On December 21, 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) began to require small unmanned aircraft owners to register their drones if they weigh between 0.55 and 55 pounds. Registration is done using an online site http://mydroneregister.com/  that recently became active and should take an estimated 30 minutes to complete. Once registered, drone owners will receive a certificate with a registration number that will be marked on each drone and tied directly to the owner.  

Check the alphabetical Drone List to see if your aircraft must be registered. If not registered, owners may be subject to consequences defined in the pending U.S. Government drone regulation terms.

Background – Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), or drones as they are often called, are increasingly available for purchase, in fact, it’s estimated that 1.6 million drones will be sold in 2015. Prospective operators, having no prior understanding of the National Airspace System (NAS) or the safety requirements for operating in the NAS, want to fly safely, but many don’t realize that, just because you can easily acquire a UAS, doesn’t mean you can fly it anywhere, or for any purpose. Registration of small unmanned aircraft provides opportunity for education on safety requirements before operation.

On February 15, 2015, the FAA released its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for small, unmanned aircraft. An NPRM is a public notice issued by law when an independent agency, such as the FAA, wishes to add, remove or change a rule or regulation as part of the rulemaking process. It does not change any existing guidelines, rules, regulations or policy that may be in place. Instead, it opens the door for public comment and the beginning of the rulemaking process. Until the final rule is implemented, and to learn more, please continue to check out this website and the FAA’s Fact Sheet on UAS.

Know Before You Fly is an educational campaign providing prospective users with information and guidance needed to fly safely and responsibly. Included on the website are Safety Guidelines for sUAS users.