TTF NEWS:
The FAA’s Small Unmanned Aircraft
System (UAS) registry has gone live online.
In preparation for registering online, each owner must provide his or her name, home address and email address. Upon completion of registration, the web application will generate a Certificate of Aircraft Registration/Proof of Ownership that will include a unique identification number for the UAS owner, which must be marked on the aircraft.
Owners using the model aircraft for hobby
or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same
identification number for all of their model UAS. The registration is valid for
three years.
Registration is free for the first 30 days,
then $5 after that.
By statute, all aircraft weighing more than
0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approximately 25 kilograms),
including payloads such as on-board cameras, must be registered.
Under this rule, owners who previously
operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to Dec. 21,
must register no later than Feb. 19, 2016.
Owners of any other UAS purchased for use
as a model aircraft after Dec. 21 must register before the first flight
outdoors.
Owners may use either the paper-based
process or the new web-based system. Owners using the web-based system must be
at least 13 years old to register.
FAA officials also advise all UAS pilots to
remember these rules when you fly:
Fly below 400 feet altitude.
Keep your unmanned aircraft in sight at all
times.
Never fly near manned aircraft, especially near
airports.
Never fly over groups of people, stadiums
or sporting events.
Never fly near emergency response efforts.