Recreational drone pilots rejoice! The FAA requirement for you to register your drone with them has been overturned in court. You no longer have to register a consumer drone. Last Friday the District of Columbia circuit court of appeals overturned the FAA rule.
According to the decision, the rule did not have the legal standing to apply to anyone flying for hobby or recreational purposes, which is likely most of the over 800,000 people who registered.
In December 2015, the FAA announced that all owners of unmanned vehicles weighing more than 250 grams (or roughly as much as two sticks of butter) had to register as a drone operator, in a national database of drone users.
“In short, the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act provides that the FAA “may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft,”” wrote Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh, “yet the FAA’s 2015 Registration Rule is a “rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft.” Statutory interpretation does not get much simpler. The Registration Rule is unlawful as applied to model aircraft.” – Popular Science
Simply put this means the requirement to register with the FAA is no more. For now! The FAA released a statement saying they are considering their options.
Featured image by Bidgee, via Wikimedia Commons
