New Registration Process Announced for Small UAS Hobbyists

The FAA issued a press release announcing the new registration process for drone hobbyists, meeting its goal of having a registration system in place before Christmas. The process follows closely the task force recommendations released last month. A few notable additions involve the registration deadlines. Current small drone operators have until February 19, 2016 to register, while drones purchased after December 21 will need to be registered prior to use. The FAA is also hoping to entice early registration by waiving the $5 registration fee for operators who register before January 20, 2016. For now, the online registration system is only intended for recreational users, and for aircraft that fall within the specified size dimensions for small UAS.