You Have to Register Your Drones With The FAA

griffinhart said:
No, only drones of 250 Grams or higher need to be registered.
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And indoors is not part of the National Airspace that the FAA is empowered to regulate.

Seriously, drone races, autonomous and controlled, inside auditoriums and other really large buildings, or maybe big buildings with terrific open hallways.

I don't even have any drones or model aircraft, but I could get into it.
 
tunatime said:
I don't think a drone could take down a plane unless it gets lucky. As for as packed full of explosive unless its a big drone it cant have that much in it and still take off. Don't kid yourself this is a control not a safety thing.
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Fly a decently sized one into the intake of a jet engine of a plane landing or taking off and flame out the engine.

Still, I don't think this law will stop anyone except the complete idiots who have no business flying large model aircraft in the first place. Anyone with a criminal bent isn't going to care. Once again, a law that only affects people who don't engage in the sort of behavior that inspired the law in the first place. Shame on whichever congresscritter appended this rider to the bill.
 
DigitalisAkujin said:
I don't get any of this. Growing up people flew models for fun and it was no big deal. Sometimes they were huge compared to drones. Where a drone can literally be one foot squared these things would have 5 foot wingspans and actually fly like a missile instead of hovering in place. I still consider it to be mostly a toy most of the time used to get cool views in parks and forests used within line of sight.

It feels like this is one of those catch-all laws where most people will claim ignorance and just play with the drones as toys regardless of FAA rules. A regular person doesn't even know about any of these rules or regulations and when they pick these things up at a Walmart they just think it's a cool toy using it once or twice and then never again. Also what about people vacationing? Tons of tourists bring drones on vacation and never bother to register.

99% of these people never have a problem. Do we really need all these regulations?
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Read the rules the FAA setup.

This doesn't always apply to your average guy who buys a $500 quad copter or goes down to the hobby shop and gets a radio controlled airplane.

In simplest terms:
If it's large AND can fly remotely out of line of sight, then you need to register it. It doesn't matter if it's a fixed wing aircraft, single rotor helicopter, or multi-rotor copter. I know this is oversimplifying it, but many people are still confusing old hobbyist remote controlled vehicles with what is technically a drone. I blame the over use of the term because everyone seems to be labeling anything that can hover and hold a camera as a drone."Drones" implies it has some sort of computer autopilot or a camera setup on board to be remotely piloted.

Examples:
-Large 1/4 scale R/C airplane that weighs 60+ pounds and can fly 100+ mph. By itself does NOT need to be registered as a drone because you will be flying it within line of sight and follows old rules. If you slap an autopilot/computer and/or camera system so you can pilot it beyond the airfield, you will have to register it because you have the equivalent of a hobbyist made cruise missile if used inappropriately.

-Small "Tiny Whoop" style quadcopter with camera setup for drone racing. Don't have to register as it is too small for the government to care about. The thing doesn't have enough motor power to carry anything noteworthy, not enough power to fly high, nor enough mass to do much damage to any other aircraft.
 
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mnewxcv said:
In December 2015, the FAA issued an interim rule requiring drone hobbyists to register their recreational aircraft with the agency.

I didn't realize this ever went away. It isn't really a big deal. Idiot drone owners will still fly without doing this, without carrying their FAA registration card, and without checking the legality of the area they are flying beforehand.
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First thing I did about a year or two ago when I bought my drone was register it. Thought it was mandatory over a certain weight. It's pretty easy to know in my area where I can fly after I looked at the map on the app you can download. Also don't fly over people (which I do sometimes anyway).
 
So its the same rules they put into place years ago which then expired or they stopped enforcing, but now they are again...is that about the sum of it?
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
This doesn't always apply to your average guy who buys a $500 quad copter
In simplest terms:
If it's large AND can fly remotely out of line of sight, then you need to register it.
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DJI Sparks are not large, under 500 dollars, and they're over 250 grams.
 
Lizard Testes said:
DJI Sparks are not large, under 500 dollars, and they're over 250 grams.
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I said "doesn't always apply". ;)

Large is a relative word to the US government. A DJI spark can fly high enough, has enough mass, and potentially nasty Li-on battery on board to do serious damage if it collided with a small aircraft or sucked into a small jet turbine like those on commercial helicopters. It would not likely take out the aircraft, but could possibly force an emergency landing. Would this scenario ever happen? Would it be deadly? Doubtful if ever, but the FAA seems to think so. We have to keep in mind these are the same guys who banned cell phones on planes due to possible radio interference with almost zero evidence proving it occurred.

I do agree with most and feel 250 grams is a bit too small to be making law. Rather, I think it needs to be substantially raised to 10+ pounds.
 
not a fan of registration but...if it has to be....they could make it a requirement if you are going to fly in the airspace above property that you dont own. maybe thats a reasonable compromise.

or increase the weight limits a little and perhaps allow a portion of the weight parameter to be battery weight....

i dont know, i dont own a drone. but i dont like the idea of registration.

it reminds me of the bs i have to put up with in jersey and owning firearms....../sigh
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
Read the rules the FAA setup.

This doesn't always apply to your average guy who buys a $500 quad copter or goes down to the hobby shop and gets a radio controlled airplane.

In simplest terms:
If it's large AND can fly remotely out of line of sight, then you need to register it. It doesn't matter if it's a fixed wing aircraft, single rotor helicopter, or multi-rotor copter. I know this is oversimplifying it, but many people are still confusing old hobbyist remote controlled vehicles with what is technically a drone. I blame the over use of the term because everyone seems to be labeling anything that can hover and hold a camera as a drone."Drones" implies it has some sort of computer autopilot or a camera setup on board to be remotely piloted.

Examples:
-Large 1/4 scale R/C airplane that weighs 60+ pounds and can fly 100+ mph. By itself does NOT need to be registered as a drone because you will be flying it within line of sight and follows old rules. If you slap an autopilot/computer and/or camera system so you can pilot it beyond the airfield, you will have to register it because you have the equivalent of a hobbyist made cruise missile if used inappropriately.

-Small "Tiny Whoop" style quadcopter with camera setup for drone racing. Don't have to register as it is too small for the government to care about. The thing doesn't have enough motor power to carry anything noteworthy, not enough power to fly high, nor enough mass to do much damage to any other aircraft.
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Somebody needs to get the AMA on board. This is off their website. It makes no mention of autonomous/autopilot/camera/computer/line of sight - only that it's radio controlled:

From the AMA site:

Q: Do only drones and multirotor operators need to register?
A: No. Anyone who flies a model that is over 0.55 lbs (or 250 grams) and uses a ground-control system with a communications link, such as an RC transmitter, is required to register. If you exclusively fly models under .55 pounds, indoors, CL, or FF - you do not need to register.
 
Dullard said:
Somebody needs to get the AMA on board. This is off their website. It makes no mention of autonomous/autopilot/camera/computer/line of sight - only that it's radio controlled:

From the AMA site:

Q: Do only drones and multirotor operators need to register?
A: No. Anyone who flies a model that is over 0.55 lbs (or 250 grams) and uses a ground-control system with a communications link, such as an RC transmitter, is required to register. If you exclusively fly models under .55 pounds, indoors, CL, or FF - you do not need to register.
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wow. That sucks.

(n)
 
CaptNumbNutz said:
wow. That sucks.

(n)
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Agreed. I fly fixed wing, helis, and quads. I'll register, just in case local Barney Fife wants to pull a sting at the flying field, but I'm not too concerned with the FAA coming down on me. Something tells me they are just looking for leverage over idiots blocking police/news helis over crime scenes, blocking fire fighting flights, stupid shit that I have no interest in.
 
There seems to be a lot of confusion regarding the term "drone".
* To many people any multicopter, and just about no other type of aircraft, is considered a drone.
* To me a drone is an aircraft (rotor, fixed wing or lighter than air) with an autopilot that allow autonomous flight and navigation. The user just has to enter the desired flightpath, before and/or during flight. Conventional remote controlled aircraft that require constant input from a pilot on the ground are not drones.

I wonder what the legislators say?
 
HeadRusch said:
So its the same rules they put into place years ago which then expired or they stopped enforcing, but now they are again...is that about the sum of it?
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It didn't expire. It was challenged in court and repealed. This move just reinstates the rule a different way. The biggest difference is that the FAA can blow me this time :)
 
I know a lot of people that should be cheering about this because they were the same ones complaining about drones posing a danger and invasion of privacy over the years...but are the same ones suddenly bitching about this because of who signed it into law...
 
Grimlaking said:
Because of course if they are going to blow up an airplane the will be using clearly marked drones that show them as the owner? Lets say they account for failure in the plan... the drone would have fake markings pointing to someone else.
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I think the law was written more towards all the idiots of the world trying to film takeoffs and flying into a jet engine and stuff like that.

But even if something is done for nefarious reasons doesnt mean we shouldnt implement any type of tracking because they might find a way around it. Guns still have serial numbers that are proven useful even when committed during a crime.
 
Dullard said:
Somebody needs to get the AMA on board. This is off their website. It makes no mention of autonomous/autopilot/camera/computer/line of sight - only that it's radio controlled:

From the AMA site:

Q: Do only drones and multirotor operators need to register?
A: No. Anyone who flies a model that is over 0.55 lbs (or 250 grams) and uses a ground-control system with a communications link, such as an RC transmitter, is required to register. If you exclusively fly models under .55 pounds, indoors, CL, or FF - you do not need to register.
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Well dayum. I guess I need to call a damn lawyer and ask for clarification on this. Sheesh. One minute I do not need to register, the next I do, and then again, I don't. There does not seem to be a definitive answer anywhere.
 
BSmith said:
Well dayum. I guess I need to call a damn lawyer and ask for clarification on this. Sheesh. One minute I do not need to register, the next I do, and then again, I don't. There does not seem to be a definitive answer anywhere.
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It's really incoherent right now. There are even different versions on the FAA website, depending on what page you hit. One page says everything radio controlled over .55lbs, with a link to a page that says you don't have to register if following AMA CBO guidlines - then the AMA has the statement in the post you quoted.
 
Well, I have some time as the SR-71 is locked up for the winter. I sure would hate to mar that plane with some sticker. I spent a lot of time, and money, on making it match the real one.
 
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