FAA Registration Rules Announced NOW

[TC Malker]

Thank god I'm grandfathered in and won't be registering.

 

[GadgetGuy]

The FAA has always been involved. Quads & Hex's changed the game. Fixed wing flyers are typically flying in an approved model air field. They usually require assembly and know how and not many had camera or FPV. The current crop of UAV's even toys have FPV and more. Also anyone with the money can buy one, open the box and takeoff. Many of those, in fact I will go as far as saying most of those buyers had no prior RC experience at all. So you have uneducated (in RC's) people buying in droves and setting them free without so much as looking at a manual let alone any aircraft or airspace knowledge. I hate to say it but these creations have degraded the hobby.

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!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Quad copters are typically flown in an approved manner... see what I did there? Equal protection under the law. I won't be happy until ALL RC planes/copters must be registered!

Done! FAA just told all AMA members that they have to register, too!

 

[joe21]

.

There were little to no problems with AMA flyers (I assume you mean fixed wing) for them to be accountable for. It wasn't until the hobby got so cheap and easy even a caveman can do it that the skies got so unfriendly. And those "AMA guys" have been flying before you were born so thats saying something.

With all due respect, that's the attitude which has turned people off AMA and this hobby (it has for me). It also seems to be the AMA's position, which is partly responsible for this registration scheme.

I tried to get into model planes years ago. I went to the hobby store, spoke with experienced flyers, dealt with the AMA crowd, asked for advice. They came off as an elitist clique who really didn't want/need anyone else getting into their precious little hobby. I walked away from it and abandoned a half-built plane.

It was no surprise to me when AMA took the same position in this conversation. "Those AMA flyers are the safe ones. We don't need to register. It's those dummies who push a button... they're not _real_ pilots like us." I guess a $75 membership fee makes you "safe." Kind of like the $5 FAA registration will make you "safe." The AMA's stated positions in all this has only confirmed my prior negative experience. I can be safe without paying them a fee, and be better off without their meddling in governmental regulations to promote a position which is designed to penalize me but not their "real pilot" members.

Are the skies really that unfriendly now? Were there really little to no problems with AMA flyers - fixed wing or otherwise? There aren't really _many_ problems with "drones." Can anyone point to factual numbers to back it up?

The only real difference is that "drone" has become a buzzword which gets heightened media attention. "Model plane flown by a bunch of geeks (I use that term with endearment) crashes plane into trees" is not as headline worthy as "Evil drone terrorizes park-goers" - even when both statements refer to the same exact mundane event.

Adding to that is the accessibility of cameras on these new devices. More cameras means more flying being recorded and posted on YouTube. I don't think "drones" are any more problematic. Based on what the AMA guys kept telling me, a P3 is considerably less dangerous than most RC planes ("a 60mph bullet that can kill you on impact). "Drone-phobia" is simply a perception issue fueled by the media.

One item I can definitely call out as wrong is your assumption about age. My local AMA club's website has pictures of members. Some are considerably younger than I. Unless they were somehow flying long prior to conception, they were not doing so before I was born. Nevertheless, age, flight hours or AMA membership does not automatically make someone safe or responsible. You can almost argue the opposite - I know some people who have been driving since before I was born, and they are a genuine safety hazard on the road. Maybe flyers should be forced to surrender their license at age 65? (It's for the kids!)

If you really want to head down that path, maybe we should talk state mandated safety classes, pilot training schools and qualification exams (run by the state, not the local group of AMA "buddies.") I'm completely against such an idea, but if you want to go down the "only safe/experienced people should be trusted" road, that's where it will take you.

 

[GadgetGuy]

No, I don't see the correlation. An approved field means only AMA members can fly there and it is a known RC airfield to all surrounding airports, in fact many times they are near airports, like mine is.
Also, I read it as anything that flys over a half pound will register, including fixed wing, heli's, etc.

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!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yes they can fly much faster and higher as well as further. But we don't because we only fly within sight, it is the rule and so is 400' max altitude. And many AMA fields have no fly zones marked out on a map at the field. And no one flies until they have been approved by an Club safety officer. This is how the 3 AMA clubs I belong to work. I have cameras I sometimes mount in these, but I never fly them FPV, I could but only with a safety pilot on a buddy box within the rules at an AMA club.

I have about 40 model aircraft in flying condition (so yes there are millions of model aircraft flying). 2 of them are jets (EDF's) that are capable of 100mph+ speeds and can climb straight up at 50mph. They are a challenge to fly, but I do so safely and keep to the rules.

Some of my nitro models can fly for 30+ minutes on a tank at 40mph or more.

All this speed performance way beyond what MRs can do and we almost never make the news, because we fly responsibly.

I enjoy MRs as well as other helis a lot and I have 2 MRs with N-umbers for commercial use, but I stick to the rules with those as well. And all my models have my AMA numbers and phone number in them.

Well, now you have to register your model aircraft with the FAA, too! I wouldn't be bragging about those capabilities (jeolous as I am of them) as that just gives the paranoid public more reason to fear all model aircraft.

 

[GadgetGuy]

From what I see they are, did you not read the FAA release that is linked in the first post? I haven't had a chance to read it all but here is a quote...

"In the sUAS Operation and Certification NPRM, the FAA proposed to define “unmanned aircraft” as “an aircraft operated without the possibility of direct human intervention from within or on the aircraft.”21 This proposed definition would codify the statutory definition of “unmanned aircraft” specified in Public Law 112-95.22"

+1. I read all 211 fascinating pages first, before reading any of the posts!

 

[GadgetGuy]

With all due respect, that's the attitude which has turned people off AMA and this hobby (it has for me). It also seems to be the AMA's position, which is partly responsible for this registration scheme.

I tried to get into model planes years ago. I went to the hobby store, spoke with experienced flyers, dealt with the AMA crowd, asked for advice. They came off as an elitist clique who really didn't want/need anyone else getting into their precious little hobby. I walked away from it and abandoned a half-built plane.

It was no surprise to me when AMA took the same position in this conversation. "Those AMA flyers are the safe ones. We don't need to register. It's those dummies who push a button... they're not _real_ pilots like us." I guess a $75 membership fee makes you "safe." Kind of like the $5 FAA registration will make you "safe." The AMA's stated positions in all this has only confirmed my prior negative experience. I can be safe without paying them a fee, and be better off without their meddling in governmental regulations to promote a position which is designed to penalize me but not their "real pilot" members.

Are the skies really that unfriendly now? Were there really little to no problems with AMA flyers - fixed wing or otherwise? There aren't really _many_ problems with "drones." Can anyone point to factual numbers to back it up?

The only real difference is that "drone" has become a buzzword which gets heightened media attention. "Model plane flown by a bunch of geeks (I use that term with endearment) crashes plane into trees" is not as headline worthy as "Evil drone terrorizes park-goers" - even when both statements refer to the same exact mundane event.

Adding to that is the accessibility of cameras on these new devices. More cameras means more flying being recorded and posted on YouTube. I don't think "drones" are any more problematic. Based on what the AMA guys kept telling me, a P3 is considerably less dangerous than most RC planes ("a 60mph bullet that can kill you on impact). "Drone-phobia" is simply a perception issue fueled by the media.

One item I can definitely call out as wrong is your assumption about age. My local AMA club's website has pictures of members. Some are considerably younger than I. Unless they were somehow flying long prior to conception, they were not doing so before I was born. Nevertheless, age, flight hours or AMA membership does not automatically make someone safe or responsible. You can almost argue the opposite - I know some people who have been driving since before I was born, and they are a genuine safety hazard on the road. Maybe flyers should be forced to surrender their license at age 65? (It's for the kids!)

If you really want to head down that path, maybe we should talk state mandated safety classes, pilot training schools and qualification exams (run by the state, not the local group of AMA "buddies.") I'm completely against such an idea, but if you want to go down the "only safe/experienced people should be trusted" road, that's where it will take you.

If anyone questions your statements about the AMA, they need look no further than every comment attributed to their members and their thinking in the 211 page report referenced at the beginning of this thread! It is shocking how the AMA tried to sacrifice all drone owners to save their own skin in all their proposals. They wanted to demand that we all adhere to AMA Flying field rules. They asked to be the AMA be the registrant entity for our drones and require that we all be AMA members with AMA insurance to register our drones! All this to avoid their registering their own aircraft with the FAA!

FAA smartly told the AMA to shove it, and now all AMA members have to register their aircraft, too, with an FAA number. AMA numbers are not good enough anymore!

 

[GadgetGuy]

Yes, hobbies. Commercial info comes out in March as I recall reading. Please read the FAA notice in the first post for all the information.

March 31, 2016, to be precise.

 

[Jman44]

Let this sink in for a moment...

 

[GadgetGuy]

What if he was at park with others flying and they saw one he wasn't flying at the time, sitting on the ground. Snap a quick pic and he has it. For reference, this is what you're referring to

Q. How do I mark my unmanned aircraft with the unique registration number?

A. You may use any method to affix the number, such as permanent marker, label, engraving, or other means, as long as the number is readily accessible and maintained in a condition that is readable and legible upon close visual inspection. If your unmanned aircraft has an easily accessible battery compartment you may affix the number in that compartment.

Or just copy any number from the publicly accessible FAA website with everyone's full name and registration number, fully searchable! It's perfect for framing anyone you want!

 

[GadgetGuy]

\


Are you new to the interwebs? It's called a moderator - and the one's here are generally pretty tolerant and try to keep things civil.

Be nice to the Mod's. They approve your "vacation" time!

 

[Meta4]

If you are a liberal and voted for Obama, you probably support the registeration.
If you are a freedom loving American, you are against.
Does that pretty much sum it up?

Not at all
It's not surprising that (again) you have difficulty understanding things.
We all know by now that you resent the current government.
You're entitled to think what you like - but there's no need to drop irrelevant political references into every second thread you post.

 

[TC Malker]

Not at all
It's not surprising that (again) you have difficulty understanding things.
We all know by now that you resent the current government.
You're entitled to think what you like - but there's no need to drop irrelevant political references into every second thread you post.

**unnecessary political opinion deleted**

 

[GadgetGuy]

Hmm. I'm not so sure whack jobs are going to be registering their drones. A total ban would not stop them.

When drones are outlawed, only oulaws will have drones!

 

[GadgetGuy]

He didn't say it was requirement, just a possibility. You're trying entirely too hard to discount what he said. He had a point.

He still does! Nothing prevents a bad guy from putting someone else's registration number inside the battery compartment and framing them for whatever nefarious flying the bad guy intends to do with the drone. Everyone's registration number will be publicly available on the FAA website, matched up with their full name, and completely searchable! Read the 211 page document! It's all in there!

 

[GadgetGuy]

But remember boy's and girl's, Register before January 20, 2016 and your $5 registration fee will be refunded!

Only if you pay the $5 with your personal credit card, to ”assist them with authentication." It's a trick!

 

[GadgetGuy]

As do I, if your paranoia is that crippling, place your registration number in the battery compartment.
Some of you are trying entirely too hard to be fear mongering prophets of doom.

The registration numbers will be publicly available to anyone that wants to search the FAA database. It is designed so anyone can match a reg # to a name. Access is not limited to law enforcement and the FAA.

 

[GadgetGuy]

It amazes me that we have known for a few months now that we were going to be required to register our drones.
This is not news.
Look at the threads here over the weeks predicting how expensive and intrusive this was going to be.
How it was just a money grab for the FAA and the Feds, etc.

And now that it is announced that it is a free process that can be done online, or $5 for 3 years if you procrastinate -
I mean this seems to be an easy and trouble free solution pretty far removed from what many of you predicted.

YET, a whole bunch of ya are acting like this is the first time you've heard that you would have to register your drones!
All this whining and complaining and shock - I just don't understand it.
SMH

All the AMA members thought by offering up all drone owners on the FAA chopping block, that they would stay exempt. Imagine their surprise today!

 

[ianwood]

Posts about politics and/or guns will be deleted. Keep it on topic and keep it friendly.