WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA has launched a web-based aircraft registration process for owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS) weighing more than 0.55 pounds and less than 55 pounds, including payloads such as on-board cameras.
The new rule incorporates many of the recommendations from the Registration Task Force, according to FAA officials.
“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, officials noted.
Under this rule, any owner of a small UAS who has previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to Dec. 21, 2015, must register no later than Feb. 19, 2016.
Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after Dec. 21, 2015 must register before the first flight outdoors. Owners may use either the paper-based process or the new web-based system. Owners using the new streamlined web-based system must be at least 13 years old to register.
Registrants will need to provide their name, home address and email 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 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 Michael 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. FAA officials said they are “developing enhancements that will allow such online registrations by spring of 2016.”
So the government wants to keep track of all the toys? I thought that was Santa Claus job.
Reminiscent of the requirement to get a call sign for CB radios back in the 1970’s………..
…and all I want is a field approval for an obvious and safety related change to my airplane….
It’s funny that a manned aircraft that weighs up to 254 pounds and carries up to 5 U.S. gallons of gasoline can be legally flown almost anywhere in the US, and doesn’t have to be registered, but a 1 pound child’s toy can’t be flown in mom’s back yard- and is subject to a quarter-million dollar fine and/or up to three years imprisonment unless it’s registered… and can’t be flown at all if within a 5-mile radius of an airport.
Registration of model aircraft is about identifying the operator in case of an accident. With a Part 103 ultralight accident, there’s no problem identifying the operator.
The new reg helps to identify the person who registered it,
not necessarily the current owner nor the actual operator.
I know that this is a controversial subject and, my opinion may not be shared by everyone, but as both an Airline Pilot and an avid fan of Model Aviation I am very sad to see what the FAA is doing.
First let me say I agree that something needed to be done regarding the recent explosion of inappropriate multi-rotor model use. My take on this is that the ease of operation, semi-autonomous nature, vertical takeoff and hovering capabilities and FPV functions make these devices prone to be misused in populated or near-airport environments.
On the other hand, Model Aviation is accomplished, in its overwhelming majority, under the rules established by the AMA (those rule prohibit the unsafe operations of models and are strictly enforced at flying fields), models where flown in fields sanctioned and insured by the AMA and for 80 years this mode of operating Model Airplanes proved to be safe. Try flying a larger Model Airplane in a park or urban setting (other than a very small and light park flyer) and the chances of having to talk to a cop and having to leave the premises will be high.
Congress dictated that Model Aviaiton was NOT to be included in the FAA rulings regarding Drone operations but the FAA does whatever they want anyway, what gives???
A friend told me that there is a picture circulating the internet of an Ultralight aircraft next to a small foam radio controlled plane. The caption says something to the effect that the big plane didn’t need registration and its pilot didn’t need a license but if you wanted to fly the small model you did 🙂 I think that exemplifies what of a travesty this FAA action will become.
For starters, beginning less than a week from now, and just as the holiday breaks are beginning for kids, it will be illegal to fly a model plane unless you register in the FAAs brand new web site while hundreds of thousands of people are trying to do the same at once. Good luck and thank you Grinch.
According the the FAA (http://www.faa.gov/airports/airport_safety/wildlife/media/Wildlife-Strike-Report-1990-2014.pdf), in 2014 there were 13,688 bird strikes – and not one of thoes birds was registered (had they been registered I am sure that they would not have hit the aircraft ;). A search using google found ZERO aircraft drone collisions. I just don’t see how having government agents out at flying fields harassing good kids for not having a RC aircraft / drone registered is going to make anyone safer – the FAA needs to focus on the bad guys and not the good guys. Putting a tiny registration number on a RC toy is not going to make any difference, how could it?? – the idiot RC Drone flyers (the ones who fly in restricted air space) are still going to be idiots – stopping them is where the focus needs to be.
The FAA has identified the airports/approaches with the most drone “near misses”, why not put some spotters and law enforcement at the problem areas and start hauling idiots off to jail. See: http://www.claimsjournal.com/news/national/2015/12/15/267589.htm
Problem is most of the people who buy these have no idea what the rules are. There is no reason for them to learn them really. The FAA was overdue in this rule, should have been here 6 months or more ago. The vast majority of drone owners need education. They also need to know the penalties for violation of the rules.
How is a $5 dollar fee going to educate anyone. Ten years from now it will be $50 yearly so the bureaucrats can do the paper work. Why not just include a simplified set of rules in each package that is sold.
John B
One more step in the direction of a police state., what a dis-service for all the people of this country.
Hobbyist have been flying radio controlled with few problems now “big brother” wants another reason to look over your shoulder. When are they going to ask you to register all radio controller devices. The FAA will screw this up just like the FCC did with citizen band radios.
Requiring FAA registration every 3 years (for $5), for a 1 pound toy drone flown in one’s own backyard, typically staying below 50 AGL, and within about 50 yards of the owner’s home in any direction, with all the flying done in a yard otherwise with nearby 200 ft+ adjacent high trees surrounding the entire yard anyway, that go much higher than the drone will ever fly, just because flying that drone happens to be in a big city suburb closer than 5 miles from a relatively modest regional airport, and then having to coordinate that flying with that airport’s ATCT,… is utterly absurd. It is time for a major “reset” for both FAA and DOT’s leadership, as well as replacing the functionary policy wonk minions in FAA’s AVS and AAT, as well as the attorneys in FAA AGC, who are dreaming up and deciding on these absurd bureaucratic and completely over-specified, as well as ineffective and inefficient drone policies.
And with the decision to charge $5, the FAA has essentially guaranteed that no one will register their drone. Sigh. I don’t know what mechanisms they think they have in place to force registration, but I imagine it will be trivial to buy a drone from somewhere that doesn’t report your billing or shipping info to the FAA, and then you simply ignore the FAA mandate.
Conversation heard round the world: “Don’t you have to register this or something somewhere?” “Oh, I heard something about that, but no one does it.”