Drones Purchases To Be Registered In The US

Drone buyers will soon be required to register their devices with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Also, it’s unclear if this new plan will affect past drone purchases or all new ones going forward.

The announcement is expected to be made by U.S. Treasury Secretary Anthony Foxx and Michael Huerta, administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, at a news conference attended by members of the drone industry.

The Obama administration, faced with a surge in unauthorized drone flights, will announce a new initiative on Monday aimed at registering the owners of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

As CBS News reported, at least 650 drone sightings have been reported by pilots so far this year as compared to 238 in all of 2014.

The move is reportedly meant to increase airplane safety, and comes amid concerns about possible collisions between consumer drones and larger aircraft. FAA official Rich Swayze said last month the agency expects that a million drones could be sold this holiday season.

The administration hopes a registry would encourage hobbyists and other drone owners to follow rules meant to prevent the aircraft from crashing into planes or hurting people on the ground, according to the person.

Oh, and as for SkyPan, they’ve responded to the FAA fine, saying they’ve only flown their drones over private property, not in public spaces or restricted airspace.

The government has been concerned about the rise in close calls between unmanned drones and aircraft flying into and out of a few of the nation’s biggest airports.