Washington, DC—The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has registered 325,000 drone owners since mandatory registration went into effect in December 2015. FAA administrator Michael Huerta said there are now more registered drone operators in the U.S. than there are registered manned aircraft.
Following numerous complaints of interference from manned aircraft pilots, the FAA launched the drone-registration program to help them track down operators who violate regulations. Under the process, drone operators are issued a registration number that must be visible on all their drones. The FAA believes this will help create a culture of accountability.
Regulation Highlights
According to the new regulations, drones weighing between half a pound and 55 pounds must be registered. Drones above that weight must go through standard aircraft registration procedures. In addition, registered drone operators are required to carry their registration when operating the aircraft. And if a drone is sold by the initial purchaser or gifted, the new owner must register it.
The cost of registration is $5 for three years, and applicants must provide a name, address and e-mail address. Failure to register or improper use of a drone could carry a civil penalty of up to $27,500. And a criminal conviction could cost as much as $250,000 and three years in prison. faa.gov
