--- description: 650 drones have been spotted by pilots so far this year title: Drone Sightings by Pilots More Than Doubled This Year image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf88a08fddf4ea4c/69885f2a3c16391592459417/drone-in-sky.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [U.S.](/section/us/) ## U.S. Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Aviation](/tag/aviation/) ## Aviation Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Drone Sightings by Pilots More Than Doubled This Year  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 13, 2015 6:54 PM CUT  Spy camera Spy cameraGetty Images  by [Tessa Berenson](/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 13, 2015 6:54 PM CUT Pilot sightings of drones have [more than doubled so far this year](https://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=83445 "undefined"), according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The FAA found that more than 650 drones have been spotted by pilots as of Aug. 9, 2015, whereas only 238 were seen in all of 2014\. The proximity of drones to planes is worrisome because of the potential for a collision; a drone could disable the engine or mar the surface of a plane, the [Associated Press reports](http://news.yahoo.com/faa-pilot-reports-drone-sightings-more-double-145050244--politics.html "undefined"). Flying a drone near an airplane can incur criminal charges or a fine up to $25,000. ### Drone Country: See America From Above  House boats appear next to the shoreline of Bidwell Canyon on Lake Oroville in Northern California on November 25, 2014\. Lake Oroville is California's second largest reservoir, and is currently 70% empty as a result of the state's severe drought. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  Campers appear in an RV park in Fernley, Nevada on November 25, 2014\. The nearby Amazon Fulfillment Center recruits people living out of RVs to work on the floor of their warehouse during peak holiday shipping season. Many of the campers are senior citizens whose homes or savings were wiped out by the 2008 economic crisis. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  A parking lot for an Amazon fulfillment center appears in New Jersey on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  A residential apartment complex appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Vacation homes appear on the New Jersey Shore on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  An empty drive-in movie theater appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  A farm house and field appear outside Trenton, New Jersey on November 11, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Cows gather for water and alfalfa distributed by a rancher in a drought-devastated pasture in Merced County, California on November 26, 2014\. As with many areas of the Central Valley of California, these cows would not be able to survive without this kind of supplemental nutrition. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  A run-down neighborhood appears in North Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014\. In 2012, the FBI ranked Camden as having the most violent crime per capita of any American city with a population of over 50,000\. The local police installed millions of dollars of surveillance equipment in residential neighborhoods, including cameras and microphones that detect the exact location of gunshots. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  Horse stalls appear near Fernley, Nevada on November 24, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  A swamp appears near Brookfield, Connecticut on November 8, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Beachfront vacation units appear on Cape Cod, Massachusetts on Nov. 7, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  The USS New Jersey, a decommissioned battleship, appears on the Delaware river off Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII  A college campus appears in Poughkeepsie, New York on November 9, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Lacrosse players warm up before practice in Clark County, Nevada on January 20, 2014\. The nearby Creech Air Force is the main command center for overseas drone strikes. Tomas van Houtryve—VII/Pulitzer Center  Wiggins Park Marina appears in Camden, New Jersey on November 23, 2014. Tomas van Houtryve—VII ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3996803/drone-sightings-double/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3996803/drone-sightings-double/"},"headline":"Drone Sightings by Pilots More Than Doubled This Year","datePublished":"2015-08-13T18:54:26.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:44:31.125Z","description":"Pilots have spotted more than 650 drones so far","url":"https://time.com/3996803/drone-sightings-double/","keywords":["Aviation","Tech","Drones","FAA"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf88a08fddf4ea4c/69885f2a3c16391592459417/drone-in-sky.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"U.S.","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaf88a08fddf4ea4c/69885f2a3c16391592459417/drone-in-sky.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Drone in Sky","caption":"Drone in Sky","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/us/","name":"U.S."}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/aviation/","name":"Aviation"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3996803/drone-sightings-double/","name":"Drone Sightings by Pilots More Than Doubled This Year"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Drones from Amazon? 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