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10 Drones You Don’t Need to Register

By Steve Crowe | November 10, 2015

If you haven’t heard by now, the drone registration task force is reportedly recommending simple and free registration be mandatory for all drones that weigh over 9 oz.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has estimated 1 million drones will be purchased this holiday season, and it’s safe to say the majority of those drones will weigh more than 9 oz. DJI’s Phantom 3 Standard, one of the newer drones out there, weighs 43 oz. (2.7 lb.) 3D Robotics’ Solo Drone weighs 53 oz. (3.3 lb.), and its Iris+ weighs 45 oz. (2.8 lb.).

You get the picture. The more popular and more sophisticated drones are easily over the 9-oz. weight threshold for registration.

The recommendation for free registration has been made in hopes of getting more people to register. We’ll have to wait to find out more specifics about the registration process once it’s up and running this holiday season – that’s the goal, according to the FAA. But there seem to be many loopholes with the plan, including what could be done with DIY drones that weren’t purchased from Amazon or Best Buy.

And what about nano-sized drones? They certainly don’t have the capabilities of a DJI or 3DR drone, but for someone who just wants to fly around for 10 minutes, this could be a potential solution. Will we see a boon in nano drones due to registration for larger drones?

There are plenty of nano drones already on the market, and surely there will be more to come. For the growing number of anti-registration folks out there, we’ve compiled some of the top nano-sized drones you can buy today and won’t have to register – if the FAA adheres to the task force’s recommendations. Again, they come with limitations, but they’ll certainly help you get your drone fix.

Click here for 10 Drones You Won’t Have to Register.

What are your thoughts on mandatory registration for drones over 9 oz.? Create a free account with Robotics Trends today and leave your thoughts below!

About The Author

Steve Crowe

Steve Crowe is Executive Editor, Robotics, WTWH Media, and chair of the Robotics Summit & Expo and RoboBusiness. He is also co-host of The Robot Report Podcast, the top-rated podcast for the robotics industry. He joined WTWH Media in January 2018 after spending four-plus years as Managing Editor of Robotics Trends Media. He can be reached at scrowe@wtwhmedia.com

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