To Register or not to Register?

[FormerMember07122019_2]

Hi All,

Just got my Mavic 2 Pro at Christmas and I am new to drones. Been flying a little and trying to get comfortable with it while having lots of fun. I am planning on registering my drone but was curious what are the pros and cons. Is there a good reason not to do it?

Any and all comments are welcome.

Ken

 

[BD0G]

For a quick visit to an FAA website and $5 dollars ?
If you do not register and you are stopped by any Law Enforcement they "may" ask you for your FAA Registration number. They may not, but for the cost of a highfalutin cup of coffee how can you not?

Better to keep all your ducks in a row with this hobby as drones are a magnet for the "nanny police" . 1 in 10 people will want to tell you that you can't legally do what you are doing and they are going to call you in.

Thats about the ratio I have when I fly. The other 9 people ask the same questions over and over.

Where did you get it?
How much did it cost?
How far can it fly?
How long do the batteries last?
Does it have a camera?
Can I try it? (usually kids)
How much does it weigh?


Then they want to tell you about a friends cousins neighbor that has a postman that flys a drone.

 

[james_mav]

If you plan on doing anything stupid like flying over crowds, close to flight paths, flying around emergency personnel, or in national parks then don't register. However, if your going to use some common sense when you fly then there's really no reason not to register. In the off chance a cop asks for your registration then you'll be glad you did.

 

[NetDep]

Hi All,

Just got my Mavic 2 Pro at Christmas and I am new to drones. Been flying a little and trying to get comfortable with it while having lots of fun. I am planning on registering my drone but was curious what are the pros and cons. Is there a good reason not to do it?

Any and all comments are welcome.

Ken

Your conscience will be your guide but I can not think of a reason not to. It's the law is the easiest answer but beyond that - as corny as it sounds - I was excited to register it with the FAA and have a cool number to put on it. It made me feel as though I had a real aircraft and responsibility to fly safe and smart. I have had two drones - one learned to swim and that explains the second! I have also gone through the trouble - as an old dog - to study for and pass my Part 107 - for little reason other that to learn more about drones and be a more responsible pilot.

So, as you can see, I have a few reasons to go ahead and register it and can't think of a reason not to.

 

[Fred Garvin]

If you plan on doing anything stupid like flying over crowds, close to flight paths, flying around emergency personnel, or in national parks then don't register.

Actually, if you plan to do this, then you absolutely MUST register and make sure to keep your information current. If you lose your drone or something happens, the Law Enforcement community has this great program where they’ll fix it, clean it, and return it to you. It’s a wonderful program so make sure they can contact you.

 

[msinger]

Is there a good reason not to do it?

It's required by US law, so there really should be no reason not to do it.

 

[dronerdave]

I feel it's a CYA kinda thing. But I fly as close to the standard accepted rules as I can. YMMV.

 

[FormerMember07122019_2]

Hi,

I appreciate all the comments. As I said I was planning on registering but was just looking to see if there were any traps or gotchas if I did. I’m good to go.

I really want to thank the moderators and all of the members of this fantastic forum. Extremely valuable source of information and I am so glad I joined.

Ken

 

[warloc66]

Yeah, really, it takes about two minutes and costs $5, and if you only flying under Part 336 (hobbyist,) that five bucks covers any drone you fly.

 

[pvs]

Make sure you go to this address to register it:

FAADroneZone

There are some very authentic-looking sites out there that charge more money and usually come up on top of Google searches

 

[BlueRidge]

Please register! Anytime that somebody doesn't follow the law, it makes all of us look bad.

 

[julius13]

Here's my two cents...since you asked. The short answer is YES. Why would you not register it since it's the law! Are you afraid you might crash and cause terrible damage to something or someone? Here's another thing to think about. Let's hypothetically say you wanted to get a cool shot of a downtown building or whatever then your drone does something out of the ordinary like drift, disconnect from the controller, dead battery, etc. You crash and the absolutely worst happens. So you think you are going to be okay when someone recovers the drone because you didn't register it. Whether it's a present or you purchased it, how was it paid for? I would say 90% are purchased with a credit or debit card. When the barcode is scanned it's likely the serial number is encoded within the product. So it seems plausible it could be traced back to the original purchaser and that would bring a whole new set of problems for everyone. Just go to the FAA website and register it. It's the right thing to do.

 

[FatherXmas]

Actually, if you plan to do this, then you absolutely MUST register and make sure to keep your information current. If you lose your drone or something happens, the Law Enforcement community has this great program where they’ll fix it, clean it, and return it to you. It’s a wonderful program so make sure they can contact you.

Now that there is some funny stuff!

 

[DroningOn]

If you do not register and you are stopped by any Law Enforcement they "may" ask you for your FAA Registration number

A local cop can ask to see anything they want, doesn’t mean you have to show them. FEDERALLY required registration is something your local beat cop has no jurisdiction over and has no business asking about any more than he can break out a calculator and demand to audit your 1040 tax return.

 

[DanMan32]

Actually the FAA reauthorization bill (law) does empower local authorities.

 

[DroningOn]

Actually the FAA reauthorization bill (law) does empower local authorities.

Wrong, sorry
The bill only directs that further “study” be done and it’s specifically talks about incidents were actual threats are made against aircraft. Flying over airports, pointing lasers etc.

 

[JSKCKNIT]

A local cop can ask to see anything they want, doesn’t mean you have to show them. FEDERALLY required registration is something your local beat cop has no jurisdiction over and has no business asking about any more than he can break out a calculator and demand to audit your 1040 tax return.

Not sure where you got your information from, but this is absolutely incorrect!

Look under "Execute".

 

[JSKCKNIT]

Hi All,

Just got my Mavic 2 Pro at Christmas and I am new to drones. Been flying a little and trying to get comfortable with it while having lots of fun. I am planning on registering my drone but was curious what are the pros and cons. Is there a good reason not to do it?

Any and all comments are welcome.

Ken

$5 and about 5 minutes to register.

$27,500 fine for not registering. $250,000 and imprisonment for up to 3 years if criminally charged.

 

[DroningOn]

Not sure where you got your information from, but this is absolutely incorrect!

Look under "Execute"

I am well familiar with that document. It is nothing more than a request to have local law-enforcement to investigate. It does not give state, local or county police the power to enforce anything.
Look, I have no interest in escalating a situation if a city cop approaches me while I am flying my drone but I have no idea what prompted them to approach me in the first place. As with any interaction with police, I need to know why they are interested in me. Since they have no legal standing to enforce federal regulations, I just have no interest in talking to them about whether or not I registered with the FAA.

 

[Chip]

I am well familiar with that document. It is nothing more than a request to have local law-enforcement to investigate. It does not give state, local or county police the power to enforce anything.
Look, I have no interest in escalating a situation if a city cop approaches me while I am flying my drone but I have no idea what prompted them to approach me in the first place. As with any interaction with police, I need to know why they are interested in me. Since they have no legal standing to enforce federal regulations, I just have no interest in talking to them about whether or not I registered with the FAA.

I understand your logic. The hitch may be that some states have a law which says people may fly drones in accordance with all applicable FAA rules and guidelines. I am thinking that LEO likely has right to ask to see registration on drone in such a state.