Drone sightings in RGV? What to know if you see them

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A Harlingen woman recorded what appears to be drones hovering above parts of the city and parts of Brownsville earlier this week.

Isabel Diaz sent ValleyCentral several videos that show flashing lights in the night. The first video was taken on Sunday.

"I was looking at the moon and I noticed that there were like Christmas lights flickering so I started looking and started seeing more," Diaz said. "I got my camera and tried to zoom in and they weren't moving. They were in the same spot just flickering."

Valley International Aiport Director Marv Esterly took a look at one of Diaz's videos and said the flashing lights appear to be hobby drones. A recreational or hobby drone is used for enjoyment and not for business or commercial purposes.

Esterly said the airport will continue to monitor drone development in the area and take measures with Federal Aviation Administration officials to ensure safe operations continue.

Increased sightings have been reported across the country starting in New Jersey where residents reported seeing them since mid-November.

Esterly said he believes drone sightings will increase due to the media attention and interest coming from the northeast.

Joey Cepeda, a drone pilot and technology consultant, said he doesn't think people should be concerned and wants to remind people that shooting at drones is illegal.

Cepeda said seeing drones in the sky is not uncommon and they are used for a variety of reasons.

“There's several reasons for people to be flying drones commercially," Cepeda said. "Obviously the most popular category that most people associate drones with is aerial photography and videography, helping with real estate marketing, film protection, event coverage...and then there's the industry that I specialize in — survey mapping." 

Drones are also used by law enforcement for search and rescue as well as the agricultural industry to monitor crops.

Flying drones at night, however, is only allowed under certain FAA rules.

FAA rules state that drones can only be flown at night if the pilot has completed their drone certification exam and recurrent online training, and if the drone is equipped with anti-collision lights.

"There's tons of reasons to be flying at night in terms of commercial reasons," Cepeda said. "I've seen a lot of consumers and hobbyists flying at night just to capture fireworks. You'll see a lot of drones flying during the holidays for sure."

Diaz said she's curious about what the drones are being used for.

"As the people, we'd like to know what they're doing, what's going on?" Diaz said. "If it's government, what's the purpose? What are they planning for the future or what's ahead for us?"