Since the recommended registration system is an owner-based system, the task force did not recommend registrants be required to provide any aircraft information, though they should have the option of including the aircraft’s manufacturer serial number.
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A drone industry group created by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to develop rules for drone registration is recommending the government apply just about the lightest touch possible.
The basis of the threshold has been drawn upon the potential impact a drone could have if it falls on a person or hits a helicopter or plane.
The recommendations were expected to be submitted to the FAA by Saturday. “Should the FAA find it necessary to significantly alter any element of its adopted registration system in a way that would contradict the findings and recommendations in this report, the members of the Task Force would respectfully request that the FAA reconvene the Task Force as soon as practicable”, the task force said.
Four people familiar with the advisory group’s deliberations described the conclusions to The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because the FAA asked that the discussions be kept private.
Owners of unmanned aircraft weighing 0.25kg-25kg (0.55lb-55lb) would be required to register their vehicle(s) online and mark the registration number (or a registered serial number) on all applicable drones. The operator would receive a single registration number, which would then be affixed to the body of each drone.
The new registration system is meant to more easily hold drone pilots accountable when the violate FAA rules regarding drone operation.
The Consumer Technology Association estimates 700,000 drones will be sold in the USA this year, including 400,000 in the last quarter.
Well, there is also a recommendation for a minimum age requirement of 13 years, but only name and physical address are suggested for registration.
Still, it shows that the FAA takes flying a drone into fireworks or near an airport more seriously than we probably do. “I am not a fan of the weight limit because there’s no science behind it”, Williams said.
U.S. transportation secretary Anthony Foxx has said DOT and FAA will have “a very aggressive timeframe” for developing a rule and aim to make an announcement by December 20.
The most important recommendations in the new document deal with which drones need to be registered and how that registration will work. If the waypoints are incorrectly set for an altitude or location where manned aircraft fly, “that’s where the risk really comes from”, he said.
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A few have increasingly warned that the proliferation of drones has become a safety concern for pilots who are sharing airspace with sometimes novice drone operators.
