CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Yeager Airport officials will meet Thursday with airline leaders and officials from the FBI and DOJ to discuss laser strikes and drone interference in the area.
Chris Williams, Public Affairs Manager at Yeager Airport told 580-WCHS that the meeting at noon will focus on the increased numbers of such lasers and drones in the area.
“We can discuss how to best handle that, what we need to do to try and inform the public to let them know that is a federal offense to do that. Either use a laser on aircraft coming in or fly a drone over our airspace,” Williams said.
The meeting will consist of discussing the airports “Best Practices” and taking comments from all on how the airport can better help air carriers and GA pilots combat the rising number of laser strikes in our area, per release. The meeting will also discuss how officials are working to report drone sightings and working with local law enforcement partners to, possibly, catch any pilots who are flying, illegally, in the air space.
Williams said he and other airport officials do not believe drones are being flown in airspace on purpose. He said the meeting will discuss education for drone flyers.
“We just want to put something together to let people know where our airspace is, why you can’t fly it in our airspace and how it makes things difficult for the air traffic controllers,” he said.