FAA to Require Recreational Drone Operators to Register

[frigidmagi]

NBC News

Federal regulators announced Monday that recreational drone operators will be required to register their aircraft.

"There can be no accountability if the person breaking the rules can't be identified," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said at a news conference.

A task force of more than two dozen people will be responsible for creating guidelines for the national registry by Nov. 20, with the goal of instilling the program before the end of the holiday season, when around 1 million drones are expected to be sold.

The increased number of recreational drones worries FAA officials and pilots, who have reported seeing twice the number of unmanned aircraft while flying this year than they did during all of 2014. A spate of high-profile incidents — including drones' crashing into the stands at the U.S. Open tennis tournament and interfering with firefighting efforts in California — has increased pressure to regulate the use of unmanned aircraft.

Congress asked the FAA to create national drone regulations by October. After missing the deadline, the FAA told NBC News that the new rules should be finalized by "next spring."

Related: FAA Misses Deadline for Creating Drone Regulations

The national registry will not hinder efforts to create overarching regulations, Foxx said. The registry task force will be made up of representatives from the federal government and the aviation and unmanned aircraft industries.

It will decide which drone owners are exempt from the registry and whether people who already own drones will be forced to register them.

Drone operators will be hit with "penalties" if they fail to register their drones, Foxx said, although it's not clear what those penalties will be.

Registration will help make sure that operators know the rules and remain accountable to the public for flying their unmanned aircraft responsibly," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said. "When they don't fly safely, they'll know there will be consequences."

Not only will a registry make it easier for law enforcement to hunt down irresponsible drone owners, but it will also help the FAA teach operators about existing regulations.

"People registering their drones will be exposed to the rules and the reasons for the rules," Foxx said.

Recently, drones have become popular with everyone from hobbyists to filmmakers to farmers looking to watch over their crops. Many in the drone industry have been clamoring for clear guidelines.

Brandon Torres Declet, chief executive of drone start-up Measure, wrote in a statement to NBC News that it welcomed "the FAA's efforts to increase accountability and discourage bad behavior among drone users."

"Too many newcomers to the industry have ignored the rules and put aircraft in the national airspace at risk, while commercial drone service providers have made the effort to work with the FAA," he said.

[Josh]

Speaking as somebody who keeps a dubious eye on regulatory capability, this one is a logical step. Airspace issues are going to be a nightmare to work out over the next few years.

I love the upside of drones, but especially when you have potential conflict with passenger airliners shit's got to get reined in.

[B4UTRUST]

Given the absolutely massive ease of home 3d printing and online parts ordering and the ability to more or less make your own drones at home instead of buying a pre-made one, how in the hell do they plan to be able to actually enforce these registrations much less catch people doing it 'illegally'? Honestly, it sounds like a lot of bullshit political makework to try to show that they're doing something when in fact they're pretty much going to be able to do fuck all when you get down to it.

[Josh]

No idea. Jamming control signals in certain areas?

We're heading for some chaotic shit here.

[Karrick]

Jamming is almost certainly a no-no. I don't know what else uses the most common remote aircraft frequencies, but I'd be willing to bet that neither the FAA or the FCC want any interference with them.

[B4UTRUST]

An Update:
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Regulation of drones in the hands of civilian pilots took a big step forward today. The Federal Aviation Administration announced that all units weighing between 0.55 pounds and 50 pounds must be registered by February 19th, 2016. Anyone caught flying without proper registration after that date could face stiff penalties. The FAA says civil penalties include a fine of up to $27,500. Criminal penalties include a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years in jail.

The registration will usually include a $5 fee, but the FAA is waiving that for the first 30 days in an effort to encourage participation. It notes that "registrants will need to provide their name, home address and e-mail address. Upon completion of the registration process, the web application will generate a Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership that will include a unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the aircraft." Time to break out those decal packs.

You can't actually register until December 21st, although you can begin the process now. And this registration only covers civilian pilots and hobbyists, not people who want to use a drone for commercial purposes. The FAA did note in this press release, however, that it is "developing enhancements that will allow such online registrations by spring of 2016" for commercial operators.

LICENSE AND REGISTRATION PLEASE

Owners using the web based registration must be at least 13 years old. It's unclear if younger pilots can apply through snail mail."Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility," said US secretary of transportation 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."

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced a streamlined and user-friendly web-based aircraft registration process for owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS) weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms) including payloads such as on-board cameras.
The Registration Task Force delivered recommendations to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on November 21. The rule incorporates many of the task force recommendations.
“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.”
Registration is a statutory requirement that applies to all aircraft. Under this rule, any owner of a small UAS who has previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to December 21, 2015, must register no later than February 19, 2016. Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after December 21, 2015 must register before the first flight outdoors. Owners may use either the paper-based process or the new streamlined, web-based system. Owners using the new streamlined web-based system must be at least 13 years old to register.
Owners may register through a web-based system at http://www.faa.gov/uas/registration
Registrants will need to provide their name, home address and e-mail address. Upon completion of the registration process, the web application will generate a Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership that will include a unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the aircraft.
Owners using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS. The registration is valid for three years.
The normal registration fee is $5, but in an effort to encourage as many people as possible to register quickly, the FAA is waiving this fee for the first 30 days (from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan 20, 2016).
“We expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this holiday season,” said FAA Administrator Huerta. “Registration gives us the opportunity to educate these new airspace users before they fly so they know the airspace rules and understand they are accountable to the public for flying responsibly.”
The online registration system does not yet support registration of small UAS used for any purpose other than hobby or recreation – for example, using an unmanned aircraft in connection with a business. The FAA is developing enhancements that will allow such online registrations by spring of 2016.
The full rule can be viewed here: http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/20151213_IFR.pdf