Late last week

Friday, August 21
The FAA releases their database of pilot UAS reports. Prefacing the data dump, the FAA states:

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a new list of pilot, air traffic and citizen reports of possible encounters with unmanned aircraft (UAS). The reports cover November 13, 2014 through August 20, 2015.

Because pilot reports of unmanned aircraft have increased dramatically over the past year, the FAA wants to send a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal. Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.

The data was released as a fairly unmanageable spreadsheet of 1,000+ entries, organized by time and location.

Source (direct download link to CSV file): http://goo.gl/Xx23H1

We've taken the liberty of compiling the data onto a map for easier reference, allowing you to explore where some of the highest concentrations of mid-air UAS sightings have occurred. The last 250 UAS events are below:

Click below to open the interactive map:

The document doesn’t go into too much detail on the specifics of drone type/manufacturer (mainly just physical descriptions of what the drone looked like to the pilot in mid-flight during the sighting):

The highest concentrations of events occurred between New York/New Jersey on the east coast and Los Angeles on the West coast.

Needless to say, in light of the recent events involving small drones interfering with the safe flight of firefighting aircraft, please always fly safe. Obey local laws from your aviation authority and be mindful of the airspace around you.

It only takes one incident.

Fly safe,