If you're the owner of one of the 1 million drones out there in the United States, get ready to have another one of your vehicles registered with the US Government.
The Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Association announced yesterday that they would require drones to be registered -- ostensibly to promote safer, friendlier skies.
Once a Toy
Just yesterday most of the public dismissed drones as children's toys that were the modern incarnation of your father's RC airplanes that he would buy at the local model store and build on the weekend. In a weird way, so did the FAA.
No more. The FAA had hitherto distinguished model aircraft from "Unmanned Aerial Systems" (FAA speak for drones) based on their intended use.
Bad Apples
Unfortunately, it didn't take long for that distinction to lose real value. We all remember drone stories that made the headlines:
- September, 2014: A man in New Jersey was arrested using a shotgun to take down his neighbor's drone.
- July, 2015: A man in Kentucky was arrested for also shooting down a drone he claimed was invading his privacy.
- May, 2015: The White-House was placed in emergency shut-down mode because a drone was seen hovering above Lafayette Park during lunchtime.
- March, 2015: An inebriated drone operator lost control of his device and it ended up crashing on the White House lawn.
- July, 2015: San Bernardino officials offered a $75,000 award for information that would help identify drone pilots who had flown their drones near three previous fires, which had allegedly interfered with their operations.
Local laws have not made an impact on the usage of drones. So those "proposed" drone rules finally took shape into actual applied drone rules. Apparently, "Registering unmanned aircraft will help build a culture of accountability." Thanks, guys.
More "Big Brother" to Come?
The FAA/DOT announcement is right on the heels of incidents like the ones listed above, and it is no accident that most of the more notorious incidents took place during 2015. Whenever a few individuals cross what were once common sense rules (granted, somewhat arbitrary), the rest must pay the price. Thus, a few bad apples have changed drone flying.
The alternative view, which isn't without merit, is that drones are the next embodiment of what is a next step in personal technology and that it is right to have them registered. While some look to the mandatory registration of all drones as an infringement on personal liberties, for others it acts as a disincentive to purchase one and take it to the beach.
Get ready to see a lot more of these things. Consumer Electronic Association has predicted that the drone industry has jumped 50% over last year's sales.
But, seriously -- who wants to buy one only to have it shot down?
Related Resources:
- U.S. Transportation Announces Unmanned Aircraft Registration Requirement (Transportation.gov)
- Can I Shoot Down My Neighbor's Drone? (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life)
- FAA Proposes Rules for Commercial Drones, Seeks Public Comment (FindLaw's Free Enterprise)
- FAA's Commercial Drone Ban Shot Down by Admin. Law Judge (FindLaw's Decided)
