There have been calls for that in the UK as well. There have been a few near misses at air ports and there is also concern about privacy. I certainly think they should be registered and people should have to take a course and get a licence to fly them.

Registered so that when they find yours in the bowels of a Pratt engine on that crashed Airbus, they'll know who to return it to.

I've had one fly up to my house here in vancouver. ..right up to the second story window. .camera rolling ...got nice picks of the contense of my bed room.still waiting for the dummy to ask me for it back ..it's stuped peaple that wreck it for the rest . Police officer said I can have it ......still waiting! !!  5-high

Probably impact the RC groups the most.  As of now they are not required to have a Federal license.   Though I don't see how requiring a license is going to stop a terrorist using one to take down an airliner.

You might as well require a Federal license to buy gasoline, an explosive highly-toxic liquid.

Gary

Don't get me wrong. Drones looks like they're fun to fly but... BUT... if someone uses one with a camera for other uses as a way to invade your privacy. Then I won't hestitate to knock it out of commission.

I do see a huge benefit for law enforcement use it for surveilence.

You don't have any expectation of privacy,ask the celebs and atheletes.

Sad

Absolutely all for it. After watching wildland fire air operations being shut down due to drones and thus putting fellow firefighters lives and people's property at risk, I have a real distaste for the the things. A real shame that these are so misused by truly ignorant and irresponsible people.

Typical stupid Americans...A few folks ruin it for the rest of us by flying these dumb things out of line of sight and into major aiports..?? They are now threatening the airspace I operate in as a Crop Duster so there needs to be acountability. And yes, I do hate more regulations and have a mostly negative view of the FAA.

To add to Bish's comment about the UK I've seen a newspaper piece about a young girl who lost an eye because of one of these things.

Personally I just don't get them. I can see RC planes as they will take some skill but a drone will hover without input form a person. Also once you get past the "hay look my house from above" what else can you do!

I'm sure Tim Kidwell could answer some questions if he every looks back on here

Phil

So if it's now registered with the feds does that increase the penalty for assaulting one?

When I used to fly R/C planes and race R/C sailboats, I was required to have a license.  I still have them in my toolbox.  They were from the FCC, good for 5 years, and you had to have a copy on your person while flying or sailing.  If you didn't have one, the club could refuse to let you fly or sail.  If you travelled to another state for a contest, and couldn't produce it, you were sent home.  I gather they don't do this any more.  No big deal to pay a couple bucks every 5 years to be hassle free.

Jim  

I have a friend who is an early adapter. We flew his drone several years ago. We are both pilots, it was a blast. After the thrill was over and I started thinking about it, I saw nothing but trouble coming. Took a couple years, but it surely has started.

Like so many above, I am against government interference but in this case, I don't think just registration goes far enough.

I totally, 100% support registration. Too many yahoo's out there who could potentially cause real harm with these things. If I recall, some idiot has already programmed one to fire a remote-control handgun. Sheesh. Like we need that?

CN Spots

So if it's now registered with the feds does that increase the penalty for assaulting one?

 

The drone pilot or the feds?

I have to agree that this was a necessary step, but the regulations don't have any way of enforcement as they are now.  It's not like there's an FAA rep at any of the places I normally fly at.

Ghostrider114

 

 

CN Spots

So if it's now registered with the feds does that increase the penalty for assaulting one?

 

 

 

 

 

The drone pilot or the feds?

 

I have to agree that this was a necessary step, but the regulations don't have any way of enforcement as they are now.  It's not like there's an FAA rep at any of the places I normally fly at.

 

lol, the drone itself. 

My initial response was that I was all for it.  But the more I thought of it, the more I thought that you can't regulate, nor control, stupidity.  Bad and stupid people are still going to do bad and stupid things no matter what the regulations state.  Bad guys don't obey the laws and I'm not sure how registering them will prevent them from using them nefariously.

Now, if they had it so that the drone cannot function until it's been registered, then maybe that would be different but there's always ways around things if a person is determined enough.

Eric

PS.  On a side note, it's interesting that a 9 oz. drone would need to be registered by my 2 meter RC glider does not.

Though I commented that I'm all for registration, .....and more, I must say that Eric, IMO, makes a valid point.

I wonder if there is some way a commercial aircraft could be fitted with something that disables the drone within a certain radius, say a mile, of the aircraft? Like a limited range jammer? Just thinking out loud....be expensive, I guess, though.

Chris

echolmberg

My initial response was that I was all for it.  But the more I thought of it, the more I thought that you can't regulate, nor control, stupidity.  Bad and stupid people are still going to do bad and stupid things no matter what the regulations state.  Bad guys don't obey the laws and I'm not sure how registering them will prevent them from using them nefariously.

Now, if they had it so that the drone cannot function until it's been registered, then maybe that would be different but there's always ways around things if a person is determined enough.

Eric

 

PS.  On a side note, it's interesting that a 9 oz. drone would need to be registered by my 2 meter RC glider does not.

 

Sort of true, you can't stop stupidity, but you sure as heck can punish it. One guy who will eventually get caught, fined, jail ect... will surely show the other stupid Drone operators that its just not worth non-compliance.  And also, have the purchaser register the drone right then and there before being able to take it home...

I assume this is the medium and larger ones and not the teeny-tiny ones? 

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Wow! What are your thoughts?

 

http://www.wktv.com/news/Does_your_drone_need_to_be_registered_Local_experts_weigh_in.html

 I've heard certain drones you actually have to have a pilot's license to fly one. Not sure how much is that is true.

 

Prohibit ownership by those on the "No Fly List" ? 

Beware...........your Droids are next............

dirkpitt77

I wonder if there is some way a commercial aircraft could be fitted with something that disables the drone within a certain radius, say a mile, of the aircraft? Like a limited range jammer? Just thinking out loud....be expensive, I guess, though.

 

Chris

 

Chris, this reminded me that a couple summers ago, there was a street festival in my hometown. One of the vendors had recently opened a new business. Drone photography.

He was flying the thing all over the place. Over a pretty good sized crowd. It was a big one. No thought given to what would happen if it crapped out and fell on somebody's head.

This is what, I think, RC flyers understand and drone buyers don't. What goes up can fail and come down. Even more so under the control of uninformed folk.

So no, I don't think a jamming device is a good idea.

Registration will not do much unless it is accompanied by legislation for regulations and stiff penalties for violations. Then of course here where we had drones ground fire fighting aircraft during a recent wildfire that is not liklely to happen. Especially since we can not keep real criminals in jail for even half of their sentence currently due to court orders.

I was in the local Hobby Town the other day and happened to spot one of those small drones (about as big as a tennis ball) you can buy for about $40.  I was wondering if they need to be licensed?

"You'll put your eye out, kid!  Or someone else's!" 

I believe the rules state that if the drone weighs 0.55lbs to 55lbs they have to be registered.  That includes the batteries and the camera(if it has one).  It doesn't take much to make the 0.55lb weight.

Jim  

Well follks, this half baked, hair brained idea that the FAA and DOT rolled out has me shut down from flying until they a) prove to me that my information is secure won't end up being sold on the black market in China, and b) the regulation doesn't contradict with current regulations set forth in the law as it does now.  I fly at a local airport and the manager now won't let us fly until we are all in compliance and registered.  And I won't register until I see a regulation that was't written and implemented by a bunch of monkeys.

Also, this regualtion is not just for ready to fly quad copters, but anything controlled by radio or tether (control line) that flys out side and weights between .55 lbs and 55 lbs. 

This registration does NOTHING to help make the NAS safer and made a whole bunch of us flyers distrust the FAA even more because we feel thay have insulted our intelligence in bringing forth such a scam.  I was for having a system like HAM radio, where you have some sort of coarse you take to learn the rules of flying in the NAS and take a short test to see how well you understand those rules, then issued a ground control certification of airmanship.  But nope, we just have to give personal information and our Credit Card number and all will be hunky dory.  Mickey Mouse data mining is all this is. Yup, its personal. I've been in RC for 30 years.