystone pipeline has been an issue in the race. especially the votes in the house and senate. what did the votes do for both sides? caller:the keystone pipeline han an issue in the at the end of t, -- iote was a lot more think it played better on tv and in d.c. than it did here. anything, these are going the way it did and mary landrieu not getting the votes she needed, that probably hurt a lot more than it helped. getting it to a vote or anything like. , maybe thatssed would have become a campaign issue. that does not seem to be something people are talking about here. it was a couple of days or whatever. everyone was wondering what was going on. pass,t ended and did not i have not heard people talking

that much about it. people do not seem to care that much. if bill cassidy wins, it would give republicans 54 seats in the congress. what are the places to watch on saturday when runoff vote start coming in? guest: the new orleans area is key. certain parishes have been landrieu hasmary been able to do really well in past elections, even though they are republican strongholds. she's been able to hold her own. it will be interesting to see if those areas decide to go more fully republican. will be watching tonight's debate and on saturday. elizabeth crisp, i appreciate your time to preview the debate

happening tonight. a few other stories happening around the country. here's the front page of "the wall street journal." funding deadline awaits congress. congress back ahead of a december 11 fighting deadline. -- funding deadline. some democrats and republicans have hope to pass and on the -- an omnibus measure. it is unclear what republicans conservativesisfy who want to express their anger over barack obama's decision to illegal immigrants from deportation. some see funding bills as a way to oppose the president on immigration and other issues. some are also likely to object spending levels they deem too

high. we will be following the action on capitol hill. in terms of the to do list for congress in their last few days of the lame-duck session, here is what the wall street journal has. keep the government running beyond the expiration of the current funding plan. pass a defense policy bill. renewed temporary tax breaks and terrorism federal insurance program that expires at the year's end. we will be talking about some of the tax breaks later on the "washington journal." we want to get your thoughts on commercial and recreational use. use -- drone owners.l line for drone jim is on that line from mar yland. caller: the term drone is very broad.

the public does not understand what the terminology is going to have an impact on. been a radio controlled aircraft pilot since the 1980's. i have flown aircraft as small as ultralight indoor stuff all the way up to aircraft that are 40% of the size of a real aircraft. tremendous safety record in this country. the term drone, what the terminology is changing, unmanned aerial systems, which covers a radio controlled aircraft at this point. what most people are thinking are strictly quad copters that are boring to fly unless you are using them photography. aerial

we used to put cameras on rockets and launch them legally. when a rocket would get every the top, it would take a picture of the earth. these kinds of activities have been going on for decades. that it used to be with radio controlled aircraft. the civilian market wasn't self regulated through an organization like the academy of aeronautics and indiana. pilot,al model aircraft a civilian who did it as a hobby, was a member of this organization. they participated in the activity at clubs. we had our own runways and fields. we had ways we would qualify pilots to make sure they were safe.

planesy insurance on our . the technology has made it where the planes are easier to fly. people can just buy one, they can put a camera on it and go to their favorite local sporting event and take pictures. everybody loves it, it is fun. that is the side effect that has really spurred a boom in the private market. host: as we are talking about safety issues and ways to avoid some of the near misses,near collisions the faa reported last twitter asks why a transponder that would identify drones. do you think that is possible? on the different drones you are talking about. caller: from the size and scope of technology, no.

simply because the equipment would be too heavy for a lot of these things to even carry nba carry and be air worthy. one class of the aircraft i fly ounces and is thrown the a discus to get it in air. it does not have a motor. these are gliders. i can get it 800 feet above the ground in seconds with a thermal. we have competitions with these. it could not physically carry a transponder. owner fromne maryland. we have a few more folks waiting. a few minutes left in this segment of the "washington journal." george from california on our line for those who oppose drones . caller: hi. hello.

us not tosponsible of of these vehicles that anybody can put out in the air. forink it lends itself people to -- we are not dealing -- theyple that are know technology and they want to put this kind of technology in the air so that they can use it against us. we have to be very diligent about who and what we are allowing to fly in our airspace. that is my opinion. host: george in california. 2 more tweets. " drones are a profit-making invention." "within the next five years, a

drone will be used for a terrorist attack or assassination in the u.s." one other domestic story we are tracking our developments in ferguson about the protests there. the front page of "the washington times."president obama steps into the fray . a white house official says president obama will hold three meetings today focusing on police tactics in minority communities. some news of darren wilson, the police officer, stepping down. the headline from the wall street journal that the police department noting there will be wilsonrance for darren after he decided to resign after

threats were made against his fellow police colleagues. i want to show you the front page of the st. louis post dispatch, which is tracking the developments in ferguson in its backyard. a story about the ferguson commission is being put together by local leaders. it will meet publicly and frequently to resolve ills exposed by the michael brown case. it is being called an opportunity, that is the headline from the st. louis post-dispatch. numbers out on holiday sales from black friday. retailers across the country. here is the front page of the today, weion of usa will talk about that our next segment of the "washington ."urnal we are joined by david french of the national