The FAA long ago started requiring drone hobbyists to register their drones, of all different shapes and sizes. Any drone between 0.55 lbs and 55 lbs was required to register, and they were required to register through an FAA website for a fee.
But those registration rules just suffered a major setback when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit effectively ruled against them.
Why did this happen? Well, a lawsuit was launched back in Jan of 2016, to try and challenge the legality of the drone restrictions; it was launched by John Taylor who is a drone hobbyist.
These controversial rules were given out by the FAA back in 2015 and since then there have been thousands of drone owners who have registered.
The recent decision, that was established by a three judge panel, is not going to impact the registration of commercial drones however.
They decided that the FAA's drone rules are a violation to the FAA Modernization and Reform Act which when established had prohibited the FAA from passing any sort of rules on the operation of any non-commercial model aircraft.
Now with the recent changes, those who are buying a drone or who own a drone, and aren't using it for commercial purposes, no longer need to register that aircraft.
The FAA can now appeal the decision, or they can try and appeal to congress.
Congress might choose the option of repealing or amending the prohibition that is in place regarding the rules that the FAA can establish surrounding model aircraft.
There are many who aren't happy about the decision, because they feel that the registration promotes accountability and safety. But then there are others who see it as unnecessary to require people to federally register their toys, which is what drones are for many.
It's estimated that roughly 820,000 or more people have already registered their drones according to the old rules.
Pics:
Pixabay
Sources:
https://www.recode.net/2017/5/19/15663436/us-drone-registration-rules-faa
http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/19/technology/drone-registration-faa/
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/drone-pilots-dont-have-to-register-under-faas-controversial-rule-court-rules-2017-05-19
https://siliconangle.com/blog/2017/05/21/free-fly-faa-non-commercial-drone-registration-rules-struck-court/
Related Posts:
Scientists Develop Pollinating Drones To Serve In The Event Of Honey Bee Extinction
@doitvoluntarily/scientists-develop-pollinating-drones-to-serve-in-the-event-of-honey-bee-extinction
AI And Drones Are Future Of Policing Says Police Chief
@doitvoluntarily/ai-and-drones-are-future-of-policing-says-police-chief