Chicago is among the cities where commercial aircraft pilots have reported close encounters with drones. A study by Bard College records 241 instances nationwide in which a drone came within 500-feet of a manned aircraft. In 28 of those cases, the pilot took some evasive action.
Chicago ranks fourth with 20 close calls over a two-year period, tied with Boston behind New York, Los Angeles and Miami. The FAA plans to enact rules for the operation of commercial drones in the next few weeks.