U.S. rolls out drone registration rules for greater aviation safety

The U.S. government announced on Monday a registration process for almost all recreational unmanned aircraft, or drones, in an effort to track operators who violate safety rules.

The requirements cover drones weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (about 25 kilograms) including payloads such as on-board cameras, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said in a statement.

Under the rules, anyone who bought a small drone before Dec. 21 of this year must register by Feb. 19, 2016. Those who purchase their aircraft after Dec. 21, must register it before their first outdoor flight. Owners may use either the paper-based process or an online system, but those who register online must be at least 13 years old.

"Make no mistake: unmanned aircraft enthusiast are aviators, and with that title comes a great deal of responsibility," said 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."

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 drone 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 drones. The registration is valid for three years.

The normal registration fee is five U.S. dollars, but in an effort to encourage as many people as possible to register quickly, the FAA said it's waiving this fee for the first 30 days.

"We expect hundreds of thousands of model unmanned aircraft will be purchased this holiday season," said FAA Administrator 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."

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there are reports of potentially unsafe drone operations every day, ranging from incidents at major sporting events and flights near manned aircraft, to interference with wildfire operations. One of the troubling trends is that pilot sightings of drones doubled between 2014 and 2015. Endit