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FAA To Drone Owners: Get Ready To Register To Fly (networkworld.com)
coondoggie writes: While an actual rule could be months away, drones weighing about 9 ounces or more will apparently need to be registered with the Federal Aviation Administration going forward. The registration requirement and other details came form the government’s UAS Task Force which was created by the FAA last month and featured all manner of associates from Google, the Academy of Model Aeronautics and Air Line Pilots Association to Walmart, GoPro and Amazon. “By some estimates, as many as 400,000 new unmanned aircraft will be sold during the holiday season. Pilots with little or no aviation experience will be at the controls of many of these aircraft. Many of these new aviators may not even be aware that their activities in our airspace could be dangerous to other aircraft -- or that they are, in fact, pilots once they start flying their unmanned aircraft,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta in announcing the task force’s results.
First they came for the journalism drones, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not a Journalist.
Then they came for the environmental journalist, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not an animal rights activists.
Then they came for the citizen journalism, and I did not speak out—
Because I was not into 1st Amendment audits.
Then they came for my drone—and there was no one left to speak for me.
No more 4k ready drones moving along public property capturing news worthy footage without been in a database for a later State or Federal chat down.
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
Back in antiquity, I had to "register" to get a "bikes on trains" permit to carry my bike on the metro. It was a nominal $5 fee (covered the cost of the photograph) and a royal pain to go to the downtown office to get the permit, but the whole point was to educate the permitee about the dos and don'ts of carrying your bike on the metro. Then, whenever somebody it being a bonehead with their bike on the metro, the officials can say either: a) "You need to have a permit to do that, go get it." saving themselves all effort at education on-the-spot, or b) "I see you have a permit, but you obviously didn't pay attention to the training." and possibly revoke the permit on-the-spot, forcing the ex-permitee to jump more hoops to get it reinstated.
Hunting and fishing licenses are a similar game, though their fees are higher, and annual. The presumption is that you will learn what you're supposed to know as a licensee - though, in practice, they're mostly just an annual fee.
Registering drones, like registering handguns, will give some traceability to the bits of electronic junk that get lost in hard to get to locations inside state/national parks, and on other people's private land. It might make some operators a little more careful and a little more aware of the impacts their toy can have. I don't think it's much about keeping them out of the flightpath of commercial airliners, I think it is about making the owners more accountable for less serious bone-headdedness.
Next up - registering your kite. After all, it fits their definition of a remotely controlled aircraft ...
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
...this is a good thing. Non-drone quads, like all RC craft, require skill to do something stupid that will hurt more than your neighbours or your wallet. Autonomous, self-piloting, drones can be more dangerous than a car if flown improperly. Regulate them, just as cars and other aircraft are regulated.
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
I first joined AMA 30 years ago. I've flown fixed wing, helicopters, and rockets. I've also climbed into something slightly larger and flown it. My next purchase will probably be a quad. I don't think that owning a quad will make me become stupid. The craft is not the problem.
The AMA used to work with manufacturers and retailers to have a very strong presence- every $12 kit included AMA information in the package. The AMA managed to reach a high enough percentage of purchasers that most were well-behaved.
Quads brought a ton of new people into the hobby and the existing community hasn't reached them effectively. Part of that is probably because models (other than rockets) used to be harder to fly, so newbies NEEDED an experienced pilot to train them. Clueless newbies who wouldn't learn from others quickly destroyed their new toys.
On the other hand, rockets could be flown without training, yet AMA dis a good job of getting the message of responsibility out to rocketers. How can this (large) new generation of flyers be reached and educated? Blaming it on the number of props won't do the trick, of course.
The constitution VERY SPECIFICALLY doesn't address specific regulations. Those are generated by LAWS. The constitution does give a very firm guide for how we are to come up with laws. Things like electing officials to create and maintain laws and having people in official capacities to enact those laws.
Staying awake during junior high and high school social studies classes would have avoided this incredible lack of knowledge. (If there wasn't the benefit of a proper education then there is a valid excuse for such ignorance.)
It is just as inane to say "Show me where in the constitution it says that police can enforce speed limits!" People really don't need to loudly proclaim their ignorance and supporting their ignorance makes a statement too...