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FAA: Small Drones Must Be Registered By February (bloomberg.com)
An anonymous reader writes: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has finally unveiled its new drone registration rules. Starting on 21 December, all newly-purchased drones between 250 grams (.55 lbs) and 25 kg (~55 lbs) must be registered before their first flight. Owners of drones purchased before that time must register by 19 February 2016. The FAA will charge $5 to register the drones, though the first month of registrations will be free. "Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their unmanned aircraft safely. I'm excited to welcome these new aviators into the culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation." There is also an age requirement: kids under the age of 13 will not be allowed to register a drone by themselves.
In related news, Bard college has compiled a report on drone safety with respect to encounters with manned aircraft.
It seems like some politicians need jobs for their children
Please regulate everything, register every single particle in the universe.... blaaaaaaaah.
Just start another war, thin out the population on this planet and get this stupid shit over with. DAMN IT ALL TO HALL! :D
they are taking more money from us, so we will be safer!
their solution to everything. disgusting.
take even more of your money.
- the government
Five dollars to register your drone? Just for the purposes of covering costs, of course. Really. Honest. This isn't yet another tax / money scheme, nope, not at all.
This is the first step towards by jackbooted thugs knocking down our doors, shooting our dogs, and then taking our drones by force.
I read TFA, don't see anything there about what happens if you don't register or if you're required to have a license on-hand or something like that.
Hmm, my quadcopter is 0.41lbs so I guess I'm good. Although I occasionally attach my GoPro to it which puts it at 0.61lbs.
The good news is that now people who want to use RC machines to fly someplace they're not supposed to, or to carry some not-right payload (say, a small bomb, or ferrying contraband over a prison wall, etc) will now be stopped by this new paperwork.
Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
Who's going to run around making sure millions of drones are registered?
I predict the rise of a huge market for 249g drones in the very near future.
That said, "Civilian drones weighing more than 250 grams (0.55 pounds) must be registered and identified with markings so that authorities have a better chance of finding the owner in the event of an illegal flight or crash"... Riiight, because someone planning to illegally use their drone will certainly make sure to properly register it first?
For Generations we had Remote Control Airplanes and Solid Propellant model Rockets.
Part of wholesome family fun. Just because there is a new toy that is out, that happens to have the name of a controversial military device it becomes a major threat.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
This should apply equally to all RC aircraft. Right? If not, why not?
Does that mean that I have the right to shoot all those pesky fat birds?
The Bloomberg article mentions that the $5 fee is actually a government mandate in the law that the FAA is using to claim authority over RC aircraft, but to anyone looking at it, it looks like the RC aircraft equivalent of red light cameras: a government cash-grab that does little to nothing to actually improve safety. I'm having trouble seeing how having tagged drones is going to do anything but allow the government to collect more money in fines, both for unauthorized drone use and for drone use without a license.
How the hell can it cost $5 to register a drone? I suspect the record will simply be stored in a database without even being looked at by a human. If every institution were as inefficient as the government, it would cost $5 to post a comment on Slashdot.
I despise monopolies and the government monopoly is the worst of them all. Governments abuse their monopoly position far more than any cable company or operating system developer. The government takes money from you at any every opportunity while giving you pretty much nothing back in return.
Good to see the FAA encouraging innovation.
A bit nitpicky, but these are not drones. Drones are typically much larger than 25Kg, have weapons systems, and are operated by a military. As per the press release, these are small unmanned aircraft.
You troll, but I'm sure that's how many in government feel.
Wh47 d1d j00 541, 31337 15n't t3h r0xor5 ne m0r3???
Registrants will need to provide their name, home address and e-mail address.
Did I completely misread this or did we just spend $46 million on a website because of 238 "potentially unsafe" operations? Does the Federal Government even have the right to do this for "aviation" that never crosses state borders?
From the rules (http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=19856):
The FAA estimates that in calendar year 2014, 200,000 small unmanned aircraft were operated in the NAS in model aircraft operations. During this period, the FAA received 238 reports of potentially unsafe UAS operations.
In order to implement the new streamlined, web-based system described in this IFR, the FAA will incur costs to develop, implement, and maintain the system. Small UAS operators will require time to register and mark their aircraft, and that time has a cost. The total of government and registrant resource cost for small unmanned aircraft registration and marking under this new system is $56 million ($46 million present value at 7 percent) through 2020.
Not so long ago, the news was full of fear-based "reporting" on all the evils of the internet. "The predators are online and coming into your child's bedroom." Fear, fear, and more fear.
Nowadays, if you want to inject some instant hysteria into a discussion or a news report, the recipe has been tweaked since the internet has become just an ordinary part of daily life. Just add "with a drone." Instant crazy follows.
Hey, Windows users, there is no such thing as "forward" slash, there is only slash and backslash.
"What good are drones?"
"Senator, in five years you will be taxing them. Sorry, charging a fee to get out of the way."
(-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
Let's shit on nerds.
$5 a pop for a hobby to play with toys? This is clearly to extort the businesses making those billion dollar drone bays who plan to crank them out by the thousands.
Let the US Feds try to take a 15 year old to court for flying a toy helicopter.
Cause to me something that is RC and has to have LOS is a toy.
unmanned space crafted guided by satellite with or without any other hardware, that's a drone.
Does my drone-mounted pistol need to be registered with the BATF too?
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
So many of you are complaining about your toys having to be registered with the FAA now. But I put these points to you:
1. Who is really to blame, here? The retards who were irresponsible with their toys, that's who, so go bang on them!
2. What the actual FUCK do you expect the FAA and the government to do? Nothing? Doing nothing means the problem continues. Or do you expect cops to waste their time trying to chase down little flying toys? That's like trying to herd ferrets.. who got into a case of Rockstar; it ain't happenin'. The only other viable alternative I can see, would be to ban non-government drones entirely from the U.S., which no doubt would make all of you froth at the mouth even worse. Therefore: GET OVER IT.
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
Some people seem to have trouble navigating a vehicle safely in two dimensions. Add a third and this is what happens. A steady string of events and incidents from people who just can't act with some responsibility (see earlier comments on why RC aircraft community typically doesn't have this problem)
It's why I never ask when my flying car will show up. As a population we suck enough at driving on the ground as it is.
It's not that they put this in place because of 238 potentially unsafe operators. They put this in place because they wanted control and this was an excuse.
If everyone that owns and flies model UAS were to issue a collective middle finger to these asshats, the whole thing would go away overnight.
So, those Estes model rockets that we used to send thousands of feet into the air in the 60s and 70s now need to be registered with the FAA? Seems to me they could do a lot more damage than a miniature quad rotor... I suspect their solid-fuel engines were filled with something that could be classified as an explosive, too. Seriously, we need a better definition of what actually needs to be registered.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
I've been flying model aircraft since the 80's and you have always had to have an AMA license to fly in public or at flying fields. If I remember it was more than $5. It would also give you insurance in case you accidentally crashed into a car, building, person etc. To my knowledge, the main reason for the license was so the FCC knew what frequencies were being used and if used proper. There would always be someone with a modified Transmitter that would use a HAM radio band for better and further control ;)
I didn't RTFA, but you could argue that this new rule is lifting regulations. The FAA require that any aircraft flying in class B (bravo) airspace must have a 2-way radio, a mode C transponder and an annual inspection. They are lifting that requirement if your aircraft weighs less than .55 lbs.
Albany county in NY is trying to ban drone use by non-law enforcement
http://app.albanycounty.com/le...
I like my drones, and I don't want to take the chance of some overzealous cop "accidentally" mangling them in the process of illegally confiscating them.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
I predict that the registration rate will be extremely low, especially for the smaller drones that kids typically get for Christmas.
Cars on personal property do not need licensing, so a UAV on personal property should be the same. Its awfully nice of them to limit anything of size to keep from dealing with corp., military and video drones. Next up, Voltron drones! The more you hook up, the better it gets! (and each one is 0.5 lbs.)
Remember it? "I can fly where I want, there is no law that tells me I cannot fly above your ground. Or near an airport. IT IS MY RIGHT!"
Now we have a law. And registration. And more and more restrictions. Why? Because people can't use a tiny bit of common sense. Contrary to popular (right wing) belief, governments don't relish in getting into your way of "freedom". Governments are lazy, why the fuck should they be any different than the people voting them in? Politicians don't come from Mars, they come from our nice little planet and they are the same lazy bums that we are. They couldn't care less what you do.
As long as you are not a threat to anyone.
We could still fly our drones and planes pretty much where we want and how we want. If it wasn't for the "you can't tell me I can't fly here" idiots. "There is no law that says I cannot". No, there wasn't. But does it REALLY take more than 2 brain cells to know that there are some areas where you should MAYBE not fly your drone? Just because it's unsafe and because it pisses people off? But hey, why should I give a fuck about what people think! IT'S MY RIGHT! I can do what I want! I can be the biggest asshole one the planet and nobody can tell me I cannot because IT IS MY FUCKING RIGHT!
Well. No longer is it your right. Or anyone's.
Thanks. Thanks a lot. On your way out, go play with something poisonous. Or the gun you like so much. I'm pretty sure you're about as competent and responsible with ... BUT IT IS MY RIGHT TO HAVE A GUN!!!!!1111!!!!
Yes. And I'd be the last one to take it from you.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
What about my 18 pound Remote control airplane that goes about 50 mile an hour? I'm far faster and far more deadly than any "drone" which is uneducated speak for quadcopter.
These new rules were written by morons in response to knee jerking.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
I am still struggling to understand, what argument is there for mandatory license-plates on personal vehicles, that would not also apply to people having to carry identification. And not just any identification, but visible at all times from different sides whenever in public or where the public has legal right to access.
In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
This will be like registering your FRS radio. You know, the little hand held walkie-talkies from Fry's. I've asked hundreds of people I've met with them (we use them in our car club) and not a single person has registered theirs with the FCC. And yet, it's required before use. /shrug
I have a UAV, it's a fun toy and gives me some different perspectives as a landscape photographer. I seriously don't see the issue in registering it - it costs $5 (or $0 if I'm quick) and I only have to provide my name and address, which any vaguely determined cop could already get from my credit card records if they really wanted.
Given that some people do seem to have trouble using them sensibly, mandating a record (despite the fact that no, it won't catch everyone) seems reasonable. I mean having cars be registered is pretty uncontroversial and does help with tracking down irresponsible drivers, even if it's not 100% effective. The potential for misuse seems pretty small to me.
---- Den ene knappen er powerknapp, den andre er Bender voice knapp "Bite My Shiny Metal Ass"
I for one am glad to be part of Pax Americana, the First Taurean Airborne.
-- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --
It should be easy to get done; I presume they can just do it at the same location they register their firearms. Easy peasy.
No.
I won't pay you more money because some fucking retard decided he can't be mature enough with his toy. I won't add myself to yet another fucking list that you can use against me for some nefarious reason in the future.
Not going to happen. Your registry will do exactly ZERO to curb this problem, and I won't bend over because you say so.
Fuck you.
But the gun lobby has seen to it that you can have up to 50 pounds (a shitload) of the stuff with no secure storage or permit requirements, as long as it is claimed to be for firearms use.
Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
The larger ones (High Power Model Rockets) require flight clearance and/or airspace waiver from FAA prior to launch, but there is no registration of individual rockets required.
Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
The FAA estimates that in calendar year 2014, 200,000 small unmanned aircraft were operated in the NAS in model aircraft operations. During this period, the FAA received 238 reports of potentially unsafe UAS operations.
Your numbers show a ratio greater than 1:1000 for incidents:vehicles. I think that is a pretty good indication that regulation is needed. The goal is not to stop terrorists from using drones, but rather to find the idiot who slammed his drone into a crowd of people while filming in a stadium.
It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong.
drones didnt exist, became a thing, and have to be registered by february - wonder how many more years itâ(TM)ll take before guns have to be registered..?!?
but this is america - where kinder surprise is illegal, and guns are a god-given right.. :-/
licensing requirements for CB radios were back in the 1970s.
And just like the FCC, the FAA isn't going to have the resources to go after every kid with an RC quadcopter.
Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
I have been flying model RC aircraft for about 20 years and a member of Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) for 19 years. I have about 40 planes that will fall under the registration process. I will be paying ~$200 every three years just so I can fly my aircraft. All of my planes have my AMA number in or on the fuselage and have my contact information inside the fuselage. My AMA membership gets me liability coverage, accident/medical coverage, accidental death coverage, fire, theft, and vandalism coverage, assistance in getting and keeping flying sites, monthly magazine, ... What does registering my aircraft with the FAA get me?
To: 9-AFS-UAS-Inquiries@faa.gov
Hi,
Regarding the drone registration program... inquiring minds want to know... have policy makers and higher ups in your office, have they gone totally bonking mad?
Does nobody have a clue, as to what amount of useless data and pointless hassle this program will generate? Do you really think having people register $30 plastic toys is productive?
As soon as everyone realizes, let's switch over to honesty and call it a drone tax. Unless you have fairies on unicorns to process that god awful noise... ahem, "data".
I totally understand that levying VAT on cheap-ass toys arriving from China in gray plastic bags is a nuisance, and state revenues need supplementing, but this is not the proper way to do it. This is stupid.
Who will use the collected data for what, please don't ask. It certainly won't be used to guarantee anyone's safety. Data overload is not safety. While your colleagues are busy reaping together hay, all sorts of needles will have it easy.
So rest assured, this can only lead to a comedy of global proportions, but if that's what must happen, so be it. Where I live, drone registration is required too, and the entire city where I live in is a no-drone-zone, and practically nobody gives a flying fck. Everyone and their cat ignores the drone ban here, and unless you've got some new kind of people there, the same will happen.
Meanwhile, back when we had USSR, I was not obligated to register my model rockets.
P.S. Attaching a neat aerophoto from my first UAV back in 2004. No laws needed, thank you very much. smile emoticon
With best regards,
Anonymous.
government systems are regularly penetrated. I do not have a warm and fuzz feeling with them holding MORE data on me (and my credit card number.)
That's less than a quarter million per incident. Can't you see what a great value that is? Just think, our government can protect us from hundreds of dollars of damage! Isn't it wonderful?!
""Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their unmanned aircraft safely. I'm excited to welcome these new aviators into the culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation."
Oh shut the fuck up already. The only thing you're "excited" about is the revenue stream you just created with this bullshit registration.
Culture of safety and responsibility...as if the creation of a drivers license suddenly made teenage drivers magically safe and responsible...
I'm puzzled how the FAA can impose a new law without any prior discussion nor consultation with the stakeholders, technical experts and public representatives. Isn't there a political process required before this can happen, particularly given that they are collecting money? You know, democracy and all that good stuff.
Re mass vs weight. I was curious about that a few weeks ago, so I looked it up. It turns out weight is defined in the relevant standard as being exclusive of buoyancy. So at MSL on earth, the weight and the mass are the same. On the moon, they're different because weight is determined by the local gravity and the mass. Which means a submarine on the surface weighs a lot, which makes sense.
ALSO, FAA weight is "empty weight", without any fluids.
ftfy...
The FAA is stepping well past it's authority and most people are just not going to register. It will just help make the FAA seem that much more of a joke.
There is absolutely, not one shred of constitutional justification for this. The FAA has legitimate jurisdiction over interstate air travel and aircraft that are planned to be used for such. It has no constitutional jurisdiction over the use of RC drones, within a state's borders, that touches on no federal property and that is barely intended to be flown to the perimeter of one's community.
This is the job of the states. California doesn't need drone regulations to punish the guys who interfered with the fire fighters during the last wave of wild fires. There are probably half a dozen more serious, felony-level charges that could be directed at the drone operators for interfering with emergency personnel operations.
It's for redundant comments, not stuff smart people already know. Slashdot is clearly not only for smart people.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
How many of those active shooter events were in places that allowed concealed carry?
& that sucker will have to handle ten, maybe TWENTY pages/minute! that is NOT the kind of load you can just toss at a mac mini on dsl! (well, not & run protein folding, seti, hunt for prime #s & solve pi at same time anyway...)
The next thing the government will force on you is an ADS-B transponder requirement for your drone. Garmin will be happy to sell you one for $2500.
*subject to approved licensing. Terms and conditions apply. Void where prohibited.
Have you no shame, America?
People envy your freedom? What freedom?
If I declare it as a flying gun, do I still need to register it? ;)
Jumpstart the tartan drive.
The FAA estimates that in calendar year 2014, 200,000 small unmanned aircraft were operated in the NAS in model aircraft operations. During this period, the FAA received 238 reports of potentially unsafe UAS operations.
Your numbers show a ratio greater than 1:1000 for incidents:vehicles. I think that is a pretty good indication that regulation is needed.
Their wording states potentially unsafe incidents. I think that is a pretty good indication of exactly how hype and bullshit can turn the numbers you want to use as justification into a pile of meaningless crap.
I guess you'll all just have to find some other way to skeeze on your neighbors underage daughters now you can't use your little drone toys to do it anymore, LOL
I think that some organizations must have been really mad, considering some of the pedantic (emphasis mine) things addressed by this document:
The Aviators Model Code of Conduct Initiative stated that this
definition and the definition of small unmanned aircraft may permit infant passengers and asked
the FAA to amend the definition to categorically prohibit the carriage of passengers on an
unmanned aircraft.
First of all, a drone should be defined as any remote controlled device that flies and has any kind of camera.
Next, given that inexpensive drones are now available and being bought in record numbers, and that each one is capable of being misused to spy on unsuspecting people and violate their right to privacy, we need several things done.
The areas where drones can be flown need to be very small, and strictly defined. There need to large fines and long jail sentences for using a drone to spy on someone by flying over that person's private property or nearby areas. If a drone flies over a person's private property or an adjacent property, that person should have a right to bring down or destroy that drone, and have any images recorded or transmitted by that drone instantly destroyed, and the owner and operator fined and jailed.
I just wonder how long before terrorists realize they could use drones for attacks? How about running one into a jet engine of a airplane, or load one up with explosives? No more suicide bombers, just suicide drones. Yes its going to be fun times watching the authorities try and keep track of these things.
FTA: The agency will not charge the $5 fee for the first 30 days, he said. Current U.S. law requires that the agency charge the fee, which is the same for small private planes and airliners, he said.
So which is it? Is the agency required to charge the fee, or is the fee at the discretion of the agency?
I am somewhat amused that the FAA is opening registration in just one week and expecting 100% compliance - and over the holidays, no less.
My guess is that the registration stampede will crash their system, at least that is my hope.
The only good part of this regulation is that the pilot is registering, not individual aircraft. Also, the pilot registration number need not be visible on the outside of the aircraft.
Amusingly enough, the regulation does not say anything about the media these numbers will be printed on; flash paper seems to be a nice choice...
Maybe you are thinking of GMRS? Many of the cheap handhelds cover both frequency bands, but only use on the GMRS frequencies needs a license....
Remember "News for Nerds, Stuff that Matters"? Help make it a reality again! http://soylentnews.org
Since you can legally be in the USA without necessarily being a citizen (just visiting, legal permanent resident, et al), are non-citizens forbidden from flying drones?
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
Pay attention this time if you previously ignored me:
First comes registration, "so we know who's doing it" and "so we can hold 'bad actors' accountable" ... CHECK!
Then comes fees, "so the people involved pay for the cost of registration/regulation" ... CHECK! (after February, registration will cost money, and over the years ahead that price will rise to cover the bureaucracy that will grow)
With those things in place, the new drone bureaucracy will need something to do to justify its existence, so rules and rules and more rules will be created and horror stories will be pushed by the agency in an effort to propagandize voters and congress into supporting licensing. Sure, propaganda to push policy is illegal in the US, but the current administration just had to admit that its EPA has been illegally doing it, and of course when government breaks the actual LAW (not just some "rule") NOBODY goes to jail.
Note: the new rules call for thousands of dollars in penalties and up to 3 years jail time for violations already... these guys are wasting no time with the thumb screws.
After licensing, there will be criminal penalties for flying without a pilot's license of some sort and for operating an unregistered drone.
There WILL be seizures of drones at some point from some users who were harming NOBODY, just violating some rule. There's no reason to register a thing other than to be able to find and take the thing.
Of course, as usual, all of this will be just FINE with big business who will happily champion every new regulation and restriction because they will have the financial and legal power to navigate the bureaucracy AND it will help squelch any upstart companies that might want to enter the market and upset it with competition. Just watch. This is a pattern that we have seen time and time again. It's what the Big Business/Big Government collaboration does and being surprised by it is like being surprised that tigers eat other animals.
licensing requirements for CB radios were back in the 1970s.
And just like the FCC, the FAA isn't going to have the resources to go after every kid with an RC quadcopter.
They don't have to go after every kid. They only have to go after enough and make the fine high enough that it is too risky to fly a drone without registering.
If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
So we'll start seeing new drones with lighter cameras and that work in tandem to perform the tasks of heavier drones. No doubt that making it under the weight limit will be a significant selling point...
But this will start the boom in insurance.
No one's going enforce anything or use this data aside from businesses exploiting this data.
If a drone wrecks into your house, gov't isn't going to do squat for you. They and the industry just pushed that responsibility to you, regardless if it was a lost signal, fly away, h/w defect or s/w bug (their fault). Heck I'm waiting for the 'you're holding it wrong' situation with drones--cause it's coming. The only time that info will be used is you making the effort to get that info and some insurance company charging us (and penalizing all of us via higher rates) to get the responsible for the wreck.
You see, this is moving all responsibility to do any follow up to the owners, the consumers, while the industry merrily moves forward with disrespect for reasonable use. Heck that's how the auto industry started (emissions & efficiency) and we're paying the price....
1. Fly UAV without markings that requires some sort secret init code (e.g. control stick startup pattern) from transmitter to begin operation.
2. Always have a second UAV in your possession with required markings that works by default with the transmitter without an init code.
3. If you are accused of wrongdoing you just scuttle the UAV and claim you are not yet flying yours.
It's just not clear to me if your UAV is unmarked how they can prove who is controlling it.
Just duct tape a gun to your drone and tell the government that they're violating your second amendment rights if they try to force you to register the apparatus. They're too scared of the NRA to follow through.
... only terrorists will have drones.
This is great EXCEPT only US Citizens can register. So any foreign nationals, international students, visitors, etc. will NOT be able to fly multicopters or RC airplanes.
licensing requirements for CB radios were back in the 1970s.
And just like the FCC, the FAA isn't going to have the resources to go after every kid with an RC quadcopter.
Individuals are not required to get a license to operate CB radios. Hams on the other do.
Listen to the frequencies assigned to each group and let us know how well each operate.
https://www.washingtonpost.com...
Here's the important part for the 'tl,dr' crowd: The FAA is focusing on educating drone operators, since they believe most illegal operation of drones is due to ignorance on the part of the operators. Forcing you to pay a whole $5 for 3 years and put a number on your drone is a way to make you pay attention and learn the rules. Again: you're getting off EASY, they're not assuming everyone is a criminal or terrorist, they're not outlawing drones, they're not doing this to make money (in fact it probably COSTS more to operate the registration process than the $5 they're charging).
Are YOU using the TOOL, or is the TOOL using YOU? Think about it!
The ATF has finally unveiled its new hand gun registration rules. Starting on 21 December, all newly-purchased hand guns between .22 and .500 caliber must be registered before their first use. Owners of hand guns purchased before that time must register by 19 February 2016. The ATF will charge $5 to register the hand guns, though the first month of registrations will be free. "Make no mistake: gun enthusiast are militia, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility," said ATF director John Doe. "Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their guns safely. I'm excited to welcome these new gun enthusiast into the culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation." There is also an age requirement: kids under the age of 13 will not be allowed to register a gun by themselves.
A scale model airplane is an "aircraft" just as much as your R/C toy cars are "vehicles". All toy cars should thus have vehicle registration.
Brainless fucking government overreach.
Is my 9oz foam rc plane a drone? It has no self-guidance, no GPS, no FPV camera on board, it's just a scratch-built remote-controlled model airplane.
The linked "article" is light on information, therefore a RTFA! shout doesn't work in this case...
Hi, I'm from the government and I'm here to help you.
Now, people like me who fly RC airplanes and helicopters will have to register our stuff too. We always fly in a CONTROLLED environment, away from people, or out in a field on a farm. Thanks to these dunderheads, with their quadcopters
Just like the CB license....the FCC did not have the resources to enforce.
The FAA does not have the authority nor the resources to enforce this..... So just make up a registration number put it on your machine and fly away..
Nobody will know the difference...
And if you are worried about someone asking just create a fake ID....
I could support this registration if the FAA would step up and squash local and state law makers!
Right now there are a wave of new laws being proposed by every state and local government regulating airspace.
If my UAS is an aircraft then I want clear and easy to follow airspace rules which do not change from street to street depending on what township may decide to regulate that airspace.
Except that RC flying clubs are sort of insular and anti-quadcopter in some cases. Heck, they disparage folks buying ARF (almost ready to fly) models. You should have built it from balsa and tissue paper and dope, or, maybe, monokote, if you were lazy.
There's a bunch of guys with white hair going "back when I was..." and "you shouldn't be doing that..."
And then they have a lot of flying rules at their flying fields.
Compare that to someone who forks out $300 at Brookstone for a Parrot, flies it around their living room a couple times, then heads down to the park with some friends and a cooler to have fun.
It's awfully easy to fly the modern quads, compared to the comparatively difficult chore of flying a traditional RC plane. All those guys (and they are almost all guys) at the flying field feel that you should pay your dues by flying real RC.
Please tell me Thinkgeek sells a Penis Drone (Nice cock block at 0:39, by the way) that I would then be required to register with the FAA! I think they'd sell like hotcakes!
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Individuals are not required to get a license to operate CB radios.
You missed the part where I said "Back in the 1970s".
CB once required an FCC-issued station callsign and a license that was more or less automatically issued upon application (no test required like Amateur Radio). The license application came in the box with every CB rig sold, but I would be amazed if even 10% of them were ever mailed in. In addition to the license, there were (and still are) rules against all manner of activity which is common on the 27 MHz band, such as playing music, profanity/obscenity, hobby operations (that what Ham Radio was made for--CB was intended primarily for business and traffic safety purposes), running RF power amplifiers, and working DX stations (more than 100 miles distance, IIRC.
The CB craze of the '70s completely overwhelmed the FCC, who essentially abandoned any enforcement of their regs on that whole area of spectrum. About the only time you see a CBer subjected to FCC enforcement is if their rig is interfering with another licensed service, such as broadcast or amateur. 27 MHz is still a swamp today because of it...
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The battery alone for my largest heli (and it isn't big as helis go) weights 350g. I will not register it. I might possibly attack a sticker with a picture of Snoopy in aviation gear on his doghouse, shot up and streaming smoke... would that be an acceptable substitute?
From the USAtoday article: http://www.usatoday.com/story/...
The registry could be challenged in court.
Marc Scribner, a transportation expert at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, an advocacy group for limited government, said the FAA should have allowed public notice and comment about the final rule for the registry, which will be published Tuesday in the Federal Register. Ignoring those requirements means government officials "are practically demanding litigation," Scribner said.
“The FAA’s mandatory consumer drone registration scheme is both unreasonable and probably illegal,” said Eli Dourado, director of the technology policy program at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, who said he expects the registry to be overturned if challenged in court. “There is little evidence that small consumer drones — essentially toys — pose a risk to the national airspace.”
A 2012 law that called for the FAA to develop rules for commercial drones explicitly prohibited the FAA from regulating “model aircraft” for “hobby or recreational use” that is operating within community-set guidelines.
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What to do if you just made one..... from various bits and pieces... how do you register this?
If you ever might want to own a drown in the future, go register a few dozen times now and stock up your licenses. Save you $5 on every drone.
No surprise here. Battery-powered flying craft + populated areas = regulation.
https://www.youtube.com/result...
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