# US Drones Owners Must Register by Starting 12/21/15 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 14, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460 "2015-12-14T22:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/1 "2015-12-14T22:40:16Z")
Well, the regulations are starting to roll out - [the FAA will require Unmanned Aircraft System owners to register starting December 21, 2015](http://www.faa.gov/news/press_releases/news_story.cfm?newsId=19856&cid=TW378) The link has further links for more detail, but basically if your model RC aircraft weighs more than 0.55 pounds (or “two sticks of butter” as one alternate measure given) you need to register on the FAA website for you unique identification number. If your drone is more than 55 pounds then there is a different registration method. Yes, this applies to anything you purchased before the rule came down that meets the weight requirements. I now have to go weigh over a dozen RC aircraft… I’ll be back in a bit… ---
**Author:** ![jerry\_smissingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@jerry\_smissingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerry_smissingfinger)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/2 "2015-12-14T23:29:57Z")
I was just reading this today and the first thing I noticed was the registration fees and that it will be a federal crime if person(s) do not register with the FAA. Nothing like a self serving government that creates money and law out of thin air. Actually law and currency go hand in hand now…de-valued ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/3 "2015-12-14T23:54:11Z")
$5 to register for three years, and you only have to register once and you can apply your number to any number of drones. Contrast that with the _thousands_ it took me to get a pilot’s license and the thousands per year I spent on retaining my privileges. Basically, the $5 is to support the registration infrastructure. The FAA is, in fact, _required_ to charge a registration fee - you can thank “small government” conservatives for that, requiring a lot of agencies to be “self-supporting” instead of taking such minor costs out of the income taxes we already pay. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/4 "2015-12-14T23:55:33Z")
You know who else was forced to register with the government, right? ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2015, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/5 "2015-12-14T23:59:12Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > You know who else was forced to register with the government, right? Adam Lanza…? ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/6 "2015-12-15T00:40:56Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > You know who else was forced to register with the government, right? Car owners? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/7 "2015-12-15T01:07:52Z")
So exactly what is considered a drone and has to be registered? would a model aircraft purchased 25 years ago be included? I got one in a closet somewhere with fuel. how about the ones on strings? they fly in a big circle. where should I register my collection of kites? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/8 "2015-12-15T01:30:12Z")
According to the press release, this is applies to “owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS) weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms) including payloads such as on-board cameras.” This is aimed at “unmanned aircraft”, not just drones. So it’s not just drones. Here’s an Ars Tech article about the change - > **[Got a drone? It’s registration time, says the FAA](https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2015/12/faa-launches-drone-registration-website-gives-owners-february-deadline/)** > > $5 fee will be waived for those who register by mid-January. If you register within the first month, the fees will by waived. Registration deadline is February 19th, 2016. There’s a FAQ here with lots of useful info - [http://www.faa.gov/uas/registration/faqs/](http://www.faa.gov/uas/registration/faqs/) Registrants will need to print a certificate of registration, which will need to be updated if the aircraft is sold or destroyed. You will also need to mark your aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/9 "2015-12-15T01:39:19Z")
> [@jerry\_smissingfinger](#): > > I was just reading this today and the first thing I noticed was the registration fees and that it will be a federal crime if person(s) do not register with the FAA. > Nothing like a self serving government that creates money and law out of thin air. Actually law and currency go hand in hand now…de-valued Nobody is making mad bank off $5 a pop registrations. The point of the money is two-fold: 1. It helps cover the cost of maintaining the database & processing the registrations. 2. It helps create awareness in the minds of the public. It’s a psychological thing. People remember things better and take memberships a little more seriously when they have a little skin in the game. (Even when it’s very very little). FWIW, my dog license is $25 a year. I need to renew it this week. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/10 "2015-12-15T01:46:01Z")
About fucking time. Those things ought to be banned, or at least controlled to the point that nobody can fly one without some serious licensing and liability insurance. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/11 "2015-12-15T01:55:57Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > About fucking time. Those things ought to be banned, or at least controlled to the point that nobody can fly one without some serious licensing and liability insurance. Why? ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/12 "2015-12-15T02:10:05Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I now have to go weigh over a dozen RC aircraft… I’ll be back in a bit… > [@Broomstick](#): > > $5 to register for three years, and you only have to register once and you can apply your number to any number of drones. > > Contrast that with the _thousands_ it took me to get a pilot’s license and the thousands per year I spent on retaining my privileges. Wait, I thought you said before that you were poor? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/13 "2015-12-15T02:33:37Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > Why? If you have to ask this, I doubt you will understand the answer. As an aside, my old man was on the “leading edge”, so to speak, of the Radio Controlled Aircraft hobby movement in the 50’s (the military was doing it back in the 40’s at least) and I grew up amid all that stuff. (I’ve got the Falcon 56 I built in the garage to this day) By the 80’s, he was flying “jets” (they were a crude pulse-jet, I think, kinda like a V-1), ducted-fan scale Migs and high performance pattern planes that, in the wrong hands, could easily kill scores of people. Little, 4 foot wing-span, fiberglass planes, maybe 20 pounds, going about 120 miles an hour. Now, think of that projectile hitting a crowd by accident, or on purpose. My old man wouldn’t care for all this drone shit I think. Or maybe he would. Hard to say. I do know he spent a bunch of money and time to get a special ham license to operate on frequencies normally off-limits to the riff-raff. ---
**Author:** ![jerry\_smissingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@jerry\_smissingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerry_smissingfinger)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/14 "2015-12-15T03:31:09Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > About fucking time. Those things ought to be banned, or at least controlled to the point that nobody can fly one without some serious licensing and liability insurance. I do not own a drone and I think they can be invasive to some when it comes to privacy but that does not give the government the right to force registration and regulations. Makes me sad when people cheer government regulations ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/15 "2015-12-15T03:34:03Z")
> [@jerry\_smissingfinger](#): > > I do not own a drone and I think they can be invasive to some when it comes to privacy but that does not give the government the right to force registration and regulations. > > Makes me sad when people cheer government regulations And _your_ solution would be…? ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/16 "2015-12-15T03:34:26Z")
Too bad. Watching wildfires go unchecked because assholes flying drones shut down the airspace to air drops matters a shitload more to me than some jerkwads “right” to play with his new toy. ---
**Author:** ![BigBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@BigBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBlue)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/17 "2015-12-15T03:40:20Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Wait, I thought you said before that you were poor? You would be poor if you spent that much too. > [@beowulff](#): > > And _your_ solution would be…? You don’t need a solution if there is no problem. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/18 "2015-12-15T03:43:12Z")
> [@BigBlue](#): > > You would be poor if you spent that much too. > > You don’t need a solution if there is no problem. Agreed. But, there _IS_ is problem. ---
**Author:** ![jerry\_smissingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@jerry\_smissingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerry_smissingfinger)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/19 "2015-12-15T03:44:50Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > And _your_ solution would be…? Solution for what? Is there a problem with these things that need regulation? Just because there are a few douche bags out there operating drones irresponsibly does not mean we need government to step in and “keep us safe”. ---
**Author:** ![jerry\_smissingfinger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@jerry\_smissingfinger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jerry_smissingfinger)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2015, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460/20 "2015-12-15T03:47:19Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > Too bad. Watching wildfires go unchecked because assholes flying drones shut down the airspace to air drops matters a shitload more to me than some jerkwads “right” to play with his new toy. Who’s airspace? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-drones-owners-must-register-by-starting-12-21-15/740460.md?page=2)