But most users are unaware of the rules and regulations about when, where and how to fly them.

The number of drones being operated across the country is unknown, but the Civil Aviation Safety Authority speculates that more than one million drones are currently operating in Australia.

If not flown safely, they have the potential to cause serious injury to people or property and interfere with other aircrafts.

That's a recipe for disaster if people don't understand the rules and get the appropriate training.

A prime example of the inconvenience and economic loss which can be caused by a drone is the closure of closure of Gatwick Airport in London a few days before Christmas last year.

The airport was closed for 33 hours, approximately one thousand flights were cancelled and the cost to airlines and the airport was reported to be at least £50 million.

Drones have made headlines for quite different reasons in Australia, including larrikin stunts such as one involving a man fishing while suspended from a drone above a lake.

In 2016, CASA slapped a $900 fine on a man who made news for a different stunt after he "sent" his drone from his backyard hot tub in Sunbury, Victoria to collect a sausage sizzle snag from his local Bunnings store. The fine was for failing to keep a model aircraft away from people - the maximum court penalty was $9000.

Last year, a man was fined $1050 for flying his drone over an Ed Sheeran concert in Brisbane.

Having said that, their potential is untapped. Last summer saw a national rollout of purpose-built rescue drones to surf lifesaving clubs, with more than 50 clubs part of a program to add "eyes in the sky" at patrolled beaches.

On farms, drones are being used for a range of purposes from targeting weeds with insecticide to protecting sheep stock from wild dogs using military-grade drones with thermal imaging to deliver bait.

In Canberra, they are being trialled for delivering takeaway meals. Uber wants to use them as air taxis in the future. However, there are still dangers from drones operated by what have been identified as the four Cs (curious, clueless, careless, and criminal).

The first three Cs, while innocuous, still pose a danger and can interrupt life in a big way. This is especially true when drones are flown near airports, over sports stadiums or over large groups of people.

Drones have interrupted airport operations, firefighting efforts and interfered with medical helicopter flights.

In the case of the first three Cs, the curious are simply flying to see what they can see.

The clueless fly with no understanding that they have the same responsibility as any other manned pilot.

The careless fly with no regard for regulations or safety.

The last of the four Cs, criminal, is the most dangerous because they have evil intentions.

Some of the simplest rules to keep in mind are:

Every new technology comes with the possibility of being used for undesirable or dangerous purposes.

The future of drones will require a balance between enabling drones for good, countering drones for bad and a comprehensive air traffic management system that encompasses manned and unmanned aircraft.

At the end of the day, the benefits from drones dramatically outweigh the negatives.

And with a Goldman Sachs report earlier this year predicting the global market for commercial applications of drone technology will reach $100 billion by next year, it looks like they're here to stay.

Mahmood Hussein runs Global Drone Solutions, a CASA-approved drone pilot training school.