PALM BAY, Fla. -- Small, remote-controlled aircraft could have provided a helpful eye in the sky, giving real-time movements of the Mother's Day fires that swept through the city, officials said.

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IMAGES: Drone Craft Photos

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But now Palm Bay police say hopes are fading that the Federal Aviation Administration -- the agency with oversight over unmanned drones -- will allow the law enforcement agency to use the craft anytime soon, Local 6 News partner Florida Today reported.

"It would have helped tremendously," Palm Bay Police Chief William Berger said.

"The first day of the fires we had no eyes in the skies at all. We were basically going on 911 calls with residents saying, 'The fire's over here.'"

In early 2007, Berger actively pursued the idea of using the unmanned aircraft to help officers on the ground manage crime scenes, surveillance and other operations.

Since then, police have found a spate of marijuana grow houses -- some in remote, underdeveloped areas of the city -- and a series of deliberately set brush fires that destroyed three dozen homes in the southeast section of the city.

But last July, the FAA visited Cyber Defense, the company that built the eight-pound, kite-winged aircraft Palm Bay was considering, and granted approval for experimental flights.

The agency skipped over Palm Bay's request, and granted law enforcement agencies in Miami-Dade and Houston temporary, experimental permits to use the crafts for surveillance and fighting crime, Florida Today reported.

"I'm disappointed, but at least the FAA opened the door to look at the issue," Berger said.

But Palm Bay police put off purchasing the aircraft with $30,000 in forfeiture funds after hopes of approval dimmed.

In the meantime, Cyber Defense has opted to move away from working with municipalities in favor of government agencies, Berger said.

"We never spent a dime on (the craft)," Berger said. "So right now, everything is still on hold. It would have really helped."

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