A new federal regulation requires that drones be registered with with Federal Aviation Administration — but a national organization representing more than 175,000 model aviators is advising its members that operate multirotor drone devices to delay that registration.
The Academy of Model Aeronautics says it wants more information from the FAA, and is also waiting to until a petition seeking exclusion from the rule can be weighed by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia.
A two-seater aircraft, such as a Cessna 152, will probably set you back around $35,000. A multi-rotor, 10-inch replica of the Star Wars Millennium Falcon — a device that you may hear buzzing around your living room on Christmas Day — is closer to $90.
While these two machines may seem pretty different from each other, the FAA takes a different view.
"The FAA considers unmanned aircraft to be the same as manned aircraft, so users would be required to comply with all of the federal aviation regulations," says Kathleen Bergen of the FAA.
She says that means these small drones must be registered with the FAA. The rule affects so-called drone type fliers — or unmanned aircraft systems — weighing between 8.8 ounces and 55 pounds. They can be registered online along with a $5 fee, and all model aircraft must be registered by Feb. 19 and then registered again every three years after that.
The FAA is trying to boost compliance by waiving the registration fee through Jan. 21, but the largest organization in the country that represents model aviators is saying not so fast.
"AMA has been clear about our disappointment with the new rule for UAS registration," says Allison Haley, communications director for Academy of Model Aeronautics, an organization representing the interests of more than 175,000 model aviators who believe that their pastime should not be grouped in with commercial aviation.
In a statement to members, Haley says AMA Executive Director Dave Mathewson is asking the group's members to hold off on registering their model aircraft until they are otherwise advised, or until Feb. 19, the FAA's legal registration deadline.
"From the beginning of this process we have argued that registration makes sense at some threshold and for those operating outside of the community-based organization or for commercial purposes," Haley says. "But for our members — who have been flying safely for decades and who already register with AMA — we strongly believe that the interim rule is unnecessary."
At Granite Leisure, a hobby shop in Oakland, owner Kevin Purnell says registration has been a sore point among many customers, who hold mixed feelings on the issue.
"Some say they're going continue to fly like they always have, others say it's a beginning of the end," Purnell says. "Some of these guys aren't going to want to fly; they're not going to want to pay the money. I know it's not expensive for, but it's just principle for some of them. And again some of the other ones? They're going to continue to go on like they have and keep flying and enjoying the hobby."
Purnell says many of his customers support the position taken by the AMA, which is that the FAA is establishing new standards and operating criteria to which model aircraft operators have never been subject to in the past.
