Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune…
When it comes to the FAA’s handling of drones, “outrageous fortune” is a fitting description.
Today is day one of the FAA’s drone registration program outlined in Secretary Foxx’s announcement on December 14 that all unmanned aircraft operators are to be registered by February 19, 2016.
While nobody is arguing against registering personal UAVs (in fact, the community and industry support the idea) the FAA’s methods and process have proven to be full of points of contention.
So much so, that it calls into question the necessity of jumping online today to register your drone.
The truth is, the new registration process was rushed into existence by the FAA because the administration is in panic mode. Thousands of new drones will be in the air by next week and the FAA felt the need to do something to try and mitigate the risks that come with this influx of airspace traffic.
But the problem is, the FAA’s “register now, ask questions later” approach to the situation doesn’t work. They are not fighting this battle on home turf and it shows. Every publication and organization with any interest in drones had no trouble blowing holes in the FAA’s announcements.
… Or to take arms against a sea of troubles…
The Academy of Model Aeronautics and the Competitive Enterprise Institute are both in the process of challenging the legality of the FAA’s process – and they both have a legitimate case.
The AMA even went as far as telling its members to wait to register until the last possible day (February 19) because the AMA is going to try convince the FAA to make an exception for model aircraft and if that doesn’t work, the courts might do it for them.
Motherboard’s Jason Koebler astutely asked “Is the FAA really going to fine a teenager $27,500 or put him in jail if he didn’t know he was supposed to register his drone?”
Forbes’ John Goglia has called into question the morality of allowing registrant’s information to be publicly available and his experience getting the facts shows the process of gathering information was not thought through by the FAA.
DroneLife has already received tips that there are imitators out there, with no connection to the FAA, promising to get your drone registered. Federaldroneregistration.com, for example, will happily take your money, but is a privately owned URL and is in no way responsible for getting you registered.
The Washington Post, San Diego Tribune, Gizmodo, NBC News, and Politico, among many, many other jumped on the FAA for both the flimsy plan and for ignoring the recommendations made by the Drone Registration Task Force which the FAA itself created.
Even if the FAA can navigate all these pitfalls, Can the FAA actually pull registration off? How are they going to get all these people who get a drone for Christmas, that may have no idea registering their drone is a requirement, to follow the protocols.
… And by opposing end them.
Most importantly, though, how is the FAA going to enforce it all?
A person can only be subject to fines and/or jail time if the police end up with the drone and the drone is registered.
This whole thing is going to come crashing down around the FAA when an unregistered drone inevitably falls out of the sky and hurts someone. With no registration, there will be no way to track the operator so no punishment will be had.
It’s amazing really – a week ago, a falling drone induced injury would have strengthened the FAA’s case because everyone and their mother would have been ready to let the FAA do whatever they want.
“Just protect us from the drones!”
But now, when the crash happens, everyone will be at the FAA’s throats for implementing a rule that doesn’t work.
Look, I get it. The FAA is responsible for the safety of the national airspace. But they’re not the only ones with responsibility. Operators have a responsibility to know how their machines work and to operate them appropriately, just like cars.
Most importantly (and least discussed), however, is the responsibility that lies on the shoulders of drone manufacturers.
Safe drone operation is going to matriculate from DJI, 3DR, Parrot, and the next major player in the space because technological safety measures and flight restrictions can and should be programmed right into the drones themselves.
From the beginning, the FAA has fundamentally misunderstood that drones are flying computers not airplanes. As such, the regulations need to be focused on the providers of the technology before they are set for the users
The FAA’s registration website can be accessed right here.
Alan is serial entrepreneur, active angel investor, and a drone enthusiast. He co-founded DRONELIFE.com to address the emerging commercial market for drones and drone technology. Prior to DRONELIFE.com, Alan co-founded Where.com, ThinkingScreen Media, and Nurse.com. Recently, Alan has co-founded Crowditz.com, a leader in Equity Crowdfunding Data, Analytics, and Insights. Alan can be reached at alan(at)dronelife.com
To Register or not? I personally dont have a problem with the registration requirement or the current laws regarding airspace and restricted areas set by the FAA ( NFL, NBA, NASCAR events, sensitive areas etc.) However i do have several problems with the FAA’s rules on commercial use, I need a sect. 333 exemption, o.k., but i must also possess at least a private pilots license? Why not just have a drone pilots license (after all flying a manned aircraft and flying an unmanned aircraft are 2 entirely different skill sets).
Just registering a drone does absolutely nothing in regards to safety which is supposedly why we have to register in the first place, it only gives authorities a way to track and fine you if they somehow come into possession of your drone.
I think anyone who wants to fly a sUAS either for recreation, hobby or commercial purposes must go thru training, and be certified by the FAA as a “Drone Pilot”. This would take care of a couple of issues #1, all legal drone pilots will now have adequate training and this will make for a much safer environment both in the air and on the ground. #2 it will not only allow trained pilots to safely use their drones for profit, it will lead to an entirely new revenue stream for the government itself, create new business , jobs, etc..
I have a Home Theatre business and my clients are quite upscale, living in mountainside multi million dollar homes.If I had i been able to use my sUAS for profit, i could have paid for it in the first 3 days just by taking photos of their homes from a perspective that can only be had from the air. Sure they could hire a helicopter company to do the same thing, but at a huge cost financially and an even bigger risk to the property and safety of themselves and neighbors. As a homeowner which you rather deal with, a 4.5 lb drone falling out of the sky and hitting your roof, or a 3000lb helicopter filled with fuel and at least 2 humans?
I believe in responsible and safe operation of all aircraft, but lets use some common sense, to date, according to the FAA, there have been ZERO collisions with manned aircraft, ZERO reports of death, and ZERO reports of injury! In contrast there have been over 25,000 gun related injuries and over 13,000 gun related deaths this year alone. And yet we have to register our drones in all 50 states, but only 6 states require guns to be registered!?! I have given up on the gun issue, but i strongly believe that proper training and certification will make a huge difference in air safety and I for one would very much like to keep our perfect record going strong for years to come.
We also need organizations like dronelife and others to unify as our rights to fly are quickly being diminished, last year the US parks service set an interim ban on drone flights based on 3 incidents ( no injuries but some people were a bit annoyed), last week the Pima county parks department here in Arizona banned all drone flights on park property, yet they have 3 gun shooting ranges available!?!
Finally, I think the drones have been over hyped and this preemptive attitude will cost us all if we are not careful and vigilant . For me personally, I just want to able to take and sell photos legally and safely without having to spend thousands on a pilots license. Photography is a side business for me and my drone is a flying camera. I would like to be able to make some extra money with it just as I do with my land based camera. Had I known this would end up being such a hassle, I probably would never have invested the 1200.00 on this drone. This current situation is not doing the Drone industry any favors!
WE who already belong to an organization, for instance the AMA, already have an ID, are aware of safety and the most part where we can and can not fly.
The issue arises when the general public purchases a device, has no idea how and where to operate it, and is unaware of any constraints on operation.
The FAA has gone wrong on multiple fronts:
It’s “interpretation” of congresses directive to leave hobby model aircraft alone. Lawsuit(s) in progress…
Not spending funds on public service announcements to educate the populace on restricted areas an d proper operation.
Actually working with the AMA to automatically register members. These people are not the problem.
So many loop holes in basically in unenforceable “law”. Register so you’re in compliance, but “forget” to put your number on the aircraft. If you’re flying in restricted space, it doesn’t matter if you’re registered or not, you’re still wrong.
Guaranteed, the FAA will visit RC fields to check, but probably will not police around airports, stadiums, etc…
A plus is they are registering the operator not the aircraft (just like using our AMA number…duh)
Absolutely wait to register to see how this all works out. We have until Feb, and if you do register, use a prepaid credit/debit card, as the registration site is a contractor. Comments to date indicate the site is wide open and information is public.
Registration is the first step to confiscation, just like with guns. Never register! And please don’t blame or put the responsibility on the manufacturers. The responsibility lies only on the shoulders of the end users, the consumers. Society has abandoned God and by extension, forgotten sin and personal responsibility. We should not blame others for the sins of someone else. Punish those who use their drones to commit evil. Nothing more, nothing less.
Valid point fox. Though your logic feels like it came from a lot of personal issues you have with this body of gov. Our government fail simply because we let it. I came from the Philippines where gov is understood to be lacking due to simply it’s age. Philippine republic has only been around a short time. So support for its people are still in its infant stages. But what I have seen and can teach back is I’ve seen gov work for the people. Not very much but a movement towards the right directions. Your idea of propper gov support can be seen as luxury when looked from diffrent eyes. My idea of fair is based on actual impact to myself and my family vs gov benafits. We didn’t even ask what they would do with the fine money once collected. Is it going for pilot improvement programs designed to establish the culture or is it going to where ever our extra gop is going? These are important basic asset management. That needs transparency. The way we lay the foundation of any road directly impacts the quality of ride through that road through time and space. Safe flights sir Cheers -EpicFpv open minds alows open eyes; Close any of that why even fight the good fight? Hope you and yours are enjoying your time with each other. ????