What Does the FAA’s New Drone Policy Mean to You?

I’ve put together a comprehensive look at the new drone registration policy.  This full length course walks you through the why, when, and how.  Seeing how steep the penalties are you may want to pay heed.

Failure to register an aircraft may result in regulatory and criminal sanctions. 
The FAA may assess civil penalties up to $27,500. Criminal penalties include fines of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.

The In-Depth Look

If you fly a drone, quadcopter, model airplane, or UAS in the United States airspace, the Federal Aviation Administration wants you to register your device.  These new regulations went into effect today, December 21, 2o15.  While the process of restoring takes less than 5 minutes, there are a lot of hidden details buried within the numerous government documents about UAS registration.

I’ve dug deep into every document that I could find and have put together a comprehensive look at the new regulations.  If you fly, or are thinking about buying a drone I’d strongly suggest watching this tutorial.

Just the Registration Part

If you only want the mechanics on HOW to register using the website… here’s just that part of the tutorial.

Skim the Highlights

Here’s a slide deck with the highlights

The Official Bits

Here’s some of the key details from the FAA.  You can find out more here (http://bit.ly/registeradrone)

Which unmanned aircraft do I have to register?

Owners must register their UAS online if it meets the following guidelines:

• Weighs more than 0.55 lbs. (250 g) and less than 55 lbs. (25 kg). Unmanned Aircraft weighing more than 55 lbs. cannot use this registration process and must register using the Aircraft Registry process.

See examples of UAS that do and do not require registration (PDF).

Owners must register their UAS by paper if it meets the following guidelines:

• Your aircraft is used for commercial purposes.
• Your aircraft is used for other than hobby and recreation.
• Your aircraft is greater than 55 lbs.
• You intend to operate your aircraft outside of the United States.

How do I register my UAS?

It costs only $5 to register your UAS and the process is simple and web-based. Registration is free for the first 30 days. Some things you’ll need before you get started:

• An email address
• Credit or Debit card
• Physical address and mailing address (if different from physical address)

Your registration is valid for three years. Once you receive a registration number, you can use it on all of your unmanned aircraft if they meet the online registration criteria.

---

---

 

Filed under: Photography Tagged: 3DR, DJI, drone, faa, Federal Aviation Administration, Model Airplane, quadcopter, UAS