Drone fuss ramps up with new FAA recommendations, as drone sales are expected to spike this holiday season to unprecedented numbers.
Drone fuss ramps up with new FAA recommendations, as drone sales are expected to spike this holiday season to unprecedented numbers.
The unmanned aerial vehicles stemming from the walled garden of the military, are now increasing in popularity worldwide. Used in commercial or recreational purposes, the newly bought or received drones will be subject to a new set of regulations. The process has been set in motion by an FAA-led task force. However, the newly released set of recommendations isn’t also the final regulations set.
With hundreds of thousands of complaints related to the use of recreational drones, the FAA feels compelled to design a regulatory framework that would help federal authorities keep a tighter grip on the unmanned aerial vehicles and their use.
The proliferation of drones is not targeted here. What is targeted is their use in an irresponsible or outward mischievous manner. Moreover, some reports suggest that drone owners are flying them too close to aircrafts, which leads to serious problems.
Drones used for commercial purposes are already somewhat regulated. Drones used for recreational purposes are a whole different story. As such, drone fuss ramps up with new FAA recommendations. They are desired by many and the Consumer Technology Association estimated that this holiday season alone will take 400,000 drones off the shelves in the United States.
Thus, the task force assembled by the FAA set about to create a regulatory framework. While some estimated that the final recommendations will be out by December 24th, the FAA stated that no definite timeline is available yet. The recently released set is purely indicative.
The main recommendation of the task force is to create a federal registration system. All owners of a drone heavier than 0.5 pounds should register freely on a website or through an application.
The information required to register is limited to the name and the physical address of the owner. Of course, one has to be above 13 to apply for a registration number. Then, all drones – provided one owns more than one drone – will be registered to the number of one given owner. No serial number, no other personal information.
Until the final recommendations are out, following the guidelines of the FAA is recommended. Drones shouldn’t exceed 55 pounds. Don’t fly them beyond your line of sight. Don’t fly them below 400 feet. Most importantly, keep a minimum safe distance of 5 miles from airports and do not fly your drone above crowded places.
Photo Credits: Pixabay
