FAA Temporarily Suspends Online Small UAS Registration During Overnight Hours

The FAA is reporting that more than 45,000 small drone registrations have been completed since the registration system went live however, they have some reports for minor issues. The system was taken offline last night and they will do so again tonight (Weds 12/23) for maintenance.

Press release from the FAA

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will temporarily suspend online registration for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) tonight and Wednesday night to perform site maintenance in advance of an expected rush of customers on Christmas Day.

While an overwhelming number of people have successfully registered, we have received reports from a small number of users of performance issues. We have instructed our contractor, CSRA, to address these issues and to complete other maintenance in advance of the post-holiday demand.

The registration site will be taken offline tonight and Wednesday night at 9 p.m. Eastern. We expect to resume service around 6 a.m. on Wednesday and Thursday. Customers may use the system throughout the day on Wednesday before it is taken offline in the evening.

The agency has seen strong initial demand, with more than 45,000 registrations completed since the site opened for business Monday afternoon. According to industry estimates, as many as 400,000 small UAS could be sold during the holidays.

The FAA is requiring registration of all aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms), including payloads such as on-board cameras.

Registration will foster a greater awareness on the part of users to learn the rules about flying safely in the National Airspace System. Registration will also enable the FAA to trace the ownership of an aircraft in the event of an incident.

Owners who previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to December 21, 2015, must register no later than February 19, 2016. Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after December 21, 2015 must register before the first flight outdoors.

Owners using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS. The registration is valid for three years.