Skip to main content

Drone registration looms as task force outlines its recommendations

The Federal Aviation Administration’s specially formed task force has just delivered a set of recommendations on how best to implement a drone registry aimed at helping  to maintain order in U.S. skies and encourage responsible flying.

The agency said recently the goal of the task force was to come up with a framework of rules to “ensure accountability by creating a traceable link between aircraft and owner, and to encourage the maximum levels of regulatory compliance by making the registration process as simple as possible.”

Recommended Videos

Consisting of a range of companies from drone makers to retailers that sell the remotely controlled flying machines, the task force on Monday recommended a simple registration system offered via a website and app. It suggested owners submit only their name and address, while additional information such as email address and phone numbers could be optional.

After submitting their details, a user would then immediately receive an electronic certificate of registration and a personal universal registration number which they would have to mark on their machines.

The recommendations said registrants should be at least 13 years old and could be given a single certificate to cover all of their drones if they happen to own more than one.

The task force suggested that remotely controlled flying machines with a takeoff weight of less than .55 pounds (250 grams) posed little risk of injury to bystanders so needn’t require registration, but added that its recommendations should be applied to all drones weighing up to 55 pounds (25 kg). If the FAA agrees with this particular judgment then it’s clear the vast majority of consumer drones will need to be registered.

Anything heavier may be subject to “additional minimum requirements” to be set out later by the task force.

“Education component”

The group of experts also suggested that the registration process should contain “some sort of education component which could be similar to the existing content in the Know Before You Fly campaign,” though doesn’t go into any detail on this point. The Know Before You Fly campaign launched a year ago and included a video (below) reminding drone owners how to operate their machine responsibly, such as keeping it in sight at all times and flying it no higher than 400 feet.

Know Before You Fly

It should be noted that these are recommendations made by the task force and therefore may not make it into the FAA’s final list of implemented regulations, however, considering the group was assembled for its expert knowledge, we expect most of the group’s suggestions – if not all – will be accepted by the FAA and Department of Transportation.

The registry is likely to be announced in the coming weeks as retailers prepare for record-breaking sales of consumer drones over the holiday season.

The FAA said recently that drone owners should “think twice” about paying any companies offering drone registration services as it’s planning to introduce “a streamlined process that will be simple and easy to complete.”

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
It’s part drone, part plane, and headed to the skies in 2025
autoflight prosperity i

At nine-thirty in the evening, one otherwise nondescript day in November 1954, a Belgian man named Roelants was riding his bicycle in the village of Dudzele, West Flanders. As he passed a dairy, he witnessed a bright light rapidly descend from the sky. As he cycled closer, the light -- which he now realized was some kind of flying object -- rose vertically into the sky and then, suddenly, transitioned to a horizontal flight mode and took off at high speed like a jet plane. The entire incident, which played out in seconds, was entirely silent.

Roelants’ story -- one of many, many similar reports described over the years -- contained lots of the hallmarks of the unidentified flying saucer sighting. These much speculated-upon vehicles were usually assumed to be otherworldly for the primary reason that, put simply, real terrestrial aircraft don’t fly that way.

Read more
Drone pilots face hefty fine if they fly near the Super Bowl
DJI Mavic 2 Pro

Drone pilots have been warned to keep their flying machines well away from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, during Super Bowl 2022 or face a hefty fine of at least $30,000 and potential criminal prosecution. On top of that, drones spotted within the designated no-fly zone could be knocked out of the sky with “deadly force,” according to a flight advisory from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

A temporary flight restriction will be in effect from 2:30 p.m. through 8:30 p.m. PT during the big game on Sunday, February 13. The flight ban covers a 30-nautical-mile radius of the stadium and extends 18,000 feet skyward.

Read more
New drone owner? Check out this video before you fly
dji mavic 2 pro zoom drone deals best buy summer sale 2020 2018 768x479 c

With drones once again expected to be a hot-ticket item over the holiday season, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a safety campaign urging new pilots to follow the rules and take care.

The effort includes a video (below) highlighting the basics and a “12 days of drones” social media campaign with posts featuring various drone-related safety rules.

Read more