Post by GJUK on Mar 18, 2017 21:53:09 GMT -8
I know, I know...you've probably thought to yourself, "I don't need to register, I'm only using it for a bit of fun here and there."
Well, if your machine weighs over 0.55lbs (and let's face it, anything worth flying will have a LiPo battery weighing more than that!) then the simple fact is - you do. A current list of which commercially available models have to be registered and which don't can be found here.
For the purposes of this thread, I will be presuming you're flying purely recreationally. The rules concerning any commercial use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are very different, and far too many people are doing so illegally. Many commercial pilots don't realise they are often incriminating themselves by disseminating aerial content they have been remunerated for I have it on good authority that there will soon be a clamp-down in field of use, and the minimum fine is set to be around $60,000. For clarity on what else is require before you take on any paid work with your flying friend, please head over to the Fly for Work or Business section of the FAA's site.
These laws are ever-changing, hurriedly being written and re-written. Initial registration began in December 2015, and in August 2016 amendments were made. We want to ensure everybody understands and is seen to be abiding by the law, so they don't get uneccessarily tightened further. 'Drones' get a pretty bad rap in many areas of the media, and much like most things that are not fully understood, people fear them irrationally, and it's never too long before the 'b' word (ban) starts getting banded around. Currently the FAA has the ability to assess civil penalties of up to $27,500 and criminal penalties of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.
If you haven't done it yet and you've been flying or plan to soon enough, do us all a favour and head over to Federal Drone Registration right now and do so. What else were you going to spend that $5 on anyway?
Well, if your machine weighs over 0.55lbs (and let's face it, anything worth flying will have a LiPo battery weighing more than that!) then the simple fact is - you do. A current list of which commercially available models have to be registered and which don't can be found here.
For the purposes of this thread, I will be presuming you're flying purely recreationally. The rules concerning any commercial use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles are very different, and far too many people are doing so illegally. Many commercial pilots don't realise they are often incriminating themselves by disseminating aerial content they have been remunerated for I have it on good authority that there will soon be a clamp-down in field of use, and the minimum fine is set to be around $60,000. For clarity on what else is require before you take on any paid work with your flying friend, please head over to the Fly for Work or Business section of the FAA's site.
These laws are ever-changing, hurriedly being written and re-written. Initial registration began in December 2015, and in August 2016 amendments were made. We want to ensure everybody understands and is seen to be abiding by the law, so they don't get uneccessarily tightened further. 'Drones' get a pretty bad rap in many areas of the media, and much like most things that are not fully understood, people fear them irrationally, and it's never too long before the 'b' word (ban) starts getting banded around. Currently the FAA has the ability to assess civil penalties of up to $27,500 and criminal penalties of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.
If you haven't done it yet and you've been flying or plan to soon enough, do us all a favour and head over to Federal Drone Registration right now and do so. What else were you going to spend that $5 on anyway?