Those multi-propeller drones buzzing through the airways these days are irritating airline pilots, who know how dangerous they can be to aircraft. Now commercial drone operators are irritated, too.

The Federal Aviation Administration released a report in August that shows drone — or unmanned aviation systems or vehicles — spottings in the air by airline pilots have dramatically increased this year. In the report entitled “Pilot Reports Of Close Calls With Drones,” FAA officials said there were more than 650 such sightings reported by pilots so far this year nationally.

That figure is more than double the number of pilot-reported drone sightings in all of 2014, which was 238. Out of the 2015 reported pilot sightings of drones, about 45 were spotted in Florida in metropolitan areas both large and small. Coincidentally, none was reported in Northeast Florida. The closest close call with a drone was reported in Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach.

For commercial drone operators, stories in the national media about drones pestering human pilots have become frustrating because the commercial operators say they’re getting lumped in with the amateurs.

Commercial drones are used in many business endeavors and for industrial, agricultural, logistical, transportation, marine and scientific purposes.

Brent Klavon is president of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International for the Florida Peninsula chapter and said recreational drone users are getting out of hand.

“I think there’s a proliferation of recreational users. They’re more commercially available in the market and they’re easier to use and more people are flying them,” said Klavon, who is also the commercial unmanned aviation systems manager for Aviation Systems Engineering Co. in Jacksonville.

What has Klavon particularly concerned is that the increase of close calls comes just as the FAA loosened regulations for commercial unmanned aviation systems operations this year. Klavon’s company was the first business to get an exemption to use commercial drones on the First Coast.

The FAA had been slow to provide operational exemptions for commercial drone use for fear the devices would be a growing nuisance in airspace. But exemptions have increased by over a thousand just in the past year for commercial drone use, though the FAA still has strict regulations for their use.

There are multiple stipulations for commercial operators of unmanned aerial vehicles: They cannot fly within 5 nautical miles of an airport; they cannot exceed 100 mph in speed; they cannot exceed altitudes of 400 feet (most exemptions are granted for under 200 feet); the unmanned aerial vehicle must remain within a visual line of sight; and a plethora of other regulations.

The close calls detailed by the FAA in its August report include many pilots spotting drones at altitudes of up to 4,000 feet and clearly within 5 miles of an airport.

The hundreds of reported drone sightings from pilots vary from genuine concern to potential confusion about the spotted object.

For example, a pilot reported a drone sighting April 6 in Fort Lauderdale. But according to the narrative provided by the FAA, the pilot acknowledged the object “might have been a kite.”

Adding to the concern over drones were several high-profile incidents this summer. The Associated Press reported drones interfered with aircraft fighting at least 13 wildfires, up from four drone interferences in 2014, according to the U.S. Forest Service. In July, fire-rescue air crews were grounded for 20 minutes as flames spread in a wildfire that closed Interstate 15 in Southern California and destroyed numerous vehicles after five drones were sighted.

In no known incident reported by the FAA has a commercial drone been involved with near brushes with pilots.

Klavon said it’s frustrating knowing the proliferation of amateur drones is now threatening the gains made by commercial drone operators who have waited for years for regulations to be loosened.

“It’s very serious,” Klavon said. “It is a significant problem. We don’t want any drones to bump into manned aircraft.

“I am also a proponent of helping recreational users understand that there are rules out there,” Klavon said.

The FAA has already initiated civil monetary penalties to drone users who violate regulations. But part of the problem in administering penalties is finding the operator, which doesn’t happen very often. Moreover, the agency and Klavon’s organization are getting aggressive on public awareness campaigns.

KNOW BEFORE YOU FLY

The FAA has initiated a marketing program called “Know Before You Fly” and an associated educational website knowbeforeyoufly.org. The agency is also testing a smartphone application that provides data to drone users such as distances to airports, air traffic updates and atmospheric conditions.

The drone factor has become so serious that flight schools are now incorporating education on the devices in their curriculum.

Ross Stephenson, assistant professor at the Jacksonville University School of Aviation, said there’s no way to get around preparing new aircraft pilots to deal with potential drone encounters.

“We’re working in baby steps in developing a curriculum for unmanned aircraft systems,” said Stephenson, who is a retired U.S. Marine helicopter pilot who has also obtained an FAA exemption for commercial unmanned aircraft operations.

The fact is, Stephenson said, many of the amateur recreational drone operators have very little formal aviation training. He said that forces flight schools to prepare pilots to deal with what he calls “Bubba.”

“Bubba has no regard. Bubba does not think these rules apply to him nor does big government have the authority to tell him what he can and cannot do with his toy helicopter,” Stephenson said.

“It’s very important to train them [student pilots] how to know where the drone is and keep their eyes peeled open for these drones,” Stephenson said.

So how did the First Coast stay off the “close calls” list of encounters between drones and human pilots?

Stephenson said he’s perplexed as to why there were no reported drone sightings by pilots here. But he added the absence of Northeast Florida drone-plane encounters is “remarkable.”

Klavon said he’s not sure either. But there has been increased media coverage of the drone issue in the past two years.

“I do think Northeast Florida has done a better job in informing the public through the media,” Klavon said. “Is there any way I can measure that? Absolutely not.

“But I do know [local media] has done a great job on getting the information out,” Klavon said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.