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.

Comments

oh boy!! more government!!

[dlt074]

they are taking more money from us, so we will be safer!

their solution to everything. disgusting.

Model Airplanes/Rockets

[jellomizer]

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.

Re:Model Airplanes/Rockets

[meerling]

But they weren't even commonly called 'drones' until recently.

Re:Model Airplanes/Rockets

[Grishnakh]

Yeah, but those old remote-control airplanes couldn't leave your sight, so people only used them in wide-open fields. It was easy to tell who the operators of an R/C airplane were. Now they have remote cameras and can travel for many miles.

Re:Model Airplanes/Rockets

[ColdWetDog]

I agree with you but I would point out that the FAA has long kept it's finger on model rocketry and radio controlled aircraft. They have been happy to do it with low key regulation and the concept that if they can self regulate and Keep Out Of Trouble, then the long logbook of the law won't bother them. It's a philosophy that has worked with amateur radio for years.

But the sheer number of drones and the various and disparate people crashing them into every object above coffee table height has pushed them to do something.

And something, so far, has been pretty reasonable.

It's a compromise. Nobody is happy.

Re:Model Airplanes/Rockets

[Anonymous Coward]

Note, that is $5 every three years. The FAA is making a list without any benefit to the people on the list. Thanks.

Re:Model Airplanes/Rockets

[fahrbot-bot]

I'm all for the government minding their own business...

Just noting that minding your/mine/our business *is* their business. If everyone was honest, fair and responsible (etc) and minded their own business we wouldn't need government to legislate and arbitrate things.

Re:Model Airplanes/Rockets

[Anonymous Coward]

> But RC Helicopters are hardly ruined by a $5 tax.

RC helicopters and RC fixed-wing aircraft have no registration requirement. Only "drones" are subject to this requirement.

The Academy of Model Aeronautics and its sincere and earnest outreach efforts (the majority of which is its cultivation and support of local RC model aeronautics clubs, and the remainder of which is its liaison between the FCC and the model airplane clubs) has done a *really* good job of cultivating a culture of safe, sane, and responsible RC piloting.

I know that the existence of a liaison between a federal agency and regular citizens is a *strong* indicator of graft and/or corruption. In the case of the AMA, it is most definitely *not*. The AMA is a *really* great force for good in this space and uses the money collected from dues effectively and responsibly. Full-scale pilots universally agree that the regulations that the AMA and the FAA hammer out are sane, safe, and (most importantly) prioritize the safety of full-scale air traffic over the operation of a model airfield.

It's a damn shame that *so* many retailers sold semi- or fully-autonomous RC aircraft without *strongly* stressing that the purchaser go take a serious look at the local model airplane club. Every store that specializes in model aircraft steers purchasers towards the local club. the training that these clubs provide prevents the purchaser from augering their new toy into the ground ten seconds after they put it together, *and* teaches them how to fly it responsibly and safely, rather than flying it like a fucking asshole and endangering themselves and others.

A bad way to regulate

[timrod]

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.

Wait, what? $56 million Dollar Website for what?

[Hercules Peanut]

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.

Whiners, LISTEN UP:

[kheldan]

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.

Re:BwaaaaHahahah

[Penguinisto]

...using a credit card you bought with cash under your target's name at some convenience store?

This is going to be as well adhered to as the FCC

[Ellis D. Tripp]

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.

Re:Wait, what? $56 million Dollar Website for what

[orgelspieler]

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?!