FAA registration for model planes

Do it now and it's going to be free, but by the end of next month, it'll cost $5.

Tiny things are exempt, but go over 0.55 lbs, and it's required.

Their guidance document is pretty helpful regarding "drones", but manages to skip planes entirely. But, planes are indeed included.

https://registermyuas.faa.gov/restricted#/home

Our local field just got shut down because of this thing, being that it is within 5 miles of an airport.

AMA is not happy with these new rules and is recommending that people NOT register at this time. They are still protesting.

It costs $5 to register an airplane also. They don't want revenue (on aircraft) they just want to know where they are.

No.

I guess they just made me a criminal...again.

JamesMcD wrote: Our local field just got shut down because of this thing, being that it is within 5 miles of an airport. AMA is not happy with these new rules and is recommending that people NOT register at this time. They are still protesting.

Wow. Truly living up to the motto 'We're not happy til you're not happy!'

There's an RC field nearby that is (maybe was, given the Brave New World thing going on now? ) also a public use airport. I went in there with one of my students once. His dad was hugely into RC aviation. Somebody passed us about 100ft of the wing when we were on short final .

Note that if you fly indoors only you are totally exempt. Their PDF also shows about a dozen hobbyist drones, and there are a lot of exceptions. They really aren't being as bad about this as all the press is making it seem. Basically if you have a hobby toy, you are exempt. If you spent a couple of hundred dollars on something with a real video camera in it or the ability to carry a GoPro, then you have to register.

All my aircraft are under half a pound so the FAA can kiss my ass. Nice going you drone dicks.

Hmmmm looks like my foam Firebird Stratos is just over a pound...

Mea, 0.55 lbs isn't much and is easy to go over. Anything with a wingspan over about 18 inches is starting to get likely it's going to exceed the lower weight limit. That includes a whole lot of the electric backyard flier fleet, aka toys.

Doesn't change anything about the airport restrictions with regards to ceiling height and distance. That's been there for a long time, and rather capriciously and selectively enforced.

I'm sensing that the <1/2 pound drone market will be growing significantly.

It's a good thing that crime and terrorism and corruption and health care and senior care and poverty and economics and lasting peace and foreign relations have all been solved so they can now focus on important things like R/C hobbyists that are ruining this country.

In addition to the local field being shut down, I can't fly in my own yard.

I registered and I also wrote down the emails for the two local airports. It's too bad we can't have nice things because others ruin it for the rest of us.

tuna55 wrote: It's a good thing that crime and terrorism and corruption and health care and senior care and poverty and economics and lasting peace and foreign relations have all been solved so they can now focus on important things like R/C hobbyists that are ruining this country.

I think you should be a bit less angry at the 'gubmint' and a bit more angry at the a-holes that just could not seem to stop flying their drones around fire fighting aircraft and such! The FAA would not have made these rules without them.

Yet another a-holes inspired law. Thanks a-holes!

They were already banned from national parks in part because a moron dropped his toy into Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone.

Did any of you guys actually READ the rules?!? Holy crap man! Toys are actually specifically excluded, even ones that would otherwise meet the weight requirements. You can fly indoors, in your own yard, or in a public park/field with your toys all you want and NO registration! It has to be 250 grams or more and controllable to 400 feet. You aren't going to get the 400' without being a "serious" drone with real-time video. And even then, it's $5 for 3 years of registration (and it's per pilot not per drone, so you register once for all 327 drones you own and they run the same registration number). Government waste? You tell me it was wasteful to spend a couple grand on a website and a database after I watched a massive local wildfire end up twice as bad because some shiny happy person was flying his professional drone into the firefighter helicopter's way.

Man, I think I need a break from here, it's getting to be like the YouTube comments section lately.

I think the basic problem is that it's become too easy and cheap to get into model aviation, and irresponsible yahoos, as is their wont, ruin everything for everyone.

Tech is increasing so fast; you can buy a $40 multi-rotor today that would've been impossible to build for $20,000 ten years ago.

JamesMcD wrote: I think the basic problem is that it's become too easy and cheap to get into model aviation, and irresponsible yahoos, as is their wont, ruin everything for everyone.

THIS

Look, I realize that many people dont like there being rules and they dislike the government because they are the ones who make the rules (and enforce them), but without those rules there can be no sanity brake on stupid people doing very stupid things.

YOU may be a responsible drone owner/operator, but is Jeffery McBerkeleyStain down the road who flies a drone into the middle of a fire company attempting to put out a fire? Or when he decides he wants scenic shots of the local airport and accidentally hits a plane on approach? Of if he is using it for the express purpose of looking in your bathroom window to see your wife in the shower?

Unfortunately the limitations are part of what it takes to reign in the morons. Tragedy of commons.

Its a better alternative than saying noone can have drones.

Hell, here in DC we have had a few drones that were caught over the whitehouse and they had a hell of a time finding out who was operating them. If people are stupid enough to do that, there needs to be some kind of law to hold them responsible and compel them to put an ID# of some sort on the drone.

Are you up in arms for having to register your car and have plates on it?

"Hello, I'm from the government and I'm here to help."

In reply to Javelin:

Uhmm, yes? I did. I am sorry for disagreeing with you? Weird.

Toy exemption, hello air hogs X wing

we had a similar problem at work. We had an outside stage for the summer, and one of the DJs on it for an event, had a buddy with a big drone who sent it up to take pictures of the crowd for a video.

He got tossed off of the property and had to erase the videos he took. They do -not- want people doing video at a casino

JamesMcD wrote: I think the basic problem is that it's become too easy and cheap to get into model aviation, and irresponsible yahoos, as is their wont, ruin everything for everyone.

Yup, I don't see the problem here, it's only a matter of time before one of these kills somebody in a small aircraft, or gets sucked into a jet engine, now we'll know what idiot did it.

Apexcarver wrote: YOU may be a responsible drone owner/operator, but is Jeffery McBerkeleyStain down the road who flies a drone into the middle of a fire company attempting to put out a fire? Or when he decides he wants scenic shots of the local airport and accidentally hits a plane on approach? Of if he is using it for the express purpose of looking in your bathroom window to see your wife in the shower?

Counter point, do you really think Jeffery there will actually have his labeled with his ID? I rather doubt it myself.