How do I know a used drone has been registered?

[OldScout]

I'm thinking about buying a used Mavic Pro for recreational use. How do I verify that it's already been registered with the FAA (other than taking the owner's word for it)?? Do you have to re-register the drone if you buy it used?? I'll hang up and listen... Thanks in advance...

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

I'm thinking about buying a used Mavic Pro. How do I verify that it's already been registered with the FAA (other than taking the owner's word for it)?? Do you have to re-register the drone if you buy it used?? I'll hang up and listen... Thanks in advance...

You don't register individual drones. You are registering YOU.

 

[Tony McDrone]

This is from an old post, I hope it helps.

 

[Meta4]

How do I verify that it's already been registered with the FAA (other than taking the owner's word for it)??

Since the FAA doesn't ask for any identifying details or even how many drones a recreational user has, there is nothing you can do or need to do.

 

[old man mavic]

if the drone now belongs to you, then you are required to register it with the FAA and put the number on the outside of the drone,if you mean the drone being registered with DJI then once you activate it using your Email address and info, then from then on any flight info will be linked to you

 

[Meta4]

,if you mean the drone being registered with DJI then once you activate it using your Email address and info, then from then on any flight info will be linked to you

DJI drones only need to be activated by the original owner.
There is no way to activate again.
The flight data is associated with the new users app.

 

[old man mavic]

@Meta4 activate was the wrong choice of word ,for what i was trying to say ,when you have downloaded the app, then you need to link it ,either to your DJI account if you already have one or follow the set up to link the drone to your email address

 

[Meta4]

@Meta4 activate was the wrong choice of word ,for what i was trying to say ,when you have downloaded the app, then you need to link it ,either to your DJI account if you already have one or follow the set up to link the drone to your email address

You don't need to link the drone to your email address unless activating a brand new drone.
You can buy a used drone or borrow one and fly it on your account without doing anything.

 

[old man mavic]

thats different to my experience ,when i sold my Phantom,to my friend who lives across the street to me ,
after he had downloaded the app onto his tablet he had to go through the process of supplying an Email address user name and go through the consent tick boxes allowing DJI to access data relating to the drone and only then would the App become active ,this was the first time he had used a DJI drone ,when he got his MM a few months ago then it recognised that he already had a DJI account and he just had to agree to the terms and conditions

 

[Meta4]

after he had downloaded the app onto his tablet he had to go through the process of supplying an Email address user name and go through the consent tick boxes allowing DJI to access data relating to the drone and only then would the App become active

That was him opening a DJI account and linking his email address to his app.
It wasn't linking any drone.

when he got his MM a few months ago then it recognised that he already had a DJI account and he just had to agree to the terms and conditions

This is because he would need a different app to fly the Mini.
It still wouldn't have been linking a specific drone.

If you go and buy a secondhand drone, you can fly it on your app/account without linking anything.
If you buy a brand new drone, it has to be activated (registered with DJI) before it can fly.
(except for some which seem to come from the factory pre-activated)

 

[old man mavic]

@Meta4 ,so we both have MPPs and i fly mine with my APP on my I pad ,and he flies his with the APP on his android tablet
if we swapped screen devices but kept the same RCs and drones ,then would we be able, using each others cables to connect them to the RCs be able to fly them just the same even though his APP is linked to his DJI account and my APP is linked to my DJI account ,as the drones and RCs serial,numbers would be different would this not make any difference
i am asking this not to be clever ,but i would like to know if it is possible ,as i respect and value your opinion and knowledge

 

[Meta4]

@Meta4 ,so we both have MPPs and i fly mine with my APP on my I pad ,and he flies his with the APP on his android tablet
if we swapped screen devices but kept the same RCs and drones ,then would we be able, using each others cables to connect them to the RCs be able to fly them just the same even though his APP is linked to his DJI account and my APP is linked to my DJI account ,as the drones and RCs serial,numbers would be different would this not make any difference
i am asking this not to be clever ,but i would like to know if it is possible ,as i respect and value your opinion and knowledge

That's very wordy, I'll try to simplify things ...
If you borrowed his drone and controller (or just the drone and relinked your controller to it), you could fly it with your app on your tablet without any other complications.
Your app will happily fly any compatible DJI drone without asking for any email addresses or details of drones.

 

[old man mavic]

That's very wordy, I'll try to simplify things ...
If you borrowed his drone and controller (or just the drone and relinked your controller to it), you could fly it with your app on your tablet without any other complications.
Your app will happily fly any compatible DJI drone without asking for any email addresses or details of drones.

thankyou for your answer i appreciate your reply take care and happy flying

 

[W5CI]

Am I wrong ?? the way I read the rules for Recreation use you Register yourself not the Drone itself. One Number will cover everything that you own. and even that isnt necessary for the Mavic Mini at this time

 

[KB9Radio]

I'm thinking about buying a used Mavic Pro for recreational use. How do I verify that it's already been registered with the FAA (other than taking the owner's word for it)?? Do you have to re-register the drone if you buy it used?? I'll hang up and listen... Thanks in advance...

As a recreational pilot, you are the one who's registered, and you put your registration number on all of your drones. If you're a 107 pilot, you register each drone and they each have a unique number. So if you get a drone from someone, it makes no difference if they had a registration number or not. You need to label it with your registration number if flying recreational, or register it on your part 107 if flying under part 107 rules.

 

[hiflyer201]

register and re-register every three years

 

[Squire330]

if the drone now belongs to you, then you are required to register it with the FAA and put the number on the outside of the drone,if you mean the drone being registered with DJI then once you activate it using your Email address and info, then from then on any flight info will be linked to you

Nope, As stated above, drones aren't registered with the FAA, pilots are.

 

[Thomas B]

Nope, As stated above, drones aren't registered with the FAA, pilots are.

Except if done via part 107

 

[Ron Caballero CAP]

You don't register individual drones. You are registering YOU.View attachment 118521

Great Information, but it did not answer your question: If a drone is .55 pounds or more, and you are not a Part 107 pilot, just put YOUR registration number on it. Your number is then still valid for the balance of three years. If you do not yet have a registration number, then follow the advice above.