Drone owners must register with FAA (USA)

[AresKrieger]

 

 

The Federal Aviation Administration said Monday that US residents must register hobbyist drones by February 19 at itsdrone registration website. Registration opens December 21 and is free through January 20, the agency said. After that, the FAA will charge $5 for registration.

 

Well that came quicker than I thought

 

"Failure to register an aircraft can result in civil penalties up to $27,500," the rule states. "Criminal penalties for failure to register can include fines of up to $250,000."

When registering, drone owners must provide a name, physical address and email address. Drone owners then must mark their drones with a registration number or register its serial number with the FAA.

I hope the $250,000 fines are for doing stupid things like flying one at the air port but it isn't very clear how these fines will be dished out in the case of non compliance, my thoughts are mixed on the one hand you have idiots flying drones blocking fire fighting air craft but on the other a half pound drone could be something akin to an RC helicopter so idk what to think.

 

http://www.cnet.com/news/faa-to-open-drone-registration-on-december-21/

Edited December 14, 2015 by AresKrieger

[TheSLSAMG]

I think it's ridiculous that the government should be so bothered as to regulate them. 

[AresKrieger]

I think it's ridiculous that the government should be so bothered as to regulate them. 

Yeah, I feel that too, but at the same time you have idiots flying them in restricted air space, so I get it but am not a fan.

[Whorax]

What a money grab.

 

The people this hurts are the responsible drone owners who have to give our already screwed up government more money. Way to prioritize important issues, government.

[zMeul]

are you kidding me?! 

people flee from accidents and they expect them to voluntarily register their drones!??!

[That_Random_Guy]

Im sorta on the middle ground with this. Having to register a drone is complete garbage but im all for laws and huge fines for doing something completely stupid with them or any rc craft/drone for that matter. Having to register my drone just to fly around in my field is messed up imo.

 

wonder if it will be a 1 time fee or a type of subscription service type deal. either way its a cash grab 

[Master Disaster]

I think it's ridiculous that the government should be so bothered as to regulate them.

Sure, cause people flying around them around airports, aircraft, emergencies and in other stupid places is fine?

This was always going to happen, people will be idiots and do things they're not supposed to do with them, they need a way of determining who is doing stupid things so they can stop them doing said stupid things.

And they also said it'd be live before Christmas when they announced they were looking into it back in September.

[AresKrieger]

And they also said it'd be live before Christmas when they announced they were looking into it back in September.

Yep they announced plans a while ago put didn't have a law implemented, now they do as of today.

[skyress3000]

Seems OK to me, the fee is only $5 and this helps in a few different instances. Obviously to see who fucked up, like others have mentioned, but also to identify lost or stolen drones, like a bike ID. The application process also seems fairly painless.

[grayperview]

Be happy they didn't just ban them, if you fly a drone in public you should have to have insurance, a licence and registration of the drone you are flying....see it from a public safety point of view rather than the big bad government is taking away my freedom point of view. 

 

They are not, they are trying to protect the public from morons who are too stupid to realise they are in control of a potentially dangerous piece of machinery.

[zMeul]

[captain cactus]

It's always the idiots that ruin it for the normal people. Any sane person wouldn't even think of flying over airports/highways/forest fires/etc. But some do, so Mr. Government has to take steps to regulate this.

[AresKrieger]

snip

Funny enough that wouldn't be regulated under this law, as it is more than 55lbs (well minus the first one)

[TheMcSame]

Not really sure how you can be against this other than the $5 fee (when it's no longer free to register)... Even then, is $5 really that bad when you consider that it could help you get your drone back if it was stolen or lost?

 

Maybe I'm missing something? It just seems like everyone is overreacting to me. What's there to be against that I'm not seeing?

[AresKrieger]

Not really sure how you can be against this other than the $5 fee (when it's no longer free to register)... Even then, is $5 really that bad when you consider that it could help you get your drone back if it was stolen or lost?

 

Maybe I'm missing something? It just seems like everyone is overreacting to me. What's there to be against that I'm not seeing?

27,500 - 250,000 dollar fine

[sandboarder08]

.

[Emanuel_M]

I think it's ridiculous that the government should be so bothered as to regulate them.

yea I would love to fly my drone on top of area 51 and get footage. Trespass on private property with my drone and get into the White House with it.

[sandboarder08]

What category of UAS is covered by

the registration requirement?

UAS that weigh under 55 pounds and above 250 grams

maximum takeoff weight, and are operated outdoors in the

NAS

So make it 56lbs??

[TheMcSame]

27,500 - 250,000 dollar fine

Spend the $5 (or better yet register it during the free period) which can help you recover the drone if it's stolen/lost and you wont get hit with the fine... It's not as if you're spending $5 for nothing, it's actually something useful. Just seems like you're hating it for the sake of it...

 

If people are going to fly unregistered drones in idiotic places then I say hit them as hard as you can, especially if it's at a airport where you can potentially put hundreds, if not thousands of people at risk.

[The Benjamins]

This kind of sucks my grandpa has about 100 RC planes, and under this law he would have to register all of them, if he wants to fly them. but he makes them his self so I fine serializing them to be problematic.

[AresKrieger]

So make it 56lbs??

I think that falls under another law, but am not 100% sure

 

Spend the $5 (or better yet register it during the free period) which can help you recover the drone if it's stolen/lost and you wont get hit with the fine... It's not as if you're spending $5 for nothing, it's actually something useful. Just seems like you're hating it for the sake of it...

 

If people are going to fly unregistered drones in idiotic places then I say hit them as hard as you can, especially if it's at a airport where you can potentially put hundreds, if not thousands of people at risk.

I am mixed about the law, and understand why they are making it, but not everyone will be aware of said law, and some kids toys (not even what we now call drones) will fall under this law, so I think the fines should be far more reasonable unless they are doing something that would already be considered illegal (such as restricted air space)

[zMeul]

Spend the $5 (or better yet register it during the free period) which can help you recover the drone if it's stolen/lost and you wont get hit with the fine... It's not as if you're spending $5 for nothing, it's actually something useful. Just seems like you're hating it for the sake of it...

 

If people are going to fly unregistered drones in idiotic places then I say hit them as hard as you can, especially if it's at a airport where you can potentially put hundreds, if not thousands of people at risk.

how exactly is this law gonna' prevent people from using the drone(s) they just bought in a intentionally harmful way?! it's not - and there lays the problem

they should have mandatory registration at the place of purchase

[NumLock21]

Register with the FAA during the free period and be done with it. What's with all this complaining, it's not like they have permanently banned people from flying it. Now if your the responsible one, why worry about paying a fine. It's those who break the rules who has to worry about that as it's them who cause the government to force everyone to register they're drone in the first place.

[Arty]

Chill  fucking  5$ 

[TopDollar]

Not really sure how you can be against this other than the $5 fee (when it's no longer free to register)... Even then, is $5 really that bad when you consider that it could help you get your drone back if it was stolen or lost?

 

Maybe I'm missing something? It just seems like everyone is overreacting to me. What's there to be against that I'm not seeing?

An issue here is that the FAA's classification of a UAS includes all RC aircraft, including home built ones. Many RC hobbyists are constantly building their own foam airplanes, flying them, crashing them, rebuilding a different one, etc. So now you are saying a $5 registration is required every time I put the same electronics into different shapes of foam (assuming it weights >250g)? Or does one registration cover one set of electronics (mainly the receiver). 

 

So make it 56lbs??

This is because an unmanned aircraft over 55lbs (or an aircraft operating outside the FAA's criteria for model aircraft operations) already requires specific FAA authorization to operate.