LOUDOUN COUNTY’S COMMUNITY-OWNED NEWS SOURCE
LoudounNow
[ Vol. 4, No. 32 ]
■ PUBLIC AND LEGAL NOTICES - PAGE 34 ■ EMPLOYMENT PAGE 40
■ RESOURCE DIRECTORY PAGE 41 [ June 27, 2019 ]
[ loudounnow.com ]
Patrick Szabo/Loudoun Now
Luis Pavese, the Leesburg Police Department’s IT specialist, takes to the skies with his $3,500 DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone at Ida Lee Park.
Drone Culture Flying High in Loudoun BY PATRICK SZABO In the early 1900s, Loudouners began looking up to see more than just birds flying through the air, as airplanes began to populate the skies. In the early 1960s, residents had to acclimate their eyes and ears to the sights and sounds of commercial airliners taking off from and landing at Dulles Airport. Today, in addition to countless flights that cross the region’s airspace every week, a new type of flying machine is becoming more apparent in the lower regions of our skies—unmanned air-
craft systems, more commonly known as drones. It’s not uncommon to look up and see a drone flying overhead anywhere in the county, whether it’s being piloted recreationally in a park or for work, perhaps to survey a soon-to-be-developed property or a police crime scene. With models small enough to fit in the palm of a user’s hand that cost less than $20 and can be flown inside a house, and many that feature stabilization systems that make flying easier than balancing on one leg, it’s no wonder why drones present a fascinating technology that res-
idents of all ages are latching onto these days. Loudoun County Aeromodelers Association President Jim Salmon said that drones began nudging their way into modern culture less than a decade ago but didn’t erupt in popularity until about three years ago. Salmon said that was around the same time that manufacturers began incorporating more advanced technology in their designs—technology including proximity and light sensors that not only automate stabilization, but DRONES >> 47
‘Compromise’ Plan Approved BY RENSS GREENE The years-long effort to write to rewrite the county government’s policies on growth, transportation, development has come to close with the adoption of a new comprehensive plan. Work on what became the Loudoun County 2019 Comprehensive Plan formally launched in April 2016, but wheels had been set turning before then. Originally scheduled as an 18-month process, COMPROMISE PLAN >> 33
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