With commercial drones exploding in popularity, and the potential dangers of the emerging technology becoming more evident, the FAA has been trying to come up with a way to crack down on improper drone use. Requiring all of the drones in the United States to be registered with the federal government is one of the methods the FAA is considering, but rather than register the drones themselves, why not just register the drone pilots?
A U.S. Federal Aviation Administration task force has issued a set of recommendations for registering unmanned drones, looking to manage the increasingly popular technology. For drones between 250 grams and 55 pounds, owners would only need to register the names and addresses of the pilots, instead of each individual drone, according to the task force’s official report. Submitting things like email addresses, phone numbers and serial numbers would be purely optional. People choosing not to submit serial numbers, though, would have to mark their registration numbers somewhere on their devices that can be accessed without tools. Owners would also have to be at least 13 years old, but a parent or guardian could register on behalf of younger individuals. Another critical suggestion was that registration be free and handled via the Web, with owners getting a digital certificate unless they specifically ask for a paper copy. There would be no flight tests or training, though people might have to sign off on some safety and flying education.
