FAA RC Registration - FAQ

I will be registering. But I have my doubts that this is going to be effective.
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This to me sounds like the government is just cashing in on the sales. Like sales tax isn't enough lol. I will register but it won't be that effective. Who is going to monitor it?
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Question now for International visitors at FF2016. Will we need to be registered with the FAA as well? - Sorry to add to your headache this morning Austin ;)
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I feel sorry for all you. This is ridiculous!!
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Does this apply to European countries, too?
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Please fact check your first paragraph. If what it says is true, somehow a law that becomes effective in Dec 2016 is mandating something to happen in 2015. Something isn't right there.
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Does this apply to my RC airplanes, indoor quad/drone and my model rockets (estes types of rockets)? Can anybody answer this?
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I agree EAWF, hopefully they'll double check the dates here and clairify.
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I'm still confused if the foreign visitors are required to register. I found this in the FAQ:

Q. Is there a citizenship requirement?
A. Only United States citizens can register their small UAS. The certificate serves as a certificate of ownership for non-citizens, not a registration certificate.


So as a foreign visitor, one needs the certificate of ownership to be able to fly legally?
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Wow the gouverment in the USA is pretty desperate lol this is crazy xD
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How about a banner clearly displaying my SS and Phone # drug behind my Simple Storch..............
I would be more likely to do this than to register Myself as a UAS pilot. Sorry FAA I would have coincided, until i saw there was going to be a fee. Doesn't anyone remember WWII? A simple Google search with two words in it will explain it all........... holocaust, tattoos ........... Nuff said!
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Well, this is the first step. And wouldn't be necessary if it weren't for the morons out there flying next to DFW or posting their 14,000ft 'record' flight. But what will happen is over time, local police will be informed on what is legal and what isn't. So, when you're out in the park tossing your Champ into the air, local police can ask to see your plane to verify 'registration'. With my private pilot cert, local law enforcement didn't have the authority to ask to see my license. But not now...now, anyone with a badge has been given the power. So, expect to be 'ramp checked' in public places.
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Hi FliteTest, I have a little confusion about the requirements. At the very top it states, "If you own a drone, you must register it with the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) registry". Later on I found information stating all aircraft. Is this just for drones or if I am flying your foam airplane kits does it also apply? Thanks!
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How will the FAA be enforcing this? If I go to a drone race, will they have a representative there checking every single persons drone? What about my backyard? Are they going to go to my house making sure that my drone is registered? This seems somewhat flawed in my opinion on how they are going to enforce their registration.
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As ridiculous as it is, I guess I'll be registering. It's not going to help anything as far as I'm concerned, and frankly it's just a PITA for those of us who are flying responsibly. I also don't want a $30,000 fine for flying at the community model field.
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I knew this was going to happen just by going to the store and seeing everyone selling them now, with reasonable pricing too. It hasn't happened up here in Canada yet but it will shortly. The rules are pretty much saying If it flies with a transmitter and receiver it needs registration. When it comes up here I'm not going to weigh all my planes ( if there is a weight guideline) I'll just register and go flying Just saying
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Here's the fun.... My FT-Nutball with an HK "blue wonder" and 3s battery by weight requirements must be registered. My Tiny Trainer with a Cobra 2204-2300Kv and a 2s is under 250 grams.
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An ultralight aircraft -- which carries a person -- does not have to be registered and the pilots licensed if it:

- Weighs less than 254 pounds (115 kg) empty weight, excluding floats and safety devices
- Has a maximum fuel capacity of 5 U.S. gallons (19 L)
- Has a top speed of 55 knots (102 km/h; 63 mph) calibrated airspeed at full power in level flight
- Has a power-off stall speed of 24 knots (45 km/h; 28 mph) calibrated airspeed or less

But my FT Flyer, with an all-up weight of 267 grams does, or I face up to $277,500 and 3 years in prison???
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Ok, let me get this right, from what I've read above. This is really not a registration of each of our planes but a registration of the pilot, is this right???? I sure hope so, because the way Flitetest offers new designs, I never know what I'll be flying from week to week If this is correct why don't they say drone pilots need to be registered instead of saying you have to register your drone,? Np logic at all....
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Thanks Austin---
I really struggle with the logic. Throughout the process we have been hearing about the "near miss" with full scale aircraft here or the "peeping tom" there. How is this registration going to change any of this? It seems that the group "government officials and industry leaders" working to draft this document was hijacked. The responsible (rule followers) who already recognize the responsibility inherent in tossing their model in the air will now be on a list. Those who break the rules will no doubt continue to ignore both the public and personal risks. I am disappointed that the AMA was not able to represent the needs of the community better. I will likely register however, I wish the AMA would push back with It's collective membership and say - "You Missed the Mark! Re-group and try again..."
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So, if my house happens to be searched and many aircraft are found, will I be fined in spite of the fact I have not flown for years???
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There is a massive flaw with this system, and that is the pilot is issued one number for all their vehicles and not a unique number for each vehicle. Why this is an issue, is what is to stop some one from stealing my number and using it on their craft that leads to an incident that could be tracked to me as the pilot, despite the fact I wasn't the pilot or owner of that air craft, because it had my number on it, I now have Feds at my door invading my life over some thing I didn't do with no easy way to prove I didn't do it.

I will not be registering for this BS for this reason and several others.
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do i register ive made friends of the people who do not approve "drones" and showed them the truth
of our hobby i dont want to let FAA waste our time but do i register i dont want to be known as a person who gets the wrong attention for the hobby but this is a useless rule i dont want to support the let me know what to do please
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I knew that the FAA would all let us down. I knew that they would never keep their promises. I knew you would have to pay. Why does the Government suck so much?
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I don't see how this will be effective because if I don't register, who is going to check my plane. If I do register what does it matter, are they going to have somebody find out if i fly or something. This makes me mad!
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Unless I have misunderstood, it is only the law abiding RC pilots who will be registering. From what I can gather registration is not mandatory, so the "drone" operators who are a legitimate "threat" to manned aircraft or people/property probably won't. Why would someone who is going to fly their "drone" in a manner that may potentially cause harm to someone willingly let the FAA know who they are and where they live? Making failure to register a possible criminal offense seems a bit overkill, and since when do the real criminals ever follow the law?
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Great! Just great! Wonderful! (Being sarcastic here.)

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Why establish a registry and a bureaucracy to administer it when the same thing can be achieved by requiring R/C pilots to put their name and contact info directly on the aircraft? That could be done for free to pilots and the US Taxpayer. This law is overkill unless the FAA plans further restrictions.

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This is easy peasy for FT aircraft with a power pod, you can just put your registration # on the pod. Is this whole thing ridiculous? YES! But it's happening, let's not cry about it and just figure out how we are going to live with it.
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Thank you so much I have been wondering about this stuff
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Are you guys going to sell that plane on your store?
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Yeah... Congress hasn't given the FAA authority to regulate RC aircraft under 55lbs. I'll be watching to see how this goes.
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hummm... lets see how light i can get my little 180... .55 lbs well see
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Has anyone had a problem with calling an airport to fly a quad with in 5 miles of an airport? I know of several parks that are within 5 miles of a county airport.

I know it is a pain but I want to play by the rules so that we can keep on flying RC aircraft both fixed wing and rotor craft.
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I will register, but although I can understand the concern about FPV flight, I just don't understand the logic on the non-FPV flight, fixed or rotating. Seems pretty much self limiting and really difficult to imagine creating the mischief this legislation is trying to address. I do not fly FPV (at least not yet).... Flying on line of sight, I get real uncomfortable about maintaining my orientation LONG before it's out of sight. Horizotally, it's even more difficult with a quad copter than fixed wing. All of my planes are foam board and my quads are scratch built. Still, with the exception of my mini scout, all seem weigh over .55 lbs fully loaded, so I guess I need to register. Don't want my FT Flyer threatening our air traffic safety or national security.
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Trained RC pilots who are members of the AMA and sanctioned clubs should take the lead and register without stupid comments. We need to lead and contribute to the effort to keep us safe. Flaps
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FPV is fun. I am just getting into it at the age of 73. I have over 1500 hours flying full-size aircraft as a private pilot. Legislation always comes about as a result of those folks who seem to lack respect for their neighbors. So it has come about in the RC world for the same reason. I don’t like to see it happen like this but it is now the law. My advice to those who have a desire to see what it looks like above 400 feet in the air: Google Earth is the least expensive choice. Or, go to ground school, take your flying lessons, get your Airmen’s Certificate (pilot license) and fly above 400 feet legally. Like the rest of us who love flying.
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Now Law Officials have something to hold against those that fly in parks and public areas. They can ask for them to show registration information and view that the craft is properly marked.
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SO...everyone just wants to throw away your rights as an American citizen....hmmm sounds a lot like the 2A legistration and firearms...oh no we just want you to register...we won't take anything away...YET...go ahead and register...enjoy our hobby while you can...BTW..."you can't fix stupid" registration or not!!!

TuDawgs
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Okay, I can see someone making up a number and putting it on their aircraft. See? I have a registration number!

Then something happens and the FAA gets involved and searches that number and guess what, it either doesn't come up in their database or it does and the "owner" is someone not even close to where the aircraft came down.

:rolleyes:

Then there is the problem of the database with our names, email accounts and addresses that will be hacked OR the media will use the Freedom of Information Act to get our names and the witch hunt will be on!

Got to love the US Gov...
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Thanks for the heads up guys
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Hey guys, from Canada here so not affected by this new change but I think you need to understand how it just the first step. Even just as it is, I think it gives another tool to local law enforcement to deal with issues. Right now, a lot of trouble generated by "bad" drone pilots is very difficult for local law enforcement to deal with. Registration gives them another tool - yes, the baddies may not register, but if they are causing problems and get caught, they can be in even more trouble now. Without this tool, many cities have already banned model aircraft altogether, and as they become a bigger nuisance, without any tool to manage or monitor them, this would surely happen in more places. As long as the FAA "appears" to be managing the problem, the local jurisdictions have less motivation to take matters into their own hands.

Furthermore, I expect that the registration process will eventually happen at the point of purchase, similar to full size aircraft or cars. This still won't catch everyone (scratch builds and mail-orders and second-hand purchases), but it makes it harder. Right now, a drone flying where it shouldn't be could just be an uneducated pilot, how is he supposed to know? With registration in place, it is a lot harder to claim ignorance (not that ignorance is a valid defense).

Furthermore, with the laws around drones likely to be continuing to change in the near future, registration provides a way for the FAA to provide updated information to everyone who needs it in a timely manner.

I think this is a good step forward, though I find the timing interesting (this late in the Christmas season). If I was an american, I would certainly register. It will be interesting to see if Canada follows suit, having just recently put a lot of effort into our own drone policies.
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You can bet that the first, unfortunate, person that gets busted with their shiny, new, drone will be made an example of......Don't want to be "that guy".

Sooooo I still have a few questions:

1) What branch of the government / law enforcement will actually INTERPRET and enforce the new law? (Local police, FAA, DOT???), and HOW will it be enforced? (ticket, arrest, confiscation?)
2) Besides the $5 registration fee, how will this be funded? There has to be computer hardware, software, storage, maintenance, etc, etc, etc. I'm a computer geek by profession and I know that it will take ($$$$$$$$$$$$$).
3) How will this data be protected?
4) Will this data be shared with any other "alphabet" agencies? (DHS, FBI?)
5) If I have an accidental "fly-away" and someone finds my craft will I be subject to some possible penalties? (Loss of registration , Fines?)
6) I suddenly decide that I no longer want to fly ever again, how do I remove my info from the database?
7) Will the DOT (or FFA) be tasked with notifying me when my registration dues are up for renewal?
8) If I'm pulled over and the police discover an "unregistered-drone" in my car, can I be arrested or my craft be confiscated?

I think that this law is nothing but another "knee-jerk" reaction by the government that will only affect responsible, law-abiding, citizens. I am very disappointed in the AMA's ability to make our concerns heard. I think that as with any governing body we should consider replacing the current board members at our earliest opportunity. Again, just my opinion.

Anybody want to buy a drone that's had the serial number filed off? ;-).

JUST KIDDING!
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If you even think you will fly an RC aircraft that weights > .55 lbs. the US Gov. requires you to register... not the aircraft, you are registered. If you have 15 aircraft and only one is > .55 lbs, you register yourself and you are good to go for 3 years. AND if you register in the first month, the gov will do one of two things (not very clear on this). One no fee or two they will refund the fee (yeah, right...). It better be no fee or I might just quit this hobby and go back to full size cars/motorcycles. Where I am moving (Dodge City, KS) the entire city is under the 5 mile exclusion zone :( so it may not be very hard to convince me to quit.

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How many hits per hour do you think a FAA government website can take? The first day of registration could end registration.
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Sort of like "healthcare.gov?" :-)
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That's exactly the way it is.... and probably ran just like the IRS..

It was once stated by an IRS officer that the IRS simply could not go after everyone all the time...and chose rather to go after 'examples' and publicize them ...of course after hefty , ridiculous fines.

When asked do they go after Joe Plumber...or blue collar workers etc.. answer was just occasionally ...as an example... Their (IRS) employees make tens of thousands of dollars by 'going downtown' and busting a big business on simply an 'interpretation' of a single law when going after 'Joe Plumber' would maybe net $500 taking the same amount of time and resources.

Its a 'Profit'...and that is exactly what they are looking to harvest.

IMHO... this is yet another invasion of privacy ...harvesting everyone's name and details on a 'data' list. ...and woe be unto the ones that get media or law attention as that would create the perfect ' example ' they could bust with a ridiculous fine...and publicize it greatly....scaring the servants into getting' registered'

Me... I'll just put an address label size sticker on all my batteries with AMA and really small...the new number. This way all my 50 plus planes will have a number in them,.,..

Now who wants to talk about a new 'NO FLY' list that surely will be down this path somewhere...
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I do despair sometimes.
Why go to the trouble of having to set up a new registration system when there is already one in place.
The AMA has all model pilots registration details and provides 3rd party insurance to its members and gives each pilot a membership number which should be attached clearly to the model.
If the rules had been made to insist that anyone flying or operating one of these models had to be registered with the AMA and carry their insurance then these details could be shared with the FAA and cut out much of the bureaucracy.
This would also have done much to improve the hobby for the serious modellers by bringing in extra revenue for the AMA which could have been used to improve facilities and venues for competition events, and also to possibly to improve the education of newbies coming into our magic hobby.
I wonder who dropped the ball on that idea?
Prop Driver
U.K.
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If you think the under-funded, under-staffed, over-worked FAA wants to take this on, you're mistaken. It's a much bigger headache for them than it is for us who need to spend $5 and 5 minutes on a website. They would MUCH prefer working on making our airports, aircraft and airspace more modern and efficient.

The push for this is coming from your friends, neighbors and family. Talk to your elected representatives (I have) and you'll find that they are getting hundreds if not thousands of calls and letters from people who are afraid that their neighbor's "drone" is taking away their right to privacy and endangering their lives. Push further and you'll probably find that you're the only person from the RC hobby world they've ever directly spoken to on the topic. A very vocal public is afraid - and they vote!

I actually find it remarkable that the Federal Government has reacted this quickly. Not what you'd expect from what is supposedly an inefficient bureaucracy. I suspect part of the thinking is that the FAA will be able to say "Look, we did something. Now let us get back to our real work."

What I find sad is that the public's fears are now more of a driving factor in FAA regulations than science and engineering.
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Just like the CB license....the FCC did not have the resources to enforce.

The FAA does not have the authority nor the resources to enforce this..... So just make up a registration number put it on your machine and fly away..
Nobody will know the difference...

And if you are worried about someone asking just create a fake ID....

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I have been flying almost 40 years and have been an avid builder and flyer of R/C aircraft. I have always maintained safety as my first priority. But I really think the government is over reaching again and trying to control every aspect of our lives. I think this current administration just wants to control every aspect of our lives. I really don't think they value our personal freedom .
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What is funny is that no one has given any definitive proof that these have been creating mischief with other commercial aircraft. You would think in the day where everyone has a camera on their device that this would have been substantiated with a picture.

Also you would have thought that one of these "mischief creators" would have made a posting on YouTube or Facebook, as often idiots do with their conquests.

The only ones who have created problems were White House staffers that try to fly when they were drunk!

It is a tax! No mistake it is a tax.

Bad guys never register. Good guys get taxed!

I am a good guy and I will register. But it I will tell you that the idiots out there will not. So I am being punished because of idiots.

I will register. But I will also take every opportunity to protest.
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I flew RC models as a kid and now had a Private pilot license. Like most all pilots, we support all kinds of aviation from drones to RC to indoor. I totally get the issue with giving the government more information that can be used in nefarious ways. When i flew RC back in the day, I was an AMA member as was my Dad. we both had our AMA numbers on all aircraft so we could get them back if they got out of range or crashed (the old 27MHz radios were notorious for losing control due to range, multiple transmitters turned on or even CB radios close by, yes it was a long time ago). today's RC aircraft are more sophisticated reliable and have enough range to cause issues with other air traffic. Imagine hitting a little 2 pound device at 60, 70 or 80 MPH. those are approach speeds for General aviation aircraft and imagine flying an ultralight at 40 or 50 MPH with no windscreen (they require helmets usually) to keep that 2 pound device from hitting you in the face.the issue is irresponsible flyers who think its cool to fly close to airports. yes i am sure 99.9% of those on this site fly responsibly and unfortunately we all have to abide by some basic rules to protect flying. one comment above stated a city had banned drones. we don't need that and since the law says airspace is the province of the federal government above a certain altitude (100 or 200 ft.?), you probably want the feds to step in and not some local yocal with different rules in every town, city and county. at least with the feds the rules are the same anywhere in the country. we had a big problem in GA with local cops saying we couldn't fly over or around power plants or empty stadium when they didnt know the rules. you can as long as there is not a notice to airmen (NOTAM) and you are at a high enough altitude and again, the local yocal has no jurisdiction about 100 or 200 ft. Unfortunately it took the courts to tell the yocals to back off. drone pilots don't want to go there but with the fed rules you have a standard and regulation you can lean on.
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In response to IR:

I absolutely did write letters when the AMA asked it's membership to. Didn't do much good though. What I think had failed to sink in with some of the other members of my RC club is the fact that this new "drone" law applies to helo's and fixed-wing. The discussion at the last meeting was that it didn't or that we would be "grandfathered" in. I realize that I as an individual and we as AMA members can't do much to influence the decision maker's directly. BUT, we can influence the companies that our hobby supports. Take that shiny, new, (fill in the blank) RC craft under the tree back to the store for a refund and tell the companies why. Nobody's even mentioned the thought that maybe some of the "major companies" that are pushing for "drone-delivery" here in the US might not want us "amateurs" interfering with or crashing into their (future) "commercial" drones.

And, when was the last time a law stopped some nut-job from doing something stupid?

Exactly!

....End-Of-Rant.......
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Flight test challenge! Make a sleek, fast foamboard plane that has a cavity for helium.
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This is a sad state of affairs. I give them 6 months, if they dont repeal this then I am quitting the hobby. I think hobby shop sales will suffer as well.
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Thank you Flite Test Team. If not for you good folks, when would I have found out about this. I knew this was coming but I have heard anything in the media about the end results. I fly on my own property but not as often as I would like. Thanks again.
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Wow I found what is currently the bottom of the thread. Not for long I'm sure! But here is my two cents.....I recently paid my AMA membership. I am currently studying for my HAMM license to be legal for Fpv. And now, I have to register and possibly pay more money for owning this equipment if I want to now fly it. Why couldn't the government just let me give them my already registered AMA number and have them share their database with the government to save time and energy?
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With respect guys, you are practicing law without a clue.

REGISTRATION is the oldest Government Fraud in the book.

Before you register you are outside of Civil Law (Legal Fiction) Jurisdiction. When you REGISTER you have signed and paid for a CONTRACT with the Government. Once you have contracted with the Government you are Legally obligated to comply with the contract you just entered into. If you NEVER made a CONTRACT with the Government, the Government has no Authority to tell you what you can and can not do!

SO, if you want the Government in you shorts, go ahead and make a CONTRACT with the Government.

(By the way, this is exactly how Drivers Licenses work too.)

peace


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wow. I cant believe this is actually happening.
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The land of the free? yeah that sounds right.
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So for those of us north of the border...we need to register if we're going to fly at any event in the USA... I'm sure that MAAC (Model Aeronautics Association of Canada) and Transport Canada will be doing something similar up here very soon. As most laws, this one seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to idiots who aren unsafe and will continue to be...and who of course won't register any of their aircraft. Sad.
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Step 1: Require Registration
Step 2: Charge yearly license fees (tax) while preparing for step 3
Step 3: Ban - use step 1 as the address book to send agents

That's the formula!
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With the below, i guess tourist are ok since tourist inbound and outbound to/from USA won't be able to register.

"Only individual recreational or hobby users who meet U.S. citizenship requirements are able to register their unmanned aircraft using this new streamlined web-based process."
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Registration fee is $5 don't expect it to stay that much they always start fees low to get people to be okay with it watch it grow in short time. This is how they try to get people to stop doing something they don't want you to do when the fee gets into the hundreds people will just give up the hobby, this is the same thing they are attempting to do with guns. This is nothing more than another grab of yet more of citizens freedom money. Lets be honest here no one has died or been seriously injured from UAV's (that are not government owned that is) contact your elected representatives and demand that they stop this infringement.
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How can the FAA make a Law? making a law needs an act of congress and the President needs to sign it.
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Does this mean LASER pointers are still ok to use?
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The word "Government" = "Govern-(mind, thought, thinking, belief)", because "-ment" is the root of "mentis"; Latin for (mind, thought, thinking, belief). So, Government = mind-control.

The government (FAA) deceives people or bullies people into doing what the government wants, not what the people want. What the government wants is power and control, and like the Second Amendment, the government wants your Guns and Drones!

When people REGISTER, they CONTRACT with the Government, and since you did not write the CONTRACT, it gives the Government what it wants, and deprives you and me of what we want.

FREEDOM, restrained by Personal Responsibility, NOT Government Regulations and FINES and PRISON.

peace
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Don't forget that really big kites are considered "drones" since they are remotely controlled by a string. Really big homing pigeons may have to be registered as well based on the fact that they are remotely controlled by human super powers.
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So let me get this straight: the gubermint has 3 years to create an Obamacare site to register for and purchase insurance. We all saw how that went. And now we expect to have a registration site/system ready in a week that will be flawless and "refund" our registration fee during the biggest rush it is ever expected to encounter? roughts o ruck wid dat!
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This might be a solution that demonstrates a way to fly that does not require registration because the total weight does not exceed 250gr.

Great Planes Extra 330SC 3mm Foam 3D EP ARF 32.5" <175gr>
Great Planes Rimfire 250 Outrunner Brushless Motor <20gr>
Great Planes ElectriFly LiPo 2S 7.4V 250mAh 20C <15gr>
Great Planes Silver Series 8A Brushless ESC 5V/1A BEC <11gr>
Three Futaba S3114 Micro High-Torque Servos <3 x 7.8gr = 23.4gr>

Total: 244.4gr.

This leaves 5.6gr for the APC 8x3.8 Slow Flyer Propeller.
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I think this is a horrible overreaching, invasive move by the government to tax yet another hobby.

We need an NRA like body to regulate/lobby for our rights to play with our toys unfettered.
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This is a joke and another tax, plain and simple. If they really just want you to put some kind of identifying info. on your so called "DRONE", it could be made real simple for everyone. Put your personal info. on it and call it good. That is what I had to do with my arrows when I was a bow hunter. A number issued by them is no different. It is an identifier, "plain and simple". Your personal info. is even more accurate and heck of a lot easier to verify. A number issued by them can be falsified/changed if I wish to use a "DRONE" for criminal or just plain stupid reasons. Who is going to be checking everyone with a model? And if your local PD where to be checking on you for some reason, like a complaint from a paranoid or jerk neighbor, it would be much easier to show your ID, or get your parents, if your a minor, to verify it, than to take your word that the FAA number was yours. Local PD will have no way to verify the FAA number on site and will not waist their time, unless you have done something criminally wrong. And even if you did something criminally wrong, they wouldn't care about an FAA number because it isn't their job, it's the FAA's. If it is a civil matter they will tell you that and leave.

I would like to thank the "Very Informed and Truthful Media" for blowing things out of proportion and scaring the miss-informed, sometimes really stupid public, about these so called dangerous weapons/surveillance aircraft, "DRONES" as they like to call them, instead of RC Models, which they have been called for so long, that the 99.999% of us are using for honest and safe recreation.
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I'm from Canada and come down to Flite Fest. I just went through the entire document and we will be required to go through the same process. The difference is "The agency will consider the certificate that is issued to be a recognition of ownership rather than a certificate of U.S. aircraft registration."

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If nobody registers the faa has no power. So they ask me for my registration and I play dumb and say oh I just built it this weekend how can they prove me wrong. They can't. And who is they your local Leo's don't give a crap. Yeah its free now but what happens in three years when they jack the rates to 100 bucks. And now they have you on paper as a registered pilot . It happens with everything as soon as the government gets involved it all goes to shit
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Well when you look at how many people are getting into the RC hobby and the mechanical ignorance of the US population as whole if it protects my right to fly RC aircraft as I have for the last 40 years without incidence I'm OK with this as it is presented. But give someone in control an inch and they will take a mile so what comes next? What I am most concerned with and NOT OK with is good honest but weak minded people who look and let their emotions control what they see and do nothing as corrupt police, attorneys, and judges throughout America work together to break the law because they think it won't happen to them if they look away. On June 9, 2009 the WA Klickitat Sheriffs assisted in a deception used to commit felony theft to stop a 9 year lawsuit 21 days away from obviously being won by stealing the case evidence and legal papers needed in support of a felony criminal conspiracy involving wealthy individuals and their attorneys using the legal system to steal real estate. And they did it without hiding their overt act because they expected me to object emotionally not jump in my truck and drive to a safe location and report the crime without being shot "as a threat" . They made the case 100 times bigger but MANY people who know it happened not only did nothing about it... some gladly joined in to make money off it just like in Germany Pre WW2. Maybe its time to wake up... what is more important? People in authority like the police obeying the law... or We the People obeying the law? The Law is the only thing that creates the template that creates Order in any Society. And right now money is causing a lawless free-for-all at the top controlling all land and currency where Civil Forfeiture laws are being used by criminals disguised as police and judges to pull over and rob honest hard working Americans. The long arm of the law that reached from Hawaii to WA and OR in my case is VERY busted and broken and we ALL need to put it in an iron cast and FIX it and stop looking away saying History powered by Human emotion is not repeating itself. I deleted my comment because I forgot to say it is repeating itself, and it's repeating itself because people are letting it happen because they refuse to accept what their eyes are showing them is happening. e{a}/t=E
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I don't want to see anyone hurt by our hobbies, but wouldn't the money being spent on this be better used fixing our country's infrastructure. Also I would never give the personal information of my child (a minor) to this organization so he can fly a model airplane, too much risk.
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I just copied this off the FAA's web site 12/14/15 9:01 PM PST: "Registration is not required for model aircraft operated solely for hobby or recreational purposes. Guidelines for responsible hobby and recreational operations are available at http://www.faa.gov/uas/model_aircraft/. "

So why am I reading the opposite here?
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I will take the risk of him flying and crashing his plane in our back field without registration and live on our terms that is life, that is living, that is priceless.
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Folks I have to tell you I do not like this. I also do not like seeing so many of us fliers just laying down and accepting this as some kind of a good thing. It is not. Guys you can go make an ultralight airplane right now and fly it with no government sticking their noses into it. We must continue to fight this ...... it is wrong. What has happened to our society that we just lay down and let government tell us what we can and cannot do. WE are the bosses of them not the other way around and they need to be reminded of that fact. As for me I will not fly with this over my head. Congress made a special case a year ago mandating that the faa leave us alone. Have we forgotten this? The faa decided to ignore and pervert that message to them from congress. What we need to do is get back with those same congressmen and senators and raise hell about this. Please excuse my language there is no other word that fits. Tell them how this is wrong. Remind them that in all the time of flying there has never been an issue. That is until people forced us to accept quads and fpv as part of the AMA. Now look where that has led us. Guys I love quads, I do. I even see benefits of fpv but look what you just did to our hobby. The AMA should never have allowed FPV to become a part of the AMA and now I know I will hear from lots of you complaining about my comment here but it is my hope it stands. Myself and many others have been saying from the start that if the AMA allows fpv to become a part of our program that this would happen. Now just watch what happens when some idiot really does fly one into a building with explosives attached. The fpv and quad fliers need to make their own organization. It was true then and doubly true now. It has hurt us all. Very much so. Government has no business sticking their noses into model airplane flying. It has never been needed nor wanted. The faa needs to back off and go back to things that actually are important. The fpv crowd ( down the road that means me as well and I would support it) needs to recognize that this is on them as well. Then they need to separate and get their own lobbyist and organization so that the AMA will stop wasting our funds on this fpv battle. It was not right nor fair for them to do so especially after they were told by the majority not to do so.
I know I am rambling.
I am mad.
I now have to find some other recreation because I will not allow government to dictate to me these things. Not for 5 dollars and not for free it is wrong at any price and guys the price is much higher than anyone knows at this time.
This is just the start by time its over we will be so taxed, monitored and invaded that it will not be worth flying. Sorry but this is my two cents worth. I hope someone listens.
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It's not a bad idea to register rc air craft .maybe it will keep some people from fling where there not allowed to.
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This sounds more like pilot registration. You have a number as a pilot, and put that number on all aircraft you have. It's the first step towards some rules, and I actually agree with it. You have to start somewhere. I would even be in favor of a "drivers license" for model pilots, even if it's just a written exam, just to make sure people are aware of rules before they start out doing stupid stuff.

If you're reading this, that means you care and are already aware of the dangers of flight. Should be a piece of cake for us to get a license.
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"Q. I am a citizen of a foreign country who lives in the United States. How do I know if I can register a drone with the FAA?
A. Federal law allows an individual citizen of another country who has been lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States under the regulations of the Department of Homeland Security to register an aircraft, including a drone, with the FAA."

So here's the thing. I live here, but technically I'm a "non-resident alien". Which makes me not a resident.

Why is this so complicated?
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it's the mark of the beast!
Josh,you were right!

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when i get into compliance and put somebody else's registration number on my models, it's going to be on top of my "Fuck the FAA" paintjob.
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Security theatre continues unabated. =(
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For cryin' out loud, quit whining and just pay the stupid five dollar registration fee. We "register" our cars, boats, trailers and civilian aircraft. In every state we pay for a drivers license, fishing license and some of us pay a hunting license. Every one of the above is ANNUAL as in EVERY YEAR. This $5 tri-annual registration fee is cheaper than the annual dues for the two model clubs that I belong to. One is $60, the other is $90. Five dollars every three years? GET A GRIP, PEOPLE!

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What if someone comes in US from Europe (for Flitetest festival or Joe Nall ecc.) and brings his "toys", since he/she is not a US citizen, how can he/she fly then? Can not register!!!
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As others have said, typical kneejerk reaction from those with no idea.
All it does is penalize those who fly responsibly and know the rules.

Any muppet that flies stupidly deserves all they get and will not bother registering in any case.

Hope we do not get the same uninformed draconian measures over in UK.

What we need is better education for new flyers not ineffectual nanny state rules dreamed up by some people with no experience and who cannot bother consulting with those that do..
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Wow this is like back to the future. I know the comparison in the US with gun registry is touchy but if you forget for a minute I am comparing to guns and just think bad legislation it would help make my point. When they brought the long gun registry to Canada they said it would be free for the first few months to get everyone on side, they said it would help to find stolen guns, they said the money would be put to gun education, they said it would make things better and cost nothing because it would be self funding... the end was that nothing changed except it cost all tax payers in Canada millions and millions of dollars in tax over runs and it never funded itself and never solved crimes. It was finally abandoned in a shambles. It is so unusual for us to see the USA making a Canadian error it is usually the other way around. Good Luck
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According to AMA's website, FAA is in violation of the law with this regulation. Write your Senators and your Representative about this like I did this morning.

http://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/2015/12/14/ama-reacts-to-dot-uas-registration-rule/

“The Special Rule for Model Aircraft in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 clearly states that the FAA is prohibited from promulgating any new rules for recreational users operating within the safety guidelines of a community-based organization (CBO). Meanwhile, the FAA’s contention that model aircraft should be considered aircraft is currently the subject of pending litigation. Congress by no means intended to grant a free pass to flyers within this system. Instead, it left risk mitigation and the development of appropriate safety guidelines to organizations like AMA."
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Does anyone know if Canada will be or has already followed suit with similar registration requirements?
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This law is doing nothing but giving the government power to prosecute the law abiding citizen. This law was passed because the AMA doesn't have the same power as the NRA to lobby in Washington. The FAA is treating "drones" (still hate that word) as deadly as an idiot with a pistol in a public arena. Yes, I sometimes wear a tin-foil hat!
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I am from Canada and often vacation in the US and come down to Flite Fest. So even though I'm from the great white north this does effect me. I will need to pay my $5 just like all those down south if I wish to fly while on vacation. I will do it, but I think it is stupid. This will not make anything safer for anyone. The stupid will still do the stupid and those who think before acting will still be safe operators. As well, who will enforce this. The police are already too busy at the coffee shops to bother running over to check my foamy for a number. I do understand the problem they are tying to get a handle on. People are just being stupid. Flying in busy areas over people and streets and its just a matter of time before someone is killed by a 6 pound falling DJI Inspire landing on their head from a few hundred feet. I fly an Inspire and other multi rotors and think about this and don't fly anywhere near people so to avoid the risk.
I have gone through the process of becoming approved by Transport Canada (equivalent to FAA) for UAS flight for business purposes and talking to the transport Canada inspector who stated that for me getting a special flight permit is not making it safer out there because there are still hundreds out there in the air they don't know about. They are only putting extra hurtles for those who are already doing things correctly and know the rules and abide by them.
I think there is a big difference between model aircraft hobbyists and those that go down to Best Buy or get a drone for Christmas. Most people are just using the drones as a long selfie stick and have no idea of the proper use of this equipment.
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Taken from the FAA's website, "The total of government and registrant resource cost for small unmanned aircraft registration and marking under this new system is $56 million ($46 million present value at 7 percent) through 2020." The FAA's argument for creating the online registration is, "the FAA estimates the cost to the government and non-modelers would be about $383 million." This is the estimated cost to tax payers for the old paper based registration system. This is our governments explanation for taxing us....they are saving us money by spending more money. As an example, "The estimate for 2015 sales indicates that 1.6 million small unmanned aircraft intended to be used as model aircraft are expected to be sold this year" 1.6 million dollars into 46 million is $28.75 per unmanned aircraft. There are a few assumptions taken here, rebate for 2015 taken in full, one person per "unmanned aircraft" and that all of the aircraft sold weigh more than .55lbs. So far the numbers are fishy in my book. To me, it looks like the FAA is setting budgetary costs to earmark taxpayer money for themselves. It will be interesting to see how the money stacks up against what the final numbers are for pilot registration including fines. The Freedom of Information Act may come in handy here...
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Oh, one more thing... what happens if you want to fly your friends UAV? Do we have to take their number off and stick on our own?
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plz look at the link i stand by that plus does this apply in all the world or only usa....
http://www.faa.gov/uas/publications/model_aircraft_operators/assets/media/model-aircraft-infographic.pdf
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So will Police officers be patrolling airfields and other flying areas and ask for your registration? I think this is a joke, I wonder when something like this will be coming to Canada
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If you want to fight this join the AMA, they are taking it to court and more members and letters to the government will help get the FAA back under the people control and not the other way around.

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That is really interesting ! I guess other countries (like France, for me) will follow the same path, if it works well... Only I'm pretty hopeless : I think it will be pretty chaotic... We'll see as time goes :-)
Thanks Austin for the article !
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As of jan 19th I will no longer fly, buy or help in development of this hobby. I will fight to get this gross over reach stopped. Simply put, I won't comply. I won't be forced into registering for the benefit of the government to make money off of my mined. If you think this data base won't be abused, think again. If someone was to get my # and use it in a malicious way. I will then be guilty until proven innocent. This can not stand. Like i read above something that sums up this law, I will not register like a sex offender. Dark days ahead ppl. I wish I had an answer for this, sadly I do not. All the best. Going Galt.
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I do not know if anyone has brought this up. What happens after you register your dones and possibly re-sell them. You surely hope that the new owner registers with their own personal information. Just a thought. If they don't and something goes bad, are you on the hook for it?
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I will comply. However , I will no longer pay fees to the AMA. I wonder how the AMA feels about losing their members to the government. As is typical in the U.S. we punish everybody for the actions of the irresponsible few. We let corporations run amuck, and threaten the common folks. Our charge is simple. We must comply.".....................................and so shall I.

As the "Dude" says, "give 'em the money man, we're into this cheap." (as he and his friends are being robbed)
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As I read the headline and realized that even fixed wing planes required registration, I was upset like everyone. But after reading the 211 page document, I started to calm down. It seems very rationally written (unlike many of the knee-jerk reactions here).

Look at it this way. If any over-zealous member of the public or any official questions my right to fly my plane, I now have the full justification of the FAA. The FAA! As soon as I register, I will have a Certificate from the FAA that says I am a registered RC pilot! The general public does not know who the AMA is. (American Music Association? American Motorcycle Association?) But the FAA! they all know that. Some of you can go ahead and complain, but I am going to register as soon as I can to get my RC pilots license from the FAA for free.

Happy flying!
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I just have two names for those of you thinking that the FAA or local law enforcement are benign entities:

R.A. "Bob" Hoover

Robin Fleming

That said I will, like all law abiding sheep, register because I am under threat of the full weight and impact of the US Government but the reality is that operating anything on my property should never be subject to any governmental regulation when it comes to registration. There are already many public endangerment laws on the books. This is simply a power grab that ignores basic airspace rules and uses the canard of the few who violate the law to penalize the majority.

In a free nation, an individual suffers the penalty for their behavior and the group is free to go about its business unmolested...

We have come a long way from 1776...

Just saying... ...it's a stupid rule that will NOT prevent abusive and inconsiderate people from engaging in bad behavior. So I want to fly over the Super Bowl or bust a TFR with a quad? I buy a mobius, build my own registered quad and do it. If it falls out of the sky I walk away and take the $150.00 loss without penalty. If I get it back I get it back. Criminals and societally reckless people do not obey laws. So in the end this is a stupid, feckless and infringing law that will end up hurting the RC industry and penalizing people who have done nothing wrong short of flying in their yards.

You think once local law enforcement figures out what it can make in penalty sharing it won't be "ramp checking" every father and son playing with a foamy in their front yard? You are woefully naive about how things actually work...

Enthusiasts will know about the law and register, newbies will not be clear on it or will see registration and as a barrier to entry and just say screw it, they already have too much on me, no more and walk away. It's happened in the GA industry in this nation. The price of entry is just too high now so only a certain niche of fanatics even try to fly their own airplanes. In contrast to when I was a kid where every town had a small FBO and a flight instructor and you could learn to fly.

Just watch, it's just the beginning. FT, you bettered lawyer up about liability on your videos as well because you could be construed to be promoting illegal behavior without full disclosure unless you carefully craft a message in every video... ...just saying...
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Do we need to this for all users around the world or is it only for the US ?
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I think would all just stop paying our membership dues to the AMA. We can all force change with our pocketbooks. Maybe we could find a clever insurance agent that would help us (collectively) find another vehicle for insurance coverage. Maybe something like an SR-22 or some other form of personal liability insurance that we could afford. HINT TO ANY INSURANCE AGENTS LISTENING. If that happens then why would we still need to be AMA members? Maybe we need to form a "Rogue Drone Nation" or some other RC association. What have they done to help protect its membership and promote the hobby. Why haven't we seen the AMA on the national news defending our position on a nightly basis?

As far as the question whether LEO's will be enforcing the new law; LEO's enforce the city/county laws. They have no jurisdiction to enforce state & federal laws unless I'm seriously mistaken. (not an attorney so it's possible). So I guess we'll be seeing FFA / DOT "Nazi's" patrolling the flying fields? More than likely the AMA will put the burden of enforcement on the local RC clubs. "You can't join the AMA or fly at our fields' unless you are registered"............
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PROtip: Put your registration number on your batteries.
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What if you have a scale foam plane like the 90 mm Eurofighter. Where do I put the number if I still want that scale look
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I will not register my aircraft and i'm done flying, very sick and tired of stupid people causing problems for responsible people.
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Wow, the execution of this requirement has gone off beautifully. Turns out to be just a Federal requirement to do what most of us who fly do anyway. Name and phone number and AMA number, but now it's a DOT number... And $5 bucks of course. Look how beautifully and expertly how they did it: A near perfect case study for propaganda 101.

Misinformation was everywhere, A series of 'Near misses' reported by pilots that in quiet moments without microphone admit that cant tell the difference between a bird and a baseball or a kids balloon and those speeds with the activity going one around them. Rumors about all planes registered, toy drones no exception, $5 a piece for each, no provision of home builds, visions of lining up at a Motor Vehicle-like government office (Number 57, serving number 57...).

The reality? Not so bad. A one time free website to get your information, then a tag that covers all the planes you have and may buy! Whew thought it was going to be bad! What was all the fuss?

In the end, it's another fleece program and revenue stream for government. A tax on all you fly Cheap at first, free even, but after three years you have to pay again. By then, if it's still $5 I'll be shocked.

This was a whole lot of fussing and jawing and AMA staff time, pilot stress and talk and worry just because the government saw an opportunity to impose a new tax on us. Has to be that, because anyone actually believing it will have an effect on the real problem we face with drones, an individual or group using one bought or home build for deliberate misuse, must have serious reality issues.

However, and of course, every deliberate misuse, or equipment fail, or pilot error that resuts in a drone in a neighors tree, or yard, or worse will me a collective 'Our fault' in media and repose. Government being 'forced' to respond by public pressure (media) will implement pilot training requirements, add individual certifications, and individual model traking. To pay for it, the cost and frequency of renewal payment will nessesarily increase. Why should this be any different than any other government involvement in normal our everyday life?
/PESIMISTIC RANT
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And just like that, every RC aircraft flier because a staunch supporter of the 2nd amendment once they realized how easily laws were passed without them having any say in it whatsoever. Silver lining? Cancel your AMA registration and get an NRA card.
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OK people during WWII the government picked upon a class of people that would not defend themselves. Later we understood the reason. If you don't want that to happen here then let's start a class action suite against the FAA. After all they are violating the government action that the Senate or congress (I don't remember which) passed saying the FAA cold not regulate model airplane hobbyists that fly in an approved club, etc.
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I have got to chuckle... just how many comments have been removed?

I too am livid over this... it's a constitutional infringement in that the FAA is making laws, restricting already accepted use of FPV technologies for example, and forcing "registration". And just how is this educational? It is already been proven this can and is safely applied and self-monitored within the community, without the need of Federal oversight. There will always be exceptions, but requirements and restrictions placed on the majority is clearly an infringement of our constitutional rights, as is making laws by regulation, without the approval of the Congress of the United States. Further, it seems to me, the AMA's only interest has been in furthering it's own agenda, and not very effective at truly representing it's membership. With that being said, what can be done. Are there any representatives of the people, for the people, out truly representing the people? If you know of any, please, share that information with all of us! I'm sure too that there will be a significant impact on the marketing, sales and suppliers of the hobby. It is almost impossible to find a true "hobby shop" in my town... there is actually only one. And that is about 30 miles from me... I don't see Radio Shack around much any more, and the last time i was in one, it seems they mostly sell only phones and batteries... I was surprised however to see Arduino products on the shelf... but alas, they weren't selling any... sad, so very sad... Try buying replacement parts, or accessories (i.e. batteries) at one of the retailers who do care "quads"! Well, as the song goes... "All Things Must Pass". Hopefully this too will...
btw - please, if I've said anything of offend anyone, or if it is determined this post or comment needs to be removed, let me know!
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It is easy to see from just breezing threw the comments on this page that most of us don't approve of this new regulation (myself included). It's not to late however to make our voices heard! If we all stand up and tell the FAA that this is not a solution we are willing to accept, they will HAVE to make changes or get rid of the registration plan. If EVERY single model aircraft hobbyist made their voice heard, this article would be irrelevant. Commenting is still open on the Regulations.gov pertaining to this rule (and so far only 7 have submitted one!) To comment on this issue, go to regulations.gov and search: FAA-2015-7396 and make your voice heard! We can also sign the petition on change.org (https://www.change.org/p/federal-aviation-adminitration-stop-the-faa-act-requiring-drone-model-aircraft-pilot-registration).
To those of you who want say that this is pointless and that the FAA will not listen to us, Let me remind you that this is the United States of America, a country run by the PEOPLE, not run by the FAA. Lets direct our voice to the government not only to each other. I will be doing my part to make my voice heard, I encourage ALL model aircraft hobbyist to do the same!

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The paper looking plane in the background is something I want to see.
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Registered just to comment here. Not sure if it was mentioned but how will this be controlled? What would prevent some knucklehead from going to an RC show and pulling numbers from a number of other UAV's and applying a random number to his or her UAV. I mean are they going to send you stickers, plates or something or are you responsible for using a sharpie or whatever to mark your aircraft. If it has to be visible it will easily be duplicated by some idiot who will do something dumb and the next thing you know you have a knock on the door from the FAA police and now your fighting to prove your innocence. This will be a complete mess I think and innocent law biding people will be brought into some mess they had nothing to do with because a number was duplicated. Would be like me taking a license plate from another vehicle except the vehicle has some checks like associating the vin to a plate number....where is the cross reference for our Aircrafts when most build them because it's not a self build aircraft has an assembly serial number and considering this number is duplicated across as many hobby aircrafts as you own...ya, draw your own conclusions for the anticipated mess this will cause the first time this happens to an innocent person whos number was duplicated on an aircraft used for malicious intent. I agree in concept but not in implementation.
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Calling or writing your U.S. Repesentive is a good idea. Sounding like the crazy person for whom this knee jerk rule was made is not.
R/C flying is educational and inspires imagination. One thing we do NOT have enough of in the U.S. is college students is engineering, physics, or sciences in general. If we want to make a case to our elected officials, that is a strong one. Saying, "I'm a hobbiest and this violates my rights," is not going to compete with somebody claiming that someone was spying on them with a drone. The message I get from Flitetest is that flying R/C aircraft is educational and inspires imagination. That is the message to take to lawmakers. This rule inhibits that education and stiffles imagination. And you guys that are flying over the neighborhood looking for chicks sunbathing, and you know who you are, knock it off!
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ok my ft flyer just burned , I made another, can I use the number for the new plane? do I pay $5.00 for every plane I have? or do I have a number like the AMA's in all my air crafts.
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Disapointed,

30,000+ views so far on this article and only 145 supporters have signed the change.org petition. Come on guys if you do not want government control in our hobby, sign the petition so it can be forwarded to the appropriate people to get this thing pulled and re-done correctly. Join me and the 144 other supporters in having this pulled.
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I just got an email from the AMA virgin all members to hold off on registration. The AMA is fighting registration.
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Flite Test has a huge following, and I think you should be discouraging people from registering.

Congress passed Code Section 336 titled FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Section 336 specifically stated the “FAA may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding model aircraft if 1) flown for hobby or recreation; 2)aircraft is operated in accordance with a community-based and nationwide set of safety guidelines; and 3) the aircraft does not exceed 55 lbs...”.

When the Task Force meeting convened, the FAA opened by informing all participants that the assumption moving forward was that the FAA HAD THE AUTHORITY TO REQUIRE REGISTRATION and the SPECIAL RULE FOR MODEL AIRCRAFT WOULD NOT BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, thereby shutting down AMA's argument at the beginning. AMA should have walked out of the meeting and filed an injunction to stop the FAA from moving forward with the regulations, and notify Congress of the FAA's intent.

The FAA from the outset knew they were regulating CONTRARY TO CONGRESS' INTENT to exempt hobby model aircraft.

Instead of caving in like a bunch of sheep, we need to fight back against this unlawful action.

We need to inform Congress that we are a significant industry, which generates and pays taxes, we vote, and we are one voice.

I would incourage all modellers to not register – by registering, you are legitimizing the FAA with the power to rule over us. By registering, you are entering into a contract with the FAA, and thereby opening the door for more rule making.

Do not be fooled by the 30 day free, then $5 registration fee. Next time it could be $50, then $250, then they announce that there are not enough modellers for this program, and exclude hobby flying all together. Later they may require that we register every model, every component, and require vendors to establish registration prior to selling you a servo, esc etc., putting the burden on the vendors to track sales and maintain a federally accessible database.This will put many vendor's out of business.

This action by the FAA is nothing more than to create a greater need for the FAA and increase their taxpayer funded budget.

Unfortunately, the AMA did not represent its 185,000 members by walking out of the task force meeting, instead they taught the FAA how to regulate the hobby (e.g. weight restrictions, numbers inside of our 'toy' airplanes.)

I suggest that modellers should NOT attend the AMA expo, should cancel their AMA membership (or ask for a refund if already renewed), and any lifetime members ask for a refund of their contribution, and show the AMA that we are a force, and we do not accept the AMA's failure to protect our rights. Isn't that why we joined the AMA? We relied on the AMA to protect our hobby, and we could have accomplished more without them. Did you stop to think why the AMA offered an early discount for renewal, before the FAA released their regulations? Coincidence in timing? I think not.

If the FAA registration website begins operation on 12/21/15, that means they have been working on it for a while, and the AMA has been misleading its members regarding their working with the FAA to protect our right to fly.

If no one registers, the FAA rule making will fail, just like obamacare is failing.

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This, I believe, is the first step by the insurance companies to get us again with mandatory coverage for our aircraft. Just like what was done with cars.
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So, now I'm reading that the FAA has acknowledged the database WILL eventually become searchable online. Names, home addresses and FAA numbers.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/johngoglia/2015/12/18/faa-finally-admits-names-and-home-addresses-in-drone-registry-will-be-publicly-available/
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This for me is hard to say which way I feel about it, granted I can see the stink about why not to register, but I can also see why to do it as well. For someone just trying to get into the hobby I will more than likely go ahead and do the registration tomorrow when the sight comes online. However as many as said here just like all rules and regs like this it is not going to stop those people from doing stupid stuff with their planes and multi-rotors, nothing really can
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I have seen many people say they don't like this, but they will register. Whether or not you register is an individual choice. But, for heavens sake, don't register on the first day! Registering early is an indication that you SUPPORT this nonsense. So, even if you intend to comply, at least wait until the end of the free registration. At a minimum, go to Change.org and sign the petition. https://www.change.org/p/federal-aviation-adminitration-stop-the-faa-act-requiring-drone-model-aircraft-pilot-registration. I see a lot of grumbling here, but as of the time of this note, only 1498 people have signed the petion. Come on, people. Also, write your member of congress to bring this issue to his/her attention. These are things that take only minutes. At least don't act like Rolf and join the Brown Shirts on the first day, and sign the petion. If there are less than 1500 people willing to say the don't agree with this, nationwide, then this rule will certainly stand.
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Just like the Obama Care website, it seems like they don't have a handle on the extreme flow of web visitors and are scared to let anyone register as of yet! Come on people maintaining a website is not that hard!
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Registration,

At approximately 8:05AM PST I attempted to register myself with my Scratch build 250 quad with parts from Hobbyking, at the following site (http://www.federaldroneregistration.com/),

Which I had a hard time finding because the regular links that have been provided, do not link you to what seems to be the correct site/form. When I got to the part where it says "SAVE AND CHECKOUT".

The next page stated that there would be a $24.99 fee for a single drone. I am not sure if there will a higher fee if people have multiple aircraft. I was not asked for any Payment information at this/that point. But, now my name, address, email, and phone number are listed. in this database.

The picture of the copter/fee text apparently takes you to where you can enter the payment information. I did not continue on from this point.

So now I think that we are possibly going to be victims of Bait/Switch.

(Wondering what to do next)
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I've been trying to Register on the new FAA UAV site, and I don't see where to do it! An7y help would be greatly appreciated.
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Looks like I'm not the only one! Sorry I didn't read the other posts, but in frustration went right to the comments. It seems our wonderful Government has once again bit off more than it can, or should chew. Hastily drawn up at best.
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Looks like it to me. Not the faa.gov site Flitetest said it would be at. That site still says sometime today it will go live. But it is after noon here and nothing yet.
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Don't fall for the hoax websites guys! Only the FAA.GOV site is official!
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I just decided not to register right now. I went to the registration site this morning and discovered that the process seems to be for drones. You have to click "register my drone" to enter the registration process. I refuse to click "register my drone". Also, when you go to "examples of what has to be registered" all of the examples are drones. I don't fly drones, and I'm pretty sure they only had drones in mind. I'll just keep flying my RC airplane until they create a registration process for my aircraft.
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I HAVE BEEN READING BLOG AFTER BLOG ABOUT THIS RIDICULOUS RULE. WE ALL HAVE TO CONTACT OUR CONGRESS REPS AND TELL THEM TO GET OFF THEIR DEAD (BLANKS) AND STOP THIS NOW BEFORE IT GROWS LEGS. THERE HAVE BEEN NO INCIDENTS TO WARRANT THIS TYPE OF OVERREACH. THERE HAS BEEN MORE INCIDENTS DEALING WITH LASER LIGHTS AND AVIATION AND I DON'T SEE THEM CREATING A DATA BASE FOR LASERS. STOP THIS NOW BECAUSE ONCE THE MONEY STARTS GOVERNMENT WILL NEVER, NEVER STOP TAKING IT.
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I am already registered with the AMA and have an AMA number. By placing that number and my name in all my planes they are already registered. So why does the FEDS require another registration??? I guess they just want to stick their greedy fingers into the model aviation hobby!
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AMA encourages you to peacefully protest at http://cl.exct.net/?qs=10e33a6bf70712dd850981ae947a87376f81d28057e8d628cbbc0a856baef2a0
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So I registered today with FAA. It didn't ask me to enter my actual aircraft that I own. This just goes to show that as far as tracking aircraft is bogus. If it was such an issue every aircraft would have their own identification number and be tracked like firearms. This just sounds like FAA is in need of some funds. Also only the law abiding pilots register their planes, criminals do not. Government has got to stop regulating the good folks.
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AMA was asking members not to register yet as their trying to make a deal with the FAA to use AMA members number in lieu of FAA numbers.
You were always required to put your name and contact info on your UAV and a number is easier so I really don't understand the big stink.
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how would one get a regitration??? hobby store or what?
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yeah I'm confused! I don't think I am going to listen to podcast anymore! get me all scared before bedtime! I'm going to have nightmares about not registering my planes now and not knowing if I'm going to get that big fine or not.
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