We heard yesterday that this was coming and have been given an idea of what's in them. Its not the best if true.
WASHINGTON–Please join U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and Deputy Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker for an announcement about the aircraft registration process for owners of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). A Registration Task Force delivered recommendations to FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx on November 21, 2015.
When: Monday, December 14, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Comments
Can someone please post a follow-up thread once they register? I'd like to see the form, opinion of the overall process and any follow-up emails, etc.
Being a responsible drone flyer I think this is ridiculous - I'm current on my AMA stuff, I've registered for $15 with the local county for the local fly field, and I only fly in designated AMA/county fly fields.
However, a part of me also knows that tons of idiots will put others at risk as this grows in popularity. But, how does registration protect anyone from idiots? It just seems like another way to burden the tax payer and an agency overstepping authority. Nothing else.
Depending how this plays out I may just make my drones wall art.... and switch to building rovers. GOV can eff off.
I fly my RCs over a private property with owner permission being a Private Pilot and a former military pilot. Many times I had to avoid small aircraft flying over on a very low altitude by either landing or getting away well ahead of time. At no time there was a situation where my RC planes posed any danger to a full scale.
At the same time I did see with my own eyes (and once captured on my camera) when power aircraft flew over a glider airport and had a near-miss with full-scale gliders flying in well-known location above the airport's runway.
I did contact my Senator regarding the FAA drone registration - surprise, he is not aware of it.
Things get even better, I talked to my friend the other day and he said he'd shoot a drone operator as drones invade his privacy (???!!).
People base their opinion on media reports and mass media reporting things based on opinion of the "professionals".
I am not registering my RC planes. I feel that AMA membership is way more than enough. I am sure AMA will report its members to the FAA one way or another. That happens - I'll stop my AMA membership as well.
A $50 million drone registration website will have issues for years like Obama Care website and we have to pay for it? If none registers I wonder what they'll do? Arrest anybody with Futaba radio?
And yes, should my RC cars have a license plate, insurance and a state inspection sticker too? Nice! If car runs away and wonders on a local road - it may cause an accident! Give it time and it will be a reality if we keep giving away our rights!
I witnessed an actual near miss a couple months ago. Some people were doing Real Estate photography of a house across the street from me (what are the odds?). Some guys from my local club doing this little side business. Fully permitted according to our regulations.
They were flying at about 300 feet and climbing, when suddenly an RCAF C-17 Hercules burst over the rooftops VERY low, below 500 feet. I live about 8 miles from a large airbase. They have a 5 mile restricted flight zone around the base, but they are always flying VERY low even outside that radius. They had to drop the hexacopter fast to get out of the way. It was actually very close.
The fault was actually with the C-17. I agree, a big part of the problem is manned aviation breaking the rules. But UAV's will take the blame.
This is a little confusing. The link to this page is highlighted with "NEW ITEM". Did they change their minds?
http://www.faa.gov/licenses_certificates/aircraft_certification/air...
What I find amazing is that in these days for cellphones and laptops in commercial cockpits plus Ipads everywhere that I have NEVER seen any picture or video from a cockpit that shows a so called "near miss" and this is despite hearing on more that one occasion that the local tower had notified aircraft following the same landing pattern as a previous alleged sighting and asking pilots to look out for the object.
When I fly I think that I would be prepared for this. ... or is it just a Myth.
Diane, interesting story. I wonder if that incident was then reported as a "near miss"?
So if FAA is going with this "drones are aircraft" thing, how come drone operators don't require a real pilot's license? How do you have one thing, without the other?
Do drone flight hours count towards the hours needed to get your PPL?
@Diane, Unless there is some change in public opinion regarding private use of drones, this stuff is going to pass - as you can see by liberal politicians that have no clue about drones. Amazing isn't it, the southern border is wide open and their concern is the 'threat' from Styrofoam hobby airplanes. The media has done a masterful job in demonizing drones so I don't expect we will have any success in stopping this power grab. When I have folks that don't have any experience with drones come to my land, they are shocked that I actually fly drones, and they look at me with suspicion - until they get to fly one for themselves and experience the fun. I actually had a neighbor who is a friend of mine say he would try to shoot down a drone that passed over his house (not knowing I was a drone pilot), I challenged him and asked why he didn't try to shoot down a helicopter that passed over his house. He gave me a blank stare, and said, "but that's different". It's a media-concocted paranoia not based on facts. We have a huge hill to climb to reverse this situation, especially in the era of 'terror' paranoia that has take over this society.
I have scoured the web to find a single case where there was a documented event where a drone caused an civil aviation incident, and I can't find a single one. Zero, nothing - only some 'reports' by pilots that claim to have 'spotted' a drone (probably a large bird in most cases). Not a single reported incident that I can find. This government paranoia is based on myth, not fact, and the notion that something 'might' happen in the future. They see the drone industry growing, and it's an opportunity to control and stifle it, something they are very good at doing.
I will write my congressman, Michael McCaul, but I probably won't get much help from him - he is the "Chairman of Homeland Security", and from what I have seen about him, he is on the side of paranoid government, so my bet is he would vote for the Feinstein/Schumer bill.
bbladder said, "The DNR, for example, has the authority to board the boats of fisherman for no reason because they have that authority at lakes".
So where do they get this authority? "We the People" have laid down our rights and abdicated our constitution because socialist, police-state liberals control the system. The entire notion that anybody can board a privately-owned boat, plane, car, or ANYTHING, without some 'probable cause' is a direct violation of the 4th Amendment. Do you see now why the founders put the 4th Amendment in the document? These are the ABUSES that they fled, and we now suffer under. Just because you have a boat on a lake does not give the government some 'special powers'. They take this power because you lay down and refuse to stand up for your rights.
And because WE ALLOWED this abuse, they are now moving to increase their power over us so that we must pay tribute to them and pay for the 'privilege' of operating a harmless Styrofoam airplane in a park! OH, but it's only $5! Why are you complaining? Do you really think it will stop at $5 folks? When Social Security was enacted, the progressives said it would never be more than 1% of withholding. Now its 15X that amount! This is how they get their grubby little taxes started, and once the sheeple have been conditioned to accept it, it's a free-for-all for the politicians.
Personally, I will not be registering anything with the federal government.
I think this whole thing (including the "near miss" report) shows the mass incompetence of the FAA. This is purely a knee-jerk reaction because they don't know what else to do. I have no intention of registering anything--the FAA can go Foxtrot themselves on this.
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