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Drone Pilots In China Have to Register With the Government (engadget.com)
China's Civil Aviation Authority has announced that drone pilots will be required to register any unmanned aerial vehicle heavier than 0.55 pounds with the government starting on June 1st. "Online registration will open up on May 18th, and the government will start publishing no-fly zone data for civilian airports on the same day," reports Engadget. From the report: The initiative will also see regulators working with local government and police to curb drone interference, and will eventually standardize commercial drone use with four main categories: aerial photography, agricultural use, aviation photography and license training. The country already recognizes over 200 training outlets that have issued over 14,000 certificates so far, so some of this standardization would really just expand on what's already happening. It's hard to escape concerns that this will help the government crack down on drone pilots for spurious reasons, such as when they record protests or questionable government activities. However, the registration officially comes as a response to a mounting number of safety incidents involving drones at airports. Authorities note that Chengdu alone saw eight examples of drone interference since April, six of which grounded 138 flights. If those sorts of figures are applicable elsewhere, that's a lot hassle and potential danger.
China's Civil Aviation Authority has announced that drone pilots will be required to register any unmanned aerial vehicle heavier than 0.55 pounds with the government starting on June 1st.
Hmm... Ok, sounds like 250 grams.
Everything I write is lies, read between the lines.
I'm pretty sure they specified the limit weight as 250 grams.
But hey, this is Slashdot...
Flying above other peoples property places them at risk. Those who do so should be held both criminally and civilly responsible.
Time is what keeps everything from happening all at once.
These are not PILOTS, these are OPERATORS!
When the number is old and faded, you don't call the pilot, you call the operator!
It doesn't have to make sense when you're the president!
Drones flying around are potentially dangerous, intrusive into privacy and are already being used in crime; I don't think anybody can dey that this is the case. I think it makes perfect sense to require them to be registered and sold under a license, and I think it is nonsense to talk about how "the government" is going to keep everybody under close surveillance that way - it is simply not practically possible, since the amount of investment in computer processing power required would far outstrip the rather infinitesimal benefits, not to mention the staggering manpower necessary to make sense of the data. The real benefits of a registration and licensing scheme is that it makes illegal operators stand out, just like it does for cars: the police can compare the registration with the identity of the owner, and if things don't add up, they will have the power to do something - confiscate the equipment, fine the operator, prosecute them etc.
Somehow, when China implement such a regulation, it's grandiose. The week after, when the US government goes along the same line as China implementing their own great firewall, it's inadmissible... The leftist mind's dichotomy will never cease to amaze me.
Remember folks, the US would be doing 5% of what Chinese government do, you'd all be demonstrating against "fascism", but as China does it under the name "communism", then suddenly, it's all OK.
Why is this a story? This requirement already exists in the US.
>> Drone Pilots In China Have to Register With the Government
This headline is really really wrong.
First, there's no such thing as "drone pilot", as a drone is a plane without a pilot.
Secondly, in China everbody has to Register with the Government, not only "Drone Pilots"
aaaaaaa
It's what most other counties are doing. Given the number of near misses with passenger aircraft recently this is a disaster waiting to happen.
Build a Man a Fire, and He'll Be Warm for a Day. Set a Man on Fire, and He'll Be Warm for the Rest of His Life.
Between what China is proposing and what we currently have in the U.S. Any drone over 200g in the U.S, 250g in China. Mine don't even tip 150g but I registered them.
Individual Rights and Safety have a balance. As expressed by one of our founders (paraphrased), a person can do whatever they please within their "circle" of freedom. It is when they start to interfere within someone else's circle that liberty ends.
As far as keeping safety around airports goes . . . I think it would be logical to make laws or rules not to permit casual flying of drones around airports. Who would want the 747 they are flying on to be 'dodging drones' as it takes off? That does not mean I am in favor of people having to "register" their drones. If someone really wants to cause a problem around an airport, they would use an "Unregistered Drone", anyway.
As far as laws regarding drones flying over houses, the feds do not need to be involved. Let the local jurisdictions and municipalities decide some of that. Not every locality has the same needs.
So what? Drone pilots in the US also have to register with government. What's the big deal? If it's good enough for the US, it is good enough for anybody, right?
I endorse the license and certificate. I also like to suggest a global cross licensing so that for all people can enjoy drone everywhere for recreational and commercial. The license requirement can supplement with unique country needs and can issue like international driver license. Have American TSA vetting go with an extra miles for personal checking and work with any countries that participate for supplement special instruction.
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Maybe the new should be where you don't have to register?
No, he's correct. Drones are autonomous. Definition: "an unmanned aircraft or ship that can navigate autonomously, without human control or beyond line of sight". Real drones *might* be setup to allow a human to interfere with the controls, but the beauty of a drone is it just flies on its own.
Most of the things, around the world, which are being called "drones" are actually RC (Remote Controlled or Radio Controlled) aircraft. Most the "drones" used by the US military (and CIA) are actually called UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle).
--JLockard - "Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps." - Emo Phillips
If humans would use COMMON SENSE, restrictions, licenses wouldn't be an issue. Been in the R/C group for decades. I don't take my stuff anywhere near an airport, people, homes or buildings. About the only trouble I could get into is crashing into a tree, or a bird that thinks something I fly is a threat.
Golly gee whiz, imagine having to register recreational activities with the government of Chairman Mao's workers' paradise! /sarcasm
Scruting the inscrutable for over 50 years.