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WASHINGTON
� The U.S. Department of Transportation�s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
today announced a streamlined and user-friendly web-based aircraft registration
process for owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS) weighing more than 0.55
pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms) including
payloads such as on-board cameras. The
Registration Task Force delivered recommendations to FAA Administrator Michael
Huerta and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on November 21. The rule
incorporates many of the task force recommendations. �Make no
mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a
great deal of responsibility,� said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
�Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their
unmanned aircraft safely. I�m excited to welcome these new aviators into the
culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation.� Registration
is a statutory requirement that applies to all aircraft. Under this rule, any owner of a small UAS who
has previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft
prior to December 21, 2015, must register no later than February 19, 2016.
Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after December
21, 2015 must register before the first flight outdoors. Owners may use either
the paper-based process or the new streamlined, web-based system. Owners using the new streamlined web-based
system must be at least 13 years old to register. Owners
may register through a web-based system at: www.faa.gov/uas/registration
Registrants
will need to provide their name, home address and e-mail address. Upon
completion of the registration process, the web application will generate a
Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership that will include a
unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the
aircraft.
Owners
using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register
once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS. The
registration is valid for three years.
The
normal registration fee is $5, but in an effort to encourage as many people as
possible to register quickly, the FAA is waiving this fee for the first 30 days
(from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan 20, 2016).
�We
expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this
holiday season,� said FAA Administrator Huerta. �Registration gives us the
opportunity to educate these new airspace users before they fly so they know
the airspace rules and understand they are accountable to the public for flying
responsibly.�
The
online registration system does not yet support registration of small UAS used
for any purpose other than hobby or recreation � for example, using an unmanned
aircraft in connection with a business. The FAA is developing enhancements that
will allow such online registrations by spring of 2016. The full
rule can be viewed here: www.faa.gov/news/updates/media/20151213_IFR.pdf
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