WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nearly 300,000 owners have registered their small unmanned aircraft in the first 30 days after the FAA’s online registration system went live.
“I am pleased the public responded to our call to register,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “The National Airspace System is a great resource and all users of it, including UAS users, are responsible for keeping it safe.”
“The registration numbers we’re seeing so far are very encouraging,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “We’re working hard to build on this early momentum and ensure everyone understands the registration requirement.”
The agency continues to see a steady stream of daily registrations, officials noted.
The FAA’s registration rule, which took effect Dec. 21, 2015, applies to small unmanned aircraft that weigh between 0.55 pounds and 55 pounds. Owners must register before they fly outdoors.
People who operated their small unmanned aircraft before Dec. 21 must register by Feb. 19, 2016.
The current online system is only available for owners who intend to use their small unmanned aircraft exclusively for recreational or hobby purposes, FAA officials note.
The FAA is working to make the online registration system available for non-model aircraft users, such as commercial operators, by March 21.
Registration is simple and is done online. Once the owner enters the required information — complete name, mailing address, physical address, and email address — they receive a registration number and certificate that they can print out. The certificate includes the registration number that must be marked on all aircraft that meet the registration requirement. Registration is valid for three years.
It costs $5 to register, which covers all the small unmanned aircraft that owners intend to use exclusively for recreational or hobby purposes.
Owners who registered in the first month received a refund for the $5 application fee, FAA officials noted.
To register, go to FAA.gov/uas/registration.
And while the FAA is running way behind on EVERYTHING they are supposed to be doing, they are now focused on building a big register of model airplane owners for the purpose of WHAT???
One word: Insanity…
Respectfully, I’d like to see a little more care used in the use of the term “drone”. There’s such a negative stigma associated with those uneducated on the subject. I can see this getting picked up by a news site saying “there are now 300,000 drones that can spy on you while you sleep” or some clickbait malarkey like that. As stated in the article, these 300,000 registrations, myself included, encompass not only drones but all unmanned aircraft. A radio control P-51 Mustang is not a drone, even if it may pose the same risks to full scale aircraft.
I agree. I also hope that the lawsuit to overturn this burden’s registration is successful.
I didn’t register a drone. I registered Radio Controlled model aircraft. A hobby that has been in existence for quite a while, now. I started in the mid 70’s and have been flying model aircraft far longer than I have been flying full sized. Nothing on this FAA website (https://registermyuas.faa.gov/) looks like anything I fly. I don’t fly what seems to have caused this over reaction, a quad-copter.
On the bright side, I did receive my refund within a couple of days of registering.