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New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

reuters.com

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Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#211

Post by god_bless_texas »

bigiain wrote: post #190
god_bless_texas wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A half pound is enough to damage something when you're going 150 mph. I have seen bird strikes that were in that weight range and blew out a windshield. I imagine the FAA is going to find out how many people in the United States are unable and unwilling to put up with their more onerous requirements. I think it will begin a real conversation through Congress about whether or not "The FAA has jurisdiction on everythin…

And yet people are perfectly happy to assume the risk of birdstrike without grounding every aircraft or needing to regulate or sue birds and bird owners. Why the hysteria about drones? Does anybody _really_ think xmas drones are going to outnumber birds? What's the real marginal increase in risk for aviation here? Or is this just a case of "Someone seems to be having fun doing something I don't care for, so I'll inve…

If the FAA could write a FAR that kept birds out of the airspace, it would happen.

Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#212

Post by Glyptodon »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #199
Glyptodon wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just buy a prepaid with cash and register it to your neighbor. It's really hard.

Can't a credit card processor determine if a card is a prepaid or not? If they're using it as a verification step, they'd probably want to disallow those.

If they disallow them how's a 13 year old going to register their drone as required?

Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#213

Post by Rebelgecko »

cryptoz wrote: post #162
Rebelgecko wrote: post #160

One thing I haven't seen discussed is that the registration process is only open to US citizens. Am I misunderstanding something, or did the FAA just make citizenship a requirement for flying a $20 quadcopter in your backyard?

No, it seems like anyone can do it, without any relevance to your citizenship. I think the fancy new website is the only part that currently limits to US citizens, but that seems only temporary until they fix it. > Q. Who is required to register on the new online UAS registration website? > A. Only individual recreational or hobby users who meet U.S. citizenship requirements are able to register their unmanned aircra…

Later on they say that for foreign nationals it's only a certificate of "ownership" , not a certificate of "recognition of registration". I'm not sure what the difference is. However it looks like permanent residents are lumped with citizens when it comes to being allowed to register.

Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#214

Post by ocdtrekkie »

Glyptodon wrote: post #212
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #199

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't a credit card processor determine if a card is a prepaid or not? If they're using it as a verification step, they'd probably want to disallow those.

If they disallow them how's a 13 year old going to register their drone as required?

Adult's credit card, probably? I assume the FAA would like to tie drones owned by minors to responsible adults somehow. We haven't seen the form yet though, mind you.

Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#215

Post by yuhong »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #196
eykanal wrote: post #39

The comments here really surprise me. My dad's a pilot, and I've heard from him firsthand how drones are a very serious problem for airplanes. Comments like "this is just one more example of tracking" or "I can't believe I have to do this even if it's only for my house" seem to be said out of anger rather than from serious consideration of the issues with drones. Your $30 drone can very easily cause someone else's $1…

I remember a great quote, "If you can get them to ask the wrong questions, then the answers don't matter." Model airplanes have been a threat to airplanes since they became popular in 1915. Yes, 100 years ago. So why regulate them beyond the existing regulations now? A better question is "What changed?" Anyone who owns a quad copter of the type they show on various stories about this, knows they are a pain in the ass…

To be honest, some of the bad things are really that dangerous, like jet engine damage. And while not as dangerous no one for example likes drones with cameras peeking into windows for a long time either and broken glass is even worse. Encouraging accountability like this is a good idea.

Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#216

Post by yuhong »

eykanal wrote: post #39

The comments here really surprise me. My dad's a pilot, and I've heard from him firsthand how drones are a very serious problem for airplanes. Comments like "this is just one more example of tracking" or "I can't believe I have to do this even if it's only for my house" seem to be said out of anger rather than from serious consideration of the issues with drones. Your $30 drone can very easily cause someone else's $1…

If you only fly indoors you don't have to register BTW.

Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#217

Post by khedoros »

thrownaway2424 wrote: post #173
thescriptkiddie wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fixed-wing models have been idiot-proof for a long time. You can buy a beginner's kit at any hobby store, and they're much easier to fly than a multirotor. I don't think accessibility is responsible for the recent popularity of multirotors, I think they're just more interesting because they're unlike anything full-sized.

Guess I'm just old then. When I was learning, most models would barely fly, and then only if you flew them perfectly.

Models these days are generally built of durable and reparable foam, and the thrust/weight ratio is often over 1:1. Stalls are easy to avoid, and most beginning-level planes can be safely glided down without power (that is, just enough to power the servos without running the prop). If you're lucky, you should be able to repair your way through a few crashes.

That being said, my wife has flown a quadcopter with zero experience (but careful supervision of the owner). My impression is that a high quality multirotor will be easier to fly than a fixed-wing.

Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#218

Post by ChuckMcM »

euyyn wrote: post #207
ChuckMcM wrote: post #196

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I remember a great quote, "If you can get them to ask the wrong questions, then the answers don't matter." Model airplanes have been a threat to airplanes since they became popular in 1915. Yes, 100 years ago. So why regulate them beyond the existing regulations now? A better question is "What changed?" Anyone who owns a quad copter of the type they show on various stories about this, knows they are a pain in the ass…

I don't see why can't one attach a camera to an RC plane. You didn't answer "what changed / why now".

They could (and have), POV cameras in R/C planes have been a thing for a while now. It was just more expensive and so people didn't do it without consideration. It was more complicated to fly an R/C helicopter. (search for 'learn to fly an R/C helicopter' some time :-) ).

Now however you can put a camera on a quad-copter (or buy one with one) on an image stabilized mount, and take HD movies of areas you couldn't get too before. That has really irked / woken up some people. All without any training and only a bit of practice. That is what changed that people have asked the FAA to "fix."

Re: New U.S. FAA rule requires drone owners to register by Feb 19

#219

Post by bigiain »

god_bless_texas wrote: post #211
bigiain wrote: post #190

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And yet people are perfectly happy to assume the risk of birdstrike without grounding every aircraft or needing to regulate or sue birds and bird owners. Why the hysteria about drones? Does anybody _really_ think xmas drones are going to outnumber birds? What's the real marginal increase in risk for aviation here? Or is this just a case of "Someone seems to be having fun doing something I don't care for, so I'll inve…

If the FAA could write a FAR that kept birds out of the airspace, it would happen.

Sure, but they can't - and it doesn't matter (obviously, because we still all get in airplanes in spite of an identifiable but uncontrollable risk).

Just because they _can_ write a FAR about drones, should they? Does it matter any more or less than the risk of birdstrike? What _is_ the risk? If there were a real quantifiable and indisputable number there, surely we'd all know about it and be able to look it up and evaluate it in comparison to other risks we accept?

Is allowing my neighbour to fly a drone in the local park more or less dangerous than riding a bicycle? Or climbing a ladder? Or riding a horse?

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