The drones are multiplying. Maine gained 845 hobby aircraft last year

Since last May, Maine hobbyist drone fliers have registered another 845 unmanned aircraft with the Federal Aviation Administration, the bulk of those in the southern parts of the state.

The latest figures from the FAA show the state had 2,644 registered hobby drones as of Feb. 3, 2017, up from 1,799 as of May 12, 2016. That’s a nearly 50 percent rise.

The FAA data doesn’t break down when aircraft were registered, but a comparison of the two data sets shows where registrations have grown most in Maine, by county and by individual towns.

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Cumberland County led the state, by far, in new drones that will be taking to the skies.

Portland contributed the most to that increase in Cumberland County, adding 44 hobbyist drones from May to February. Brunswick came in second highest for new drone registrations during that time, with 24.

In January, the FAA said that more than 670,000 people had registered their drones nationwide since instituting a national registry in December 2015.

Darren Fishell

About Darren Fishell

Darren is a Portland-based reporter for the Bangor Daily News writing about the Maine economy and business. He's interested in putting economic data in context and finding the stories behind the numbers.