With drone sales expected to take off this holiday season, the Federal Aviation Administration announced Monday that small drones will now need to be registered.
Under the rules, drones that weigh more than half a pound to 55 pounds must be registered with the FAA. The online registration process will cost $5.
“We expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this holiday season,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, in a news release. “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.”
Hulsey Smith, CEO of commercial drone manufacturer Aero Kinetics, said the registration is the first step in developing a comprehensive regulatory platform. He said the public is still unaware of the safety issues that drones bring.
“I think to frame the conversation, you have to look at the overarching safety concerns we have,” Smith told KPBS Midday Edition on Wednesday. “People as a public aren’t informed of the dangers toy drones impose.”
Michael Curran, an Encinitas attorney who owns a drone, said the FAA needs to set specific regulations for drones as opposed to simply requiring that they be registered. Curran said most drone owners aren’t informed on FAA rules and shouldn’t be considered pilots.
“(Drone owners) are not real pilots,” Curran said. “We really should call them operators. We need to make sure we’re educating the operators.”
Lucien Miller, CEO of Innov8tive Designs, which manufactures drone parts from motors to propellers, said he has mixed feelings about the new registration requirement.
“It’s good to have these things registered in case these devices cause an accident,” Miller said. “Someone needs to be responsible for that. But how do they get the word out? Have they called every Toys ‘R’ Us and Fry’s?”
