An FAA task force says drone registration should be mandatory

A report submitted to the FAA by a special task force is recommending the administration force drone owners to register their aircraft.

In the report, which the FAA commissioned from a task force of special interest groups and large companies, it’s recommended that any drone over 0.55 pounds (read: those shitty palm-sized crafts) be registered with the FAA.

The reason smaller drones get a pass is that they pose no significant danger to public safety. It seems as though the task force only considered drones as-is, not the potential weaponizing them.

Owners of larger drones would need to fill out an online form to register their drones, which would return an electronic certificate of registration. An online course on flight safety and operation was also recommended, and applies to any drone owner over the age of 13.

The task force’s report is full of recommendations; we’re not being forced to register drones (yet). Still, it shows that the FAA takes flying a drone into fireworks or near an airport more seriously than we probably do. It also doesn’t take into account recent steps toward drone safety, like DJI’s pilot assistance software that makes flying a drone into ‘drone no-fly zones’ like an Airport impossible.

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➤ Task Force Recommendations Final Report [FAA via The Verge]