Story ID: 
FAA Unveils Small UAS Aircraft Registry
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: New unmanned systems purchased after December 21 must be registered before first flight while existing owners have until February 19.
Word Count: 507
The U.S. FAA today rolled out a web-based aircraft registration process for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) that weigh between 0.55 pounds and 55 pounds. The agency is publishing an interim final rule that will take effect December 21, in time for the holiday season.

The rule provides for a simple registration process as well as a means for marketing small unmanned aircraft that the agency said is more appropriate for those aircraft. This comes just three weeks after the UAS Registration Task Force Aviation Rulemaking Committee delivered its recommendations to the agency on establishing a registry. The agency said the rule incorporates a number of those recommendations.

The weight threshold includes payloads such as on-board cameras. Existing small UAS owners must register their aircraft by February 19. Owners of affected small UAS that are purchased after December 21 must register the aircraft before first flight. Registrants must be 13 and can use either a paper process or a web-based system.

The registry will require a name, home address and email. Once the process is completed, a certificate of aircraft registration is generated providing a unique identification number that must be marked on the aircraft in a readily accessible location. Owners may use same identification number for all model UAS. Registration is valid for three years. The FAA will waive the $5 registration fee until Jan. 20, 2016, “to encourage as many people as possible to register quickly,” the agency said.

“We expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this holiday season,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “Registration gives us the opportunity to educate these new airspace users before they fly so they know the airspace rules and understand they are accountable to the public for flying responsibly.”

The system initially is for recreational use of the aircraft, but the FAA is working on enhancements of the registration system for other uses. Those enhancements are anticipated in the spring.

The rule received mixed reaction from the model aircraft community. Dave Mathewson, executive director of the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), however, said the association “is disappointed with the new rule for UAS registration,” adding the registration process “an unnecessary burden for our more than 185,000 members who have been operating safely for decades.”

But Brian Wynne, president and CEO of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, said his association “is pleased that the FAA has moved forward with a final registration rule that will lead to increased accountability across the entire aviation community.”

Wynne also reiterated his call for the FAA to complete its work on the rule governing small UAS. “While the creation of a registration system is an important step to enhance safety, the FAA must continue its work to integrate UAS into the national airspace, starting by finalizing the small UAS rule,” he said. “Putting the rule in place will provide the necessary tools and training to create a culture of safety that will help deter careless and reckless behavior.”