Drones are a hot holiday item this year

As we continue into the holidays, many stores are seeing a popular item fly off the shelves: drones.

It’s the case for the C-A-L Ranch in Chubbuck. Bret Peck, the store’s manager, said when the store first got their drones in October they all could fill 12 feet worth of shelf space. On Wednesday, more than half of that supply was gone.

“When we sold the remote-controlled helicopters they were a big fad. Now it’s just kind of come to the actual drone,” said Peck. “The popularity is out there, everybody wants to have one.”

He said the cameras on drones are a big draw for people.

“They’re not as high quality as more of the expensive ones, but they’re a good starter,” Peck said.

Peck said it’s up to the owner to know the rules drone owners need to follow when they buy one.

“When they buy them, hopefully they can read the instructions and know what’s going on,” he said. “I know a lot of (rules) aren’t heavily done in Idaho but I see a lot of that coming around. Hopefully they’ll follow them so they don’t get in the wrong air space.”

In Idaho drones aren’t allowed to be flown near airports or air traffic, and the highest they can go is 400 feet. Things only get complicated with the cameras, since it’s illegal to take pictures or video of a person or any private property without permission.

The rules apply to both recreational drone users and those who use them for things like mapping or farming.

An FAA task force recently recommended creating a registration system for drone users. It would be free to do and a person would have to submit his or her name and address in exchange for an ID number.

The FAA is now collecting public comment before formally proposing anything.