Why drone registration matters?
At Flying Robots Marketing Agency, we deal with many people in the drone business as well as the drone hobbyists. One of the most important topics that we talk about at present isn’t to do with Amazon marketing to help drone businesses grow; it’s the absolute importance of licensing. Drones have become more regulated than they when they first appeared.
Drone registration is one of the most fundamental arguments that has taken place. As people fight for less restrictions, the drone community as a whole wants more regulation. The constant back-and-forth makes it hard, then, for many commercial and recreational drone users to know where they stand. The FAA is developing a Small Unmanned Aircraft System Gateway (sUAS Gateway) to allow a more seamless integration experience of the sUAS operator within the NAS.
The ruling changes that took place in July 2017, though, changed everything. In 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration decided that drones would need to be registered with the government. Common sense prevailed, though, as a court ruling from the US Court of Appeals this year, clearly determined that the FAA had far out-stepped their reach.
Whether professional or recreational, people were made to pay a fee and put an ID number on their drone. The main defendant against the decision, a recreational pilot named John Taylor, fought back. And, luckily, the courts agreed with him.
Previous legislation from 2012 was backed up by the more liberal approach from the FAA, but that all changed. While the claim is to help try and manage ‘safe operation’ of drones, interference has become a problem that many people have rallied against. Security and privacy issues were one of the few legitimate claims raised, but it looks like even these issues have been batted aside.
Now, with all of this being said, there are some good reasons for wanting to register your drone with the FAA. While anyone who is not operating a drone that falls under Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act does not have to register, some people will still need to register. Basically, if you fall outside of the rulings set in Section 336, you still need to get yourself registered.
Anyone who is using a ‘small, unmanned aerial system’ – a drone basically – should still look to get themselves registered if they fall outside of Section 336. For one, it shows that you have understood and appreciate the legitimate side of the concerns about getting in the way of people when flying at such low altitudes. It also provides safety assurance and helps in recovering lost equipment, according to the FAA
The challenge also comes from the rather dubious decision making between what constitutes commercial and recreational usage; even if there isn’t money involved, it could still be seen as commercial in some ways.
If there is any kind of benefit to you using the drone, it could be argued that it is commercial and, thus, would be best registered. While this argument is going to go on for some time, we recommend that you register your drone if you have any doubt about how the usage of the drone could be misconstrued. So long as you fall outside of Section 336, though, you should always look to be registered regardless.
If you would like more information produced on this topic, please drop us a link and we'll get on it asap!
