FAA tries to deal with proliferation of micro-UAV's

No Drone Zone

UAV Pilot Cited For Flying Aircraft Near Washington Monument | Aero-News Network
The Associated Press reports that in a news release, Park Police say that three people were flying a Wondertech Zenith UAV on the grounds of the monument last Thursday. Police cited 24-year-old William Stokes Jr. after ordering him to land the aircraft, which was confiscated.
The entire D.C. area is part of a "No Drone Zone" established by the FAA earlier this year. A "No Fly Zone" was imposed over the Nation's Capitol following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The "No Drone Zone" includes everything in a 15 mile radius of Ronald Reagan National Airport in Virginia.
Officials say that the most recent incident is the 10th illegal flight of a UAV in the national park in the Washington area this year.
 
So Your Neighbor Got a Drone for Christmas - Scientific American
Today thousands of people and businesses across the country fly drones, and that number is set to explode: The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) anticipates that this holiday season people will purchase as many as one million drones. In an effort to control this flood of flying machines the FAA announced this week that it would require recreational drone users to register their aircraft. But a big question with major implications for the drone industry is far from being resolved: Who owns the airspace above private property? As Stuart Banner, a University of California, Los Angeles, law professor, puts it, “Drones are forcing people to think about this issue for the first time since airplanes were invented a century ago.”

FAA releases web-based system for small UAS registration - Military Embedded Systems
WASHINGTON. Owners of small unmanned aircraft (UAS) can use a new streamlined, web-based process to register their aircraft. U.S. Department Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials announced the new ruling during the holiday season.

“Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility,” says U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “Registration gives us an opportunity to work with these users to operate their unmanned aircraft safely. I’m excited to welcome these new aviators into the culture of safety and responsibility that defines American innovation.”
To register online, visit: www.faa.gov/uas/registration.

FAA Announces Rules for Aircraft Registration Process - FlyingGiants

• Registration is required for: small unmanned aircraft (UAS) weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms).
• Under this rule, any owner of a small UAS who has previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to December 21, 2015, must register no later than February 19, 2016.
• Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after December 21, 2015 must register before the first flight outdoors.
• Owners may register through a web-based system at www.faa.gov/uas/registration.
• Registrants will need to provide their name, home address and e-mail address. Upon completion of the registration process, 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.
• The normal registration fee is $5, but in an effort to encourage as many people as possible to register quickly, the FAA is waiving this fee for the first 30 days (from Dec. 21, 2015 to Jan 20, 2016).

FAA Issues Fact Sheet On State And Local UAS Laws | Aero-News Network
The FAA has issued a new fact sheet on state and local regulation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) which provides information for states and municipalities considering laws or regulations addressing UAS use. The document outlines FAA's safety reasons for federal oversight of aviation and airspace, and explains federal responsibility in this area.

FAA Announces Drone Registration Rules; Benefits Remain Unclear - Forbes
In a much-anticipated announcement this morning, the FAA unveiled its drone registration requirements in anticipation of what many experts predict will be a brisk drone-buying holiday season. As I’ve written about previously, the FAA – spurred by what it terms a dramatic increase in pilot reports of drones too close to manned aircraft – determined that registration was necessary to “increase accountability and education” of drone operators. (The data used by the FAA has been debunked by a number of people, including most recently the Academy of Model Aeronautics.)

Parsing The New UAV Registration Rule | Aero-News Network
The new UAV registration rule is "more activity than action," according to at least one attorney-turned-consultant who has been through the 211 pages of the rule.

An article posted to the blog JDA Journal by Consultant Sandy Murdock, who lists "Former FAA Chief Counsel and Acting FAA Deputy Administrator" as part of his vitae, asserts that the process of registration will not enhance safety in the national air space.
By now, we're all aware that any UAV that weighs more than 250 grams must be registered with the FAA. According to the blog, the Interim Final Rule (IFR) is 211 pages of single-spaced small text ... and about 180 of those are an introduction and explanation of the rule. Overall, less than 5 percent of the verbiage in the document is the actual rule.

Aviation Today :: Drone Registration for the Non-Hobbyist
The Dec. 16 Interim Final Rule most immediately applies to drone hobbyists operating under the “model aircraft” definition—aircraft used for non-commercial purposes and within visual line of sight. These applicants have been provided an online alternative to the paper-based aircraft registration system by way of a new 14 CFR Part 48. Every three years, they also will pay a $5 registration, which covers all of their drones.

FAA Finally Admits Names And Home Addresses In Drone Registry Will Be Publicly Available - Forbes
The FAA finally confirmed this afternoon that model aircraft registrants’ names and home addresses will be public. In an email message, the FAA stated: “Until the drone registry system is modified, the FAA will not release names and address. When the drone registry system is modified to permit public searches of registration numbers, names and addresses will be revealed through those searches.”