What is with all the drones in Myrtle Beach area? Are they same as ones seen in New Jersey
.jpeg "Many people are reporting drone sightings across Horry County.")
Social media has been inundated with drones.
People have taken to Facebook and other platforms to report sightings of drones flying at night in several areas of Horry County, including Myrtle Beach, North Myrtle Beach, Longs and Surfside Beach.
The posts are garnering hundreds of comments with many taking a guess at what they could be and who might be flying them.
The postings come at a time when there has been hysteria from New Jersey residents who have witnessed sightings of large, mysterious drones flying over the state in recent weeks.
The FBI and New Jersey State Police have said witnesses describe seeing a cluster of what look like drones and a fixed wing aircraft.
Those in Horry County have reported seeing them fly over their homes and even near the North Myrtle Beach airport. One witness said they saw three drones flying together, at first thinking it was a plane, while driving in Longs.
The drones are reported to be large in size, larger than a normal drone.
Officer Pat Wilkinson with the North Myrtle Beach Police said by text that the department did receive a call Thursday evening about 6:25 p.m. about a drone flying over their house. However, when officers arrived, they did not see the drone.
Another person wondered if it was nearby Shaw Air Force Base doing training maneuvers.
“F-16 Fighting Falcons assigned to the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base did not conduct training above or transit through the Myrtle Beach area on Dec. 12th,” according to Capt. Madeline Krpan, chief of public affairs with the 20th Fighter Wing, by email
Pilots don’t need special permission from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones provided they operate as recreational flyers or under the FAA’s Small UAS Rule, and follow all the applicable provisions, according to an email from Crystal Essiaw, public affairs specialist with the FAA.
The FBI released a statement Thursday regarding the New Jersey drone sightings. The statement said that it appears that many of the reported sightings are “actually manned aircraft, operating lawfully.”
However, according to the Code of Federal Regulations, drones in South Carolina cannot fly at night, unless it’s 30 minutes after sunset or before sunrise. During that time, which the law refers to as “civil twilight,” operators can only fly drones if they have “lighted anti-collision lighting visible for at least 3 statute miles that has a flash rate sufficient to avoid a collision,” the law says.
This story was originally published December 13, 2024 at 1:41 PM.
