In the United States, drones have interfered with aircraft trying to put out wildfires. They have buzzed dangerously close to jets taking off at airports and have irritated fans at sports events by hovering over stadiums.
在美国,无人机已经干扰了用来扑灭山火的飞机。有时候嗡嗡轰鸣着,危险地逼近机场上起飞中的喷气机,还有的时候,它盘旋在体育场上空,令赛事观众们颇为不快。
Now federal regulators, hoping to discourage mischief and negligence among drone pilots, are proposing a new system to require owners to register their unmanned aircraft.
现在联邦监管者提出成立一个新系统,要求机主注册自己拥有的无人机,以此遏制无人机飞行当中的恶作剧与疏忽现象。
At an event in Washington on Monday, the transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx, said the department had formed a task force to come up with the details for the registration process. The task force will be composed of more than two dozen representatives from the drone and manned aviation industries, federal government and other groups.
周一,在华盛顿的一次会议上,运输部长安东尼·福克斯(Anthony Foxx)说,运输部已经成立专案组,制定这一登记程序的具体细节。该专案组由20多名成员组成,分别来自无人驾驶与有人驾驶航空业、联邦政府与其他组织。
Mr. Foxx asked the group to deliver a report with its findings by Nov. 20, with the goal of putting them into place by December, an unusually speedy process for a new aviation rule with the potential to affect millions of drones. Mr. Foxx said the department was motivated to act fast because of growing reports of safety violations by drones, and because the devices are expected to be big sellers during the holiday season.
福克斯要求这一小组在11月20日前递交一份报告,目的是于12月付诸实施,鉴于这项新航空规定可能会影响到数以百万计的无人机,速度快得非同寻常。福克斯说,运输部想做出快速反应,是因为部门接到的无人机影响安全的报告越来越多,而且一到假期,这种东西肯定会大卖。
“We feel the level of urgency here is sufficient for us to move as quickly as we possibly can,” he said.
“我们觉得这件事的紧迫性足以让我们尽快采取行动,”他说。
Some drone makers were concerned, though, by the lack of detail about how the system will work and the speed with which the task force has been ordered to work out those particulars. Many questions about the regulation are unsettled, including exactly which drones are considered so harmless that they should be exempt from the new rules. The department said the regulations would not apply to toys and other small drones that posed low safety risks.
不过,有些无人机生产者表示担心,因为这个系统如何运作,目前缺乏细节,而且专案组被要求很快制定出相关条文。关于这个规定,目前有很多问题都悬而未决,包括什么样的无人机应当被认为完全无害,可以排除在这些新规定里。运输部说,这些规定不适用于玩具无人机,以及其他低安全风险的小型无人机。
“Whether a national drone registration system is workable and serves the purposes articulated by the secretary will depend on the criteria used to determine which drones are included, and the burden that is imposed on the public,” Brendan Schulman, vice president for policy and legal affairs at DJI, a leading Chinese drone maker, wrote in an email. “DJI is a strong supporter of drone safety initiatives, but the deadline announced today is extremely ambitious and surprising considering that the rule-making process for civilian drones has been in progress for a decade.”
“全国无人机登记系统是否有效,能不能达到部长所强调的目的,关键在于对包含在规定中的无人机定义标准,以及该系统对公众所造成的负担,”中国顶尖无人机生产商DJI公司负责政策与法律事务的副总裁布伦丹·舒尔曼(Brendan Schulman)在电子邮件中说。“DJI非常支持无人机安全倡议,但是鉴于为民用无人机制定规则的进程已经持续了十年,今天宣布的截止日期实在过于艰巨,令人吃惊。”
It is not clear, for example, whether drones registered with the government will have to be physically labeled with the equivalent of a vehicle license plate — using a sticker, perhaps — or whether drones will be configured to electronically broadcast a unique registration number. A sticker could be useful if law enforcement officials are able to take possession of a drone after a crash. But it might not be as helpful if drone operators simply flew their devices away.
比如,在政府登记的无人机是否应当悬挂和机动车牌照类似的实体牌照——可能会使用不干胶——又或者无人机是否应当配备具有独一无二的登记号的电子广播。这些目前都不清晰。如果执法人员能够在事故后得到无人机实体,不干胶可能有用。但如果无人机操作者让无人机逃掉了,那不干胶就没用了。
Anyone who fails to register a drone could face civil fines up to $27,500 and, if warranted, criminal penalties up to $250,000 or up to three years in jail, or both, according to a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration. He said the rule would apply to drones already sold, not just new ones. Recreational fliers of drones do not have to be licensed, though there are stricter rules for commercial operators.
联邦航空管理局的发言人说,没有给自己的无人机作登记的机主可能会面临高达27500美元的民事罚款,如有必要,还会受到最高25万美元的刑事罚款,或入狱三年,又或二者兼有。他说,这项规定不仅适用于新的无人机,也适用于已经售出的无人机。娱乐宣传用的小型无人机不必登记,但对于商业运营者将有更加严格的规定。
The registration proposal is just one of many measures that federal regulators are taking to open the skies to drones operated by civilians. The Federal Aviation Administration, which is part of the Transportation Department, has also introduced public education initiatives, including a “Know Before You Fly” campaign aimed at spreading awareness about aviation rules among drone operators.
这项规定草案是联邦监管者采取的众多措施之一,旨在向平民拥有的无人机开放领空。联邦航空管理局隶属运输部,它已经发起了若干公众教育活动,比如向无人机操作者宣传有关航空规定的“飞前须知”活动。
A “No Drone Zone” campaign uses signs showing a slash through a drone to let operators know where the devices are prohibited — near airports, for instance.
“无人机禁飞区”活动使用了在无人机图案上画一道斜线的标识,让操作者明白,哪些地方是禁止无人机飞行的——比如说机场附近。
“This isn’t riding your A.T.V. on your own property,” Mr. Foxx said. “This is going into space where other users are occupying that space. It’s a matter of responsibility that we take seriously.”
“这和在自己家的地皮上开越野沙滩车不一样,”福克斯说,“你进入的空间里还有其他用户。这是我们要认真对待的责任。”