Got a drone? FAA says you must register it

On Jan. 27, speakers will focus on non-agricultural uses, including drone use in construction and engineering, facility inspection, professional photography and public safety.

“I don’t have an issue with it. I look at it as we’re not doing anything wrong”.

Private drone owners must register their respective crafts no later than February 19, with the first month of registration costing a reasonable $0.00 before drone operators are on the hook for five bucks. In fact, this matter of five bucks is now a big source of contention for those in opposition to the FAA’s new rules.

A 2012 law that called for the FAA to develop rules for commercial drones explicitly prohibited the FAA from regulating “model aircraft” for “hobby or recreational use” that is operating within community-set guidelines. Registration is valid for three years.

Owners are then required to put their registration number on any device they own and carry a registration card when flying. But the registration allows the agency a vehicle to educate owners as thousands get drones as Christmas presents.

“They’ve been so popular that I’m having a hard time keeping them in stock”, said Tim Weyers with HobbyTown USA. The last clause is an interesting one, especially when users these days are flying drones in first-person.

Government and industry officials have expressed concern that drones, like birds, could be sucked into an aircraft engine, smash a cockpit windshield or damage a critical aircraft surface area and cause a crash.

The website to register will be up on Monday.

The FAA would charge $5 per registration on drones weighing nine ounces or more and registration is good for three years. The goal is to help authorities track down an owner if a drone collides with another aircraft, flies too high or encroaches on an airport. That means you have to give someone a copy of the certificate if you loan them your drone.

During the registration process, you will have to provide your complete name, physical address, mailing address, and an email address, but no information about your drone, as long as you’re just using it for fun (as opposed to profit). Payments must be made by credit card. The news comes as customers are expected to purchase 400,000 drones this holiday season alone, according to CNNMoney.

State laws concerning drones have multiplied nearly as fast as the small flying robots in recent years.

Like it or not, drone registration is here to stay, and as more of them are purchased the registration process will be modified with more rules.

“Companies are trying to figure out how they can write this in a way that protects the consumer and does so in a reasonable way, but also a way in which they can turn a profit”, Phillips said.