One of the hottest electronic items being purchased the last couple of years has been drones. Being able to fly a drone with a camera on it is very exciting and we understand why it is such a popular item. What comes along with the enjoyment of flying a drone also comes the responsibility of flying the drone without infringing on other people’s privacy or safety.

With the move to the new hospital on Baraga Avenue the medical helicopter will be landing and taking off at the new hospital. There is a no-fly zone around the hospital landing pad, but we have not found anyone who can tell us more detail about how large the no-fly zone is. We checked with the Marquette Police Department and with officials of the Air Care Network and they gave us information from the FAA. Officials said drone use is covered by part 107 of the Federal Aviation Regulations, specifically cFAR 107.43, that states, no person may operate a small unmanned aircraft in a manner that interferes with operations and traffic patterns at any airport, heliport or seaplane base. With that in mind, we recommend anyone flying drones in the vicinity of the hospital be aware of the fact that the helicopter will be landing and taking off 24 hours a day and seven days a week. It would be a tragedy if someone flying in for emergency care was delayed or crashed because of drone use in the area.

We are not aware of any specific problems with drones in the area of the hospital at this time, but we want to encourage safe and responsible drone use in the area with the new flight path for the medical helicopter.