The drone registration task force will recommend the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) require drone operators to obtain a single registration number, according to MarketWatch.
Many hobbyists own more than one drone, and they’ve been very vocal about how tedious it would be having to register each drone. According to MarketWatch, the task force will recommend a single registration number be tied to the operator, no matter how many drones they own. Drones shouldn’t have a unique registration number.
Drone operators, the task force will recommend, should fill out a one-time online registration form, including their name, phone number and address. They also say registration should not require passing a test.
What We Know About Drone Registration
Here are five recommendations the drone task force has reportedly made to the FAA about drone registration:
Any drone weighing more than 9 oz. should to be registered
Registration should be free and done via a government-run website and app
Registration should be tied to operator, not individual drones
A legible registration number should be attached to drones
Drone registration shouldn’t require passing a test
That registration number, which as previously reported could be attached to the drone via a sticker or written on the drone with a Sharpie, will be with the drone owner for life, MarketWatch reports. If an operator sells a drone, they simply remove the registration number from the drone, and the new owner will attach their number.
And the only time an operator would have to revisit the registration website is to update personal information, such as their address.
The FAA’s official announcement is expected to come on November 20, which was the deadline that was set for the task force to make its recommendations. As previously reported, the task force also recommended any drone that weighs more than 9 oz. needs to be registered, and the registration process should be simple and free.
The 25-member task force is made up of experts from drone manufacturers, aviation associations, retailers and others. The group’s co-chairs are Dave Vos of GoogleX and Earl Lawrence, director of the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office.
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3D Robotics and DJI, the two largest consumer drone manufacturers and members of the task force, announced on Nov. 17 partnerships with AirMap on new geofencing systems that will real-time updates on no-fly zones to keep drones out of restricted airspace.
DJI’s Geospatial Environment Online (GEO) system will be automatically added in December 2015 to the current versions of the Phantom, Inspire and Matrice drones, while 3D Robotics’ system will be added to the Solo smart drone app in anticipation of the holiday shopping season.
