The Federal Aviation Administration ("FAA") recently announced that a task force has been created for the purpose of developing recommendations for the registration of unmanned aerial vehicles ("UAV"). The announcement was made by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. Commercial drones are currently required to be registered. The task force will be involved in developing rules for registration for non-commercial drones.
The task force will be made up of representatives from both the unmanned and manned aviation industries, as well the federal government. The task force has been directed to provide a report by November 20, 2015. Specifically, the task force will provide guidance to the Department of Transportation on the types of aircraft that should be exempt from the requirement of registration based on low risk, such as toy aircraft.
In announcing the task force, Secretary Foxx stated: "Registering unmanned aircraft will help build a culture of accountability and responsibility, especially with new users who have no experience operating in the U.S. aviation system. It will help protect public safety in the air and on the ground."
Secretary Foxx further noted that the number of pilot sightings of UAVs doubled between 2014 and 2015 and that incidents of potentially unsafe operation of UAVs included incidents involving flights near manned aircraft, as well as incidents that disrupted wildfire operations. Several high profile incidents have occurred, including a drone that crashed on the lawn of the White House. Administrator Huerta noted that "Registration will help make sure that operators know the rules and remain accountable to the public for flying their unmanned aircraft responsibly. When they don't fly safely, they'll know there will be consequences."
A registry for all drone operators will be a welcome development in avoiding catastrophic consequences as a result of unsafe operation of drones.
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