Should you be required to show proof of TRUST certification when buying a Drone in the U.S.?

[Corbeck]

THought about this for a while. Since you cannot fly a drone in the U.S. legally now without TRUST certification should there be laws in place that require you to prove you have taken the TRUST or Part 107 before being able to purchase one? Would solve a few issues IMHO.

While you can buy a car without a license, it's actually difficult for an individual as you do need to show ID and most lenders will not finance you, nor will it be easy to register/insure it.

Guns, at least handguns, in most states require you to have a permit (which I am fine with BTW even though I am a gun rights advocate...I have no issue with stricter gun laws like better background checks and closing loopholes).

But when it comes to drones it seems to be the wild west. Can't begin to count the number of people I know who purchased a drone and when asked if they took the TRUST test or were getting their 107 looked at me like I had grown two heads.

Obviously, it's a silly idea. Though I've pilot certificates out the wazoo, there's no requirement for me to have any type of pilot license to purchase an aircraft, even if I buy a 737. I sincerely doubt that a finance company would care, though I've never financed any of my aircraft purchases, so how would I know? It would be foolish to create another government bureaucracy, to regulate items that are essentially toys (excluding the MQ-9 drone models), but of course that's not fashionable in today's movement towards centralized government. So far, Federal oversight of drone operations is FAR beyond what is justified, in the US.

 

[NG Wildman]

ABSOLUTELY NOT !!!
AND, this is not the forum to be talking about your opinions on gun laws either.

 

[Iamthekgb]

THought about this for a while. Since you cannot fly a drone in the U.S. legally now without TRUST certification should there be laws in place that require you to prove you have taken the TRUST or Part 107 before being able to purchase one? Would solve a few issues IMHO.

While you can buy a car without a license, it's actually difficult for an individual as you do need to show ID and most lenders will not finance you, nor will it be easy to register/insure it.

Guns, at least handguns, in most states require you to have a permit (which I am fine with BTW even though I am a gun rights advocate...I have no issue with stricter gun laws like better background checks and closing loopholes).

But when it comes to drones it seems to be the wild west. Can't begin to count the number of people I know who purchased a drone and when asked if they took the TRUST test or were getting their 107 looked at me like I had grown two heads.

Can you buy a MASSIVELY more dangerous car without a licence?
Sorry, this is a dumb question.

 

[SkyPath Studios]

THought about this for a while. Since you cannot fly a drone in the U.S. legally now without TRUST certification should there be laws in place that require you to prove you have taken the TRUST or Part 107 before being able to purchase one? Would solve a few issues IMHO.

While you can buy a car without a license, it's actually difficult for an individual as you do need to show ID and most lenders will not finance you, nor will it be easy to register/insure it.

Guns, at least handguns, in most states require you to have a permit (which I am fine with BTW even though I am a gun rights advocate...I have no issue with stricter gun laws like better background checks and closing loopholes).

But when it comes to drones it seems to be the wild west. Can't begin to count the number of people I know who purchased a drone and when asked if they took the TRUST test or were getting their 107 looked at me like I had grown two heads.

Something I find interesting while reviewing regulations on the FAA website is that they state that TRUST is strongly encouraged... nothing about requiring it?!

 

[Reelman67]

It all boils down to the individual making the purchase. Some are responsible, some are not. I bought my first drone (M1P) from an individual who won it at an annual business meeting and wanted to sell it. I got a good deal and studied for a month before I ever flew it. I became acquainted with this forum and learned a ton of stuff what not to do first. My first flight, my heart was in my throat. I was so nervous, having spent what I considered a lot of money on the drone. Here it is now, three years later that I became confident enough to fly without nervousness (using my M2P).

 

[dart106]

Problems are already out there.

The problems typically come from the minority who don’t respect the law, licenses, rules, etc. They are the perfect example of why more laws, licenses, rules, etc are not going to prevent them from doing what they are determined to do, regardless. Spraying the majority who use some common sense application to their actions still won’t stop the problem generating minority.

 

[dart106]

I get your point. Some idiot buys a drone and has no idea of the need for a TRUST certificate. He pilots this drone over people, he sees how high he can go, 1000 feet? 1640? This is probably the same guy that flies his drone over a football stadium packed with people...because he can.

I get your point. There should be some proof that you know the basic rules and that you know you are required to abide by them. It is a safety issue and just common sense. Although the later seems to have disappeared..

As we see daily in other facets of life, “common sense” isn’t so common.

 

[gajman]

THought about this for a while. Since you cannot fly a drone in the U.S. legally now without TRUST certification should there be laws in place that require you to prove you have taken the TRUST or Part 107 before being able to purchase one? Would solve a few issues IMHO.

While you can buy a car without a license, it's actually difficult for an individual as you do need to show ID and most lenders will not finance you, nor will it be easy to register/insure it.

Guns, at least handguns, in most states require you to have a permit (which I am fine with BTW even though I am a gun rights advocate...I have no issue with stricter gun laws like better background checks and closing loopholes).

But when it comes to drones it seems to be the wild west. Can't begin to count the number of people I know who purchased a drone and when asked if they took the TRUST test or were getting their 107 looked at me like I had grown two heads.

Possibly, the software in America could require a Certificate number as part of the registration. It could be required to boot up, along with registration depending on the size of the drone.

 

[Pastor Ted]

THought about this for a while. Since you cannot fly a drone in the U.S. legally now without TRUST certification should there be laws in place that require you to prove you have taken the TRUST or Part 107 before being able to purchase one? Would solve a few issues IMHO.

While you can buy a car without a license, it's actually difficult for an individual as you do need to show ID and most lenders will not finance you, nor will it be easy to register/insure it.

Guns, at least handguns, in most states require you to have a permit (which I am fine with BTW even though I am a gun rights advocate...I have no issue with stricter gun laws like better background checks and closing loopholes).

But when it comes to drones it seems to be the wild west. Can't begin to count the number of people I know who purchased a drone and when asked if they took the TRUST test or were getting their 107 looked at me like I had grown two heads.

Government Overreach. Heck NO!!!

 

[whistlen2602]

I’m also a licensed Amateur Radio Operator and we do not show our license to buy a radio.

 

[JC in New Hampshire]

A really bad idea.

That would place retailers in the position of enforcement agents for a federal bureaucracy, and saddles them with liability if they screw up. Should the retailer also be required to get picture ID to ensure that the buyer is the same person as the licensee? To ensure compliance, should retailers have to be licensed to sell drones? What are the penalties for noncompliance, to the retailer? the buyer?

What a mess.

 

[devellis]

Not a bad question to raise. I don't think a requirement to prove TRUST completion to make a purchase is very workable for all the reasons mentioned. But it's not a bad thing to talk about ways to get new owners to familiarize themselves with basic regulations and safety procedures. Those of us here are the sort of people who want to learn more about safe operation but I can easily imagine lots of people who get a new drone with no clue about how to operate it safely and no desire to "spoil their fun" by actually having to learn something. To many people, a drone is a toy and they assume that it's pretty harmless. Misused, a drone can actually do some pretty ugly harm.

You don't need a permit to buy a chainsaw, so I guess we shouldn't require it for a drone, either. But in both cases, I don't want to be around someone operating one that doesn't know what they're doing.

 

[Robert Prior]

I can easily imagine lots of people who get a new drone with no clue about how to operate it safely

When I bought my first drone I paid careful attention to what the owner of the company selling it told me about flight regulations. Discovered later that what he told me was crap (that the DJI geofencing wouldn't let me fly anywhere that was illegal, so if I could take off I was golden). Also realized that what he showed me about flying the drone had the potential to be quite dangerous. Fortunately I discovered a few good YouTube channels with better pilots before I picked up any bad habits!

This is why I think requiring a fact sheet isn't an outrageous requirement. In fact, my Mini 3 came with two fact sheets in the box, one for Europe and one for Australia — each basically saying that the drone must be flown according to regulations and here is the web site where those regulations can be found.

 

[Ty Pilot]

I was writing a response to another thread about the same time this one popped up, and as I wrote; I kept going back and reading both threads, and I keep seeing a common thread even though the subjects are quite different.

The other thread I mention (HERE), is asking about flying in National Parks. I noticed in that thread a member was asking - "I know the rule is no flying inside, but can anyone point me to where this comes from or why this rule exists?"

Then in this thread -

With millions of drones being flown you can count the incidents of any kind on a few hands.

Even though consumer 'drones' have only been around about ten years, it seems a lot of what took place in the early days is simply not known or has been forgotten by some of us who are part of the 'drone' community today. Yet it was those early years that have had the greatest impact on the drone community.

The bad reputation, the over-regulation, all of it was 'earned' in just a couple of years. So why do I bring this up? What does that have to do with this thread?

If we could go back and 'undo' some of the reckless or careless drone flights in the early days that sparked a lot of the negativity and regulation that we see today. . . would that be a good thing? If so, how could it be done? Obviously we could not go and simply 'take out' the drone that crashed into Old Faithful. Among many other crashes that never should have happened.

As I mentioned in that other thread, the early pilots had no frame-work, no limits, there were ZERO rules governing them, they had no expectations and were essentially beta testers for a new hobby. We see how that turned out.

As of now most (not all), pilots take a similar arc into, and through their 'drone' career. Most will have purchased and flown a drone before they are even aware that there are regulations to follow and tests and registrations required. Upon finding out these facts, the reaction is usually one of surprise and sometimes resentment. After all, this is their hobby, their relaxation and get away time.

I think this is the problem we as a community face is: The balance between individual freedom and personal responsibility as part of a large group. It is my opinion, that the education and orientation of new pilots needs to begin early and I think the OP's question/suggestion is an attempt at addressing that.

One of the key differences between the successfully self-regulating hobby that was RC and it's off-shoot, the hobby of drones is that there was a framework to the entry of RC, you joined them. With drones, there is almost nothing that connects new entrants to the group, there is no structure, no clearly laid (and explained) path to follow.

Sorry for the long post - its Saturday and pouring outside.

 

[Puerto Rico Droner]

THought about this for a while. Since you cannot fly a drone in the U.S. legally now without TRUST certification should there be laws in place that require you to prove you have taken the TRUST or Part 107 before being able to purchase one? Would solve a few issues IMHO.

While you can buy a car without a license, it's actually difficult for an individual as you do need to show ID and most lenders will not finance you, nor will it be easy to register/insure it.

Guns, at least handguns, in most states require you to have a permit (which I am fine with BTW even though I am a gun rights advocate...I have no issue with stricter gun laws like better background checks and closing loopholes).

But when it comes to drones it seems to be the wild west. Can't begin to count the number of people I know who purchased a drone and when asked if they took the TRUST test or were getting their 107 looked at me like I had grown two heads.

I agree, there should be a law stating that you need to show least your TRUST certificate before you buy a drone.

 

[Dmcvey]

Won't matter. Was at a home inspection last week and the inspector pulled out an mini. struck up conversation with him saying that since it is below 250gm, he does not need 107 or to register it. I politely suggested he research that again and walked away.

 

[koco2202]

You don't need it.

 

[tlyons]

THought about this for a while. Since you cannot fly a drone in the U.S. legally now without TRUST certification should there be laws in place that require you to prove you have taken the TRUST or Part 107 before being able to purchase one? Would solve a few issues IMHO.

While you can buy a car without a license, it's actually difficult for an individual as you do need to show ID and most lenders will not finance you, nor will it be easy to register/insure it.

Guns, at least handguns, in most states require you to have a permit (which I am fine with BTW even though I am a gun rights advocate...I have no issue with stricter gun laws like better background checks and closing loopholes).

But when it comes to drones it seems to be the wild west. Can't begin to count the number of people I know who purchased a drone and when asked if they took the TRUST test or were getting their 107 looked at me like I had grown two heads.

You worry about the wrong things. Did you know, that in the United States, you can buy a 120ft boat with a pair of 1500Hp Diesels and most places, as long as you don't charge your passengers, you don't need a license to head out on the ocean? or you can buy a 40ft, 26000lb class A motorhome with another 20ft 6000lb SUV towed vehicle behind it and all you need is a regular drivers license to head across country at 70MPH on Rt80??

 

[Drbobk]

Something I find interesting while reviewing regulations on the FAA website is that they state that TRUST is strongly encouraged... nothing about requiring it?!

Posted this in another thread last night:

I think it’s good to direct new users to the FAA. Unfortunately, FAA website information is often confusing. Add to that that they don’t date the entries, and it can be hard to figure out what’s going on. Consider the following 2 excerpts from the sites listed:

https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers/knowledge_test_updates:


“TRUST is The Recreational UAS Safety Test. It provides education and testing for recreational flyers on important safety and regulatory information. If you fly your drone recreationally under the Exception for Recreational Flyers you must pass the test before you fly.”

So, it’s mandatory.

But if you read this (the link in the post I’m replying to), it seems optional.

https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers:

“The Recreational UAS Safety Test or TRUST is available! Recreational flyers are encouraged to take and pass TRUST at their earliest opportunity and carry proof of passage when flying.”

Both links seem to be current information, but they both can’t be right.

 

[caryflyboy]

Absolutely not. The government needs to stay out of peoples lives especially after the scam they just did over Covid-19 for 2.5 years.