FAA’s Registration Requirement for UAS

Jagerbomb52 · Nov 10, 2017

We are writing to update you on the FAA’s registration requirement. Today, Congress finalized legislation that will reverse the earlier court ruling in the John Taylor case and restore the FAA’s UAS registration requirement, including for AMA members.

We expect this legislation – the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018 – to go through final passage in the House and Senate, and to the President’s desk, soon. We ask all AMA members to please comply with the registration rule once it is in effect again. We will update you when this happens.

While we have always said registration makes sense at some level, we have pushed for a more reasonable threshold and argued that if registration is to be implemented, the criteria, threshold and implementation should go through rulemaking.

We continue to work closely with Congress, the FAA and other stakeholders to determine the best path forward now that UAS registration will be reinstituted. This process will take time but, as always, we are doing everything we can to advocate for our members and protect the model aircraft hobby.

Thank you,

AMA Government Relations

Steve Carr · Nov 10, 2017

I have assumed the registration would be reinstated after going through the legislative process. I believe we would all be better served if control over UAV's stays with the FAA. The irrational local regulations which continue to proliferate across the U.S. make flying legally a nightmare. I fear the trend will continue even with the registration.

skysthelimit · Nov 11, 2017

So, for the average hobbiest they have to again register?

Steve Carr · Nov 11, 2017

skysthelimit said:
So, for the average hobbiest they have to again register?

I presume if you were already registered then you would be good. But we'll have to see what the final outcome will be.

Typhoon Charlie · Nov 11, 2017

This is turning into a S**T show. The FAA is a three ring circus. They couldn't confuse the public more if they tried. Oh wait, I believe that's what they are doing.

Typhoon Charlie · Nov 11, 2017

Steve Carr said:
I have assumed the registration would be reinstated after going through the legislative process. I believe we would all be better served if control over UAV's stays with the FAA. The irrational local regulations which continue to proliferate across the U.S. make flying legally a nightmare. I fear the trend will continue even with the registration.

Couldn't have said it better.

RaeThrills · Nov 13, 2017

Steve Carr said:
I have assumed the registration would be reinstated after going through the legislative process. I believe we would all be better served if control over UAV's stays with the FAA. The irrational local regulations which continue to proliferate across the U.S. make flying legally a nightmare. I fear the trend will continue even with the registration.

Steve I’m a ama member 7 years now. I always new this would happen. A terrorist could be on the watch list but happens to own a few big multirotors that are not registered. This is why, it’s not to attract the hobby. It’s to keep our skies safe. Since the dept of homeland issued the scare statement saying terrorist plan to weaponize UAS in America. That’s very real so yeah I registered mine a long time ago. When I first got the H.

RaeThrills · Nov 14, 2017

skysthelimit said:
So, for the average hobbiest they have to again register?

Yep. Everyone that wants to fly. Not everyone is gonna register though. Like when they first started it. A lot in the fpv community( park fliers) won’t even bother. Until they make a system where in the store each uas sold is tied to a buyer like a firearm. It’s coming just a matter of time.

skysthelimit · Nov 14, 2017

RaeThrills said:
Yep. Everyone that wants to fly. Not everyone is gonna register though. Like when they first started it. A lot in the fpv community( park fliers) won’t even bother. Until they make a system where in the store each uas sold is tied to a buyer like a firearm. It’s coming just a matter of time.

Park flying and field flying is about 99.5% what I do lol
Its really no big deal to me either way, I just wish they'd get their head out of their butts and stick with a decision to either require it or not.

RaeThrills · Nov 14, 2017

skysthelimit said:
Park flying and field flying is about 99.5% what I do lol
Its really no big deal to me either way, I just wish they'd get their head out of their butts and stick with a decision to either require it or not.

I’m literally getting rid of quads as we speak. I’m not trying to register 10 birds. Half don’t even have serial numbers because their custom. That’s where the faa will have issues. Guys having this many will most likely feel the same as I do. Time to then out the crowd.

Gaunt1969 · Nov 14, 2017

Registration is one of the stupidest things the FAA has done in the last 50 years. If someone wants to use a UAV for something illegal registration will do nothing to stop it.

redbird007 · Nov 14, 2017

Agustine said:
We are writing to update you on the FAA’s registration requirement. Today, Congress finalized legislation that will reverse the earlier court ruling in the John Taylor case and restore the FAA’s UAS registration requirement, including for AMA members.

We expect this legislation – the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2018 – to go through final passage in the House and Senate, and to the President’s desk, soon. We ask all AMA members to please comply with the registration rule once it is in effect again. We will update you when this happens.

What is the bill identifier, because I can't find any such provision in the text of that bill.

bb1040 · Nov 15, 2017

RaeThrills said:
I’m literally getting rid of quads as we speak. I’m not trying to register 10 birds. Half don’t even have serial numbers because their custom. That’s where the faa will have issues. Guys having this many will most likely feel the same as I do. Time to then out the crowd.

I registered when they first started it.....you register as the owner with one number that you put on all of your birds, this is for hobby users, pro is a different story.......but if you are just flying as a hobby ,you do not have to register 10 different birds...I printed up a label with the number, my name and my phone number , and stuck one on each bird I own, I have six birds, but right now My Q500 4K is my number one bird, the rest are collecting dust on a shelf right now.......

Twisterdink · Nov 15, 2017

I'm pretty sure terrorists aren't going to be lining up to register their drones....

bb1040 · Nov 15, 2017

Twisterdink said:
I'm pretty sure terrorists aren't going to be lining up to register their drones....

Twisterdink:.... I was thinking the same thing.....kind of silly, thinking that registration would stop a terrorist .........

FePhoenix · Nov 15, 2017

RaeThrills said:
Steve I’m a ama member 7 years now. I always new this would happen. A terrorist could be on the watch list but happens to own a few big multirotors that are not registered. This is why, it’s not to attract the hobby. It’s to keep our skies safe. Since the dept of homeland issued the scare statement saying terrorist plan to weaponize UAS in America. That’s very real so yeah I registered mine a long time ago. When I first got the H.

Terrorists will register Phantoms like criminals register Glocks: NOT. As usual, rules only affect those that abide.

slate8288 · Nov 17, 2017

Im down with the registration thing. I believe it helps us when some local tries to hassle us on something he has never even done any research on. (Rules n regs) But as far as bad people doing bad things with drones, it wont help a bit. Even if they make u register at time of purchase, a terrorist could easily order an airframe,motors,gps,auto pilot, speed controller, props, receiver, and rc on amazon and build his own. Also wont stop all the used drones sold every day online by ordinary people. If anything, it will just create a market. No matter how you view it, the terrorist issue is a problem. And if they strip all of our freedoms because of the terrorists, then the terrorists will have won quite a victory. Thats exactly what they want!

CraigCam · Nov 17, 2017

It has been the proliferation of off the shelf drones from those other guys that represent the majority of mishaps and rule breaking. We all know how DJI created defacto registration through the firmware upgrade this summer. We can safely assume they have that data on users worldwide. So right now, if someone could weaponize a phantom, they’d be up against many limitations besides the weight issue and there is digital record of the pilot.

The drones they use against us are not multi rotor and are more like our predator and reaper style of plane drones.

Meanwhile, most of us want to just take photos so it’s like the camera operators on the safari get permits and the poachers don’t. But without the camera folks permitted, the ranger can’t tell if they are poachers and could waste time on checking them while the poachers get away.
Registering will in theory help eliminate good responsible pilots from those who feel the rules of law and our current flawed but only process we have is broken. I choose to be on the side of declaring myself a Hobby flier when this first started and feel the FAA number I have helps identify myself as a responsible member of our model community. I’m not an AMA member because I’m not welcome at model parks by all the entrenched plane and copter pilots. We have been the “fringe” of model aircraft but represent the most numbers of craft and get the attention because YouTube is full of crash videos which is also a generational thing of self glossing everything even your failures. When someone does make a terrorists drone it most likely will be fixed wing and pre made from a global weapons dealer and not a model, custom built, or a multi rotor. It’s also fun to watch us get squeezed while the gun lobby literally gets away with murder and we should be pointing out that until they figure out how to fix the automatic weapons mess, we are not the threat. You can’t argue we need to be regulated and then stand silent on any regulations post the latest insanities. We are talking spending energy on hypotheticals from us via AMA and feds but NRA and feds not so much. If I ever hope to make $, I need a 107 and I’ve got to abide by the rules.

Clear as mud...

fottip · Nov 17, 2017

CraigCam said:
It’s also fun to watch us get squeezed while the gun lobby literally gets away with murder and we should be pointing out that until they figure out how to fix the automatic weapons mess, we are not the threat.

I was following along with your post till that one came along. The "gun lobby", (which I support; I'm an NRA member) exists in large part to protect our Constitutional rights. I don't view that as "getting away with murder".

I have no idea what you meant with your reference to "automatic weapons". If I missed something involving an "automatic weapon", please cite it and enlighten me.

redbird007 · Nov 18, 2017

fottip said:
I was following along with your post till that one came along. The "gun lobby", (which I support; I'm an NRA member) exists in large part to protect our Constitutional rights. I don't view that as "getting away with murder".

I have no idea what you meant with your reference to "automatic weapons". If I missed something involving an "automatic weapon", please cite it and enlighten me.

I was just going to say, What automatic weapons mess?