FAA Registration Rules Announced NOW

[LuvMyTJ]

Yes, I have read that - it is the same FAQ I quoted and referenced.

My point is the the last sentence contradicts the previous information given. It actually contradicts the premise in the question. It only make sense if you add on "... but we decided not to enable the return of aircraft to their owners." Or simply leave off the last two sentences and it would be clear that NO data is searchable. As written, the second Q/A you posted does not make sense. It looks like there were two conflicting policies considered and they forgot to take out the wrong part of the answer. Or, just possibly, the government has their bureaucratic heads planted firmly up their backends - which is usually the case in situations like this.

They expect you to call law enforcement if you find a UAV (it's in the FAA text) and then they will facilitate the return of your craft. There is nothing that says the public can look it up.

 

[R2-D2]

Are there any exemptions? The government nearly always writes in loop hole exemptions for Congress, police and whomever they deem are above the laws for us little people.

Good work mods having a good website where an actual discussion takes place and not just a bunch of trolling.

 

[aka1ceman]

Completely varies by jurisdiction/state. Could be that way in his state/city.

You may be right about possibly 2 states in the US. Unless you rat on your friend driving in those 2 states i saw listed. Interesting as you look at the list and see who is liable for the ticket regardless. ...
States using red light and speed cameras

 

[aka1ceman]

Figures, no facts, just "feelings" of being scared...lol.

If our government leaders used that theory, we wouldn't even have this new FAA change.

 

[R2-D2]

We'll have to wait and see how that pans out, but the fine is a civil penalty, not criminal. The same burden of proof isn't required... sorta like red light cameras. They send the ticket to the owner of the car in most jurisdictions, some now allow you to challenge that, but then you have to provide information on who was driving or you keep the ticket.

That's pretty much what I plan to do. NOTHING for months and just kick back and see what happens. I'm not registering squat and I'll probably get more quads for Christmas. Where I fly there are only snakes and scorpions are around anyway. The reality of this is the gov is not going to fine little kids $30,000 for flying toys around parks and such. Nor will they hand out $30,000 fines for photo hobbyist like this community. I think that huge fine is saved to throw the book at complete idiots that will fly and crash their drones/quads into airports, sporting events, (prisons) crowds where people are hurt by the drone. Our drones have a cost on average around $1,000 I don't see most of us so cheap we'll register immeditately because that $5 will turn into OMG $10 bucks later!!!

I will be going to Maui and Oahu around the end of 2016/start of 2017 and I might consider registering then since I'll be flying around tourist areas to some degree. However that's over a year out and by then, upteen idiots will crash their drones into skyscrapers, beaches, houses and whatnot. I'll just see what happens as this moves through the court system. Since Congress said they won't regulate RC aircraft and the FAA never had a public comment period, only a comment period from Jeff Bezos flunkies. A really, really good lawyer probably could get tons of cases tossed since it don't look like the FAA did this legally. My 2 cents.

On another note does this means that the next redneck that shoots down a quad will get into serious trouble since then FAA now has some rules or will it be open season once the Amazon drones launch too.

 

[ianwood]

I think most people will find that when they wake up the day after they register their drones, much will be the same. They will still be able to fly the way they did before. For those that don't register and/or decide to fly their drones recklessly, it may very well be the same for them too. But they now will have a further level of accountability to reckon with. They now play the lottery with their future.

And maybe there will be a handful isolated cases where someone steals a registration and makes someone's life difficult for a while until it can be fixed. All in all, the benefit far outweighs any of the inconvenience or potential negative outcomes. There are way too many irresponsible people out there operating irresponsibly. The sooner they are grounded, the better.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Much like with cars, having a registration on it, does not make you accountable for it.

Red light cams without evidence of the driver being in the car are easily dismissed. Very easily. Most cams are set up to photograph the driver as they go through the light for this reason.

We will have to let the courts decide what happens to a violator.

It is difficult to compare a federal system with that of the states. The way it is done here in New York the registered person is responsible for everything. If I sell a car and leave the registration sticker in the window if they crash it and run, I am on the hook. If I let a friend drive my car and they go through a red light camera, I get the ticket and there is no recourse as they film the license plate, not the driver like in some other sates.

The FAA has said you will need to remove the registration number upon a sale or transfer and you must go onto the web site and correct your information to reflect the sale. As far as someone cloning your number, who knows how that will play out. It will be interesting to see how the first person to get caught moves through the new penalty system.

Like you had mentioned, thank goodness they are not leaving it up to the states to decide. If they did I would probably have to fly indoors only.

 

[Flyer91]

I've read some bad stuff about the AMA in this thread, and I can't say I blame anyone for having a totally negative view of them.
But please read on ...

I don't want to start a pro/anti gun discussion, but I would point out that there are reportedly over 300 million firearms in this country (enough for almost every man, woman and child) and irrespective of your position on them or the NRA, we can learn a lot from how the NRA operates to keep such a hot topic issue of gun ownership from becoming banned.

Drone sales for hobbyists are still far away from that sort of number, but we are moving fast in that direction with equally fast restrictions being proposed, and a similarly very unfriendly media.

IMHO, the best bet we have to steer rules, bans and future legislation is to become united with our voices .. but with some added clout.
And unless we can rapidly build a grass roots organization that makes it as easy to send our message to the places that it can be most effective ... as the NRA does ... we will not be able to do much but watch others do what they want with the hobby.

Cool thing is that there is already a large organization that can be that vehicle, and have their existing lobbyists present 'our interests' in Wa., but many have presented it as the enemy to be avoided.
I won't argue at all with the negative experiences and opinions that have been reported about the AMA, but I will say that with the numbers we have as drone pilots, the AMA might be our best (and probably only) bet as an already connected organization .... that can be 'tweaked' into being a more drone positive one, by us ... if we fill their ranks by joining.

Every month you get a magazine that tells you who's your local leader in the AMA organization, and they are elected to those positions.
With the rapidly advancing number of drone pilots, why not just join and let them know ... on no uncertain terms ... that we will vote them out if they don't present a more drone friendly influence?
It would be much easier to accomplish doing that than building an organization from the ground up, or just complaining about whats already been done.
I don't think you even need to be of normal voting age to vote in the AMA.

The sheer numbers of drone pilots could grow until we were of a loud enough voice to effect a more drone positive change in the AMA.
And we could also use the NRA's methods of alerting members of pending restrictions, and provide the same type of petition process as a template for us to contact our government representatives.
With the NRA it's a simple email from them that has a hyper link to take you to a form, which is already addressed for you once you enter your local area, to have it sent to the proper level of your representatives (depending on if it's a city, regional, county state or federal proposal/bill .... all the way to the White House) and it's all filled out with what assembly bill number, etc. that you are protesting, with a clear reason why you are against it (or you can use your own words) to protest the proposed restrictions.
It's a "click and be heard" process ... and 300 million guns in the hands of US citizens and legal immigrants can attest to it's effectiveness.

IMHO: We need that same sort of voice, and the AMA is ripe to be that ...... if you simply join and vote for pro-drone leadership and policies.
Plus .... membership gets you liability insurance and a cool sticker.

Maybe others have a better way of being heard 'effectively' enough to ward off or at least steer the next set of regulations, and if so ... I'm all in.
But I fear that the clock is ticking, and I don't think time is on our side.

 

[yawnalot29]

Every AMA member now has to register their aircraft, too! The registration is not limited to drones only. The AMA flyers now will finally be held fully accountable, too. Their 50 year free ride is over! [emoji14]

Wanna bet they will say we fly 50 years and nothing. You guys start flying and now we got to register.

You think they will complaint about registering? I mean they already sign uo to be AMA members right? What's more to register? AMA was already talking about some kind of automated registration for their members.

 

[yawnalot29]

Agreed. However the recent solicitations for AMA membership among drone owners, based upon the free insurance were unconscionable, as the AMA was secretly lobbying the FAA in all the publicly released comments to sell all drone owners down the river, to protect their own interests. It backfired on them, and I am glad it did! Schadenfreude! [emoji14]

To be fair they are selling non members down the river be it fix wing or drone none members. I didnt see anywhere their release mentioned drone none members.

 

[Buckaye]

Wanna bet they will say we fly 50 years and nothing. You guys start flying and now we got to register.

You think they will complaint about registering? I mean they already sign uo to be AMA members right? What's more to register? AMA was already talking about some kind of automated registration for their members.

They (the AMA) are already saying that.... which is kind of disappointing because I am an AMA member. Instead of getting irritated with us... they should be trying to get more of us into the fold to increase their political clout.

 

[yawnalot29]

I've decided to not register. Wrote a protest note to the FAA regulations site. Signed it "Bob Dole"

If you really want to make a statement you should do it in yiur own name. I doubt they will take these obvious fake names seriously.

Now if you use yiur real name, phone number and address, they might decide to make an example out of you. Then, my friend, you will have a national podium to speak your mind and let your protest be heard.

Now that would be protesting. And you will have the moral support from many of us if not financially.

 

[TheRealNick]

I am also going to delay registration as long as possible....and then I will print the number on a label maker and stick it on my batteries...

 

[yawnalot29]

and when they then take a photo of the registration number and look it up on the public FAA database and obtain your name and home address, and come looking for you, you'll have no one but yourself to blame, if you register!

Who will come looking? FAA? LEO? FBI? NSA? The guy who protested?

And what would they say when they come knocking?

I don't get it. Are you assuming the OP would be doing something illegal when he got approached the first time and thatvwas why he got harassed to begin with?

Sorry, just trying to work out what the would be visitor would do or say that he wouldn't be better off doing it while OP was flying. Instead coming to OP resident where OP might have a Glock 35 handy and can potentially legally shoot people coming into his resident.

Just trying to work that logic out.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

They (the AMA) are already saying that.... which is kind of disappointing because I am an AMA member. Instead of getting irritated with us... they should be trying to get more of us into the fold to increase their political clout.

The AMA is doing just that. They are embracing multi rotors, and why wouldn't they, it means more members to court. They even had an article about it in the last publication. The upset guys (and rightfully so) are the old skool guys who have been flying fixed wing for years trouble free. Multi rotors became so cheap anyone with more money than brains can afford one, pop it out of the box and fly away without any knowledge of how or why it works, or have any knowledge of aircraft safety or rules of the sky. Lets be honest, these things are so easy to fly even a caveman can do it.
Make no mistake, cheap RTF multi rotor aircraft is the reason they are now subjected to the new rules when they had little to do with why this registration was created.

 

[yawnalot29]

Yeah, but are you required to present it to every a-hole drone hater who interrupts you while flying, or only a law enforcement officer?

I would think you only need to present to FAA agents or maybe federal LEO. Not sure about yiur local LEO having the jurisdiction to ask to see it unless there is a local ordnance to go with the registration.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

Who will come looking? FAA? LEO? FBI? NSA? The guy who protested?

And what would they say when they come knocking?

I don't get it. Are you assuming the OP would be doing something illegal when he got approached the first time and thatvwas why he got harassed to begin with?

Sorry, just trying to work out what the would be visitor would do or say that he wouldn't be better off doing it while OP was flying. Instead coming to OP resident where OP might have a Glock 35 handy and can potentially legally shoot people coming into his resident.

Just trying to work that logic out.

My prediction is that when the general public becomes aware of this new development whenever the paranoids see an operator flying they will seek out the local PD to investigate to be sure they are registered.

 

[Buckaye]

The upset guys (and rightfully so) are the old skool guys who have been flying fixed wing for years trouble free.

Yeah.... those are the ones I am a little irritated with. I just think there's plenty of room in this hobby and instead of being so irritated with the whippersnappers and their new fangled machine.... just recognize it as an evolution of the hobby and an opportunity to increase interest and membership.

Like I said - I am... and will stay a member... so I believe in the organization

 

[yawnalot29]

Agreed. If this registration actually deters sales, or instead shifts sales to the .55 pound "registration free" drones that are flown indoors or within 100 feet outside, that would be a good thing. Unfortunately, I fear it will only discourage registration with no real teeth behind it. The boneheaded flyers won't register anyway. The real bad guys won't either.

What I worry about is all the paranoid drone haters now demanding your registration number anytime anyone is seen flying so they can look you up on the publicly searchable FAA reg # database, and get your name and file an FAA complaint, just like getting a cop's badge number to be a jerk!

Do you produce driver license or proof of citizenship to anyone that demands it? I can see if you are involved in a drone accident and the other party demand to see your registration. Outside that, why would you comply with any nutter that wants to see it?

I dont understand the thinking there. I am nit aware of power IR authority given to any ordinary citizen to make demand and others information.

Perhaps you can show me what I have missed?

 

[yawnalot29]

It explicitly states that all aircraft over .55 pounds are included, with no distinction made between drones and fixed wing and heli's, so all AMA members will now be required to register, too! Ironic that all the AMA lobbying actually made them a target of the FAA, too! [emoji14]

I guess incentive for DJI to come uo with a .54 lbs quad. Lighten the design. Smaller camera. Hahaha