FAA’s drone safety, registration rules set to take effect
Drones have been flying off the shelves at D’s hobbies in Bend for the past month as a popular Christmas present – but one with a new federal string attached for many of them.
The store is keeping busy just after Christmas, as many shoppers are wanting to buy drones.
“This year was probably our biggest year ever, in term of drone sales,” store owner Ryan Thomas said Saturday.
D’s Hobbies still has a few selections of drones, but are selling out of the aircraft fast.
But with these unmanned aircraft systems come new federal regulations.
“We’ve had a lot of questions this year on what you need to register,” Thomas said.
Anyone who bought a drone weighing over a half-pound must register their aircraft online with the Federal Aviation Administration online.
The FAA has set up a new Website to register small unmanned aircraft systems.
According to the FAA, there have been more than 1,100 unsafe drone reports this year. This past summer, some firefighting aircraft had to be be grounded when fighting wildfires because of drone sightings nearby.
According to federal officials, you must be 13 years old to register. If you bought the drone before Dec. 21, you have until Feb. 19 to register the aircraft.
Their is a $5 registration fee, which is refundable; if you miss the registration date, the fee goes up to $7.
“We advise especially with the larger ones, we let them know that there is a process out there now for registering,” Thomas said.
Once a drone is registered, a certificate of proof of ownership must be marked on the aircraft.
Anyone who fails to register their drone with the FAA could face a fine of up to $20,000.
To register, you can click on this link to get started.
