CITY HALL — An unlikely pair of aldermen are pushing for new limits on so-called drones.
Ald. Edward Burke (14th), dean of the City Council, and Ald. Scott Waguespack (32nd), a leading force in the Progressive Reform Caucus, co-sponsored a drone ordinance submitted at Wednesday's council meeting.
It would ban drones from flying within five miles of an airport in Chicago, but it would also impose other significant restrictions on the remote-control flying devices.
Under the proposal, drones would be limited to flying no more than 400 feet off the ground, and would also be grounded at night from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. They'd have to be registered with the city's Department of Aviation and would also be required to carry $300,000 in personal-injury insurance and $50,000 in property-damage insurance.
They'd also be prohibited within a quarter mile of a school, hospital or place of worship.
Drones have flown over Lollapalooza and have produced incredible footage of an ice-covered Lake Michigan in the middle of winter, but have also spooked neighbors and startled others.
"With the widespread use of drones quickly proliferating across America, Chicago must act to protect airline passengers and ensure that drone use does not interfere with critical airspace," Burke said.
"We would also hope that suburban communities surrounding O'Hare International Airport move to impose similar safeguards and regulations," Waguespack added.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel held off on taking a position, saying, "I have to have people study it and look into it."
Yet, at a City Hall news conference following Wednesday's council meeting, he responded to a reporter's question on the matter by adding, "As long as they're over your house, I'm OK with that."
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