OT FAA requires RC pilots to register, or else

Anyone owning an RC plane over 0.55 lb who did not register with the FAA by yesterday, Feb. 19, 2016, is in violation. According to the FAA website, they may assess civil penalties up to $27,500, and criminal penalties are up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to 3 years. Judging from the number of drone sales last Christmas and the low number of registrations, a few million of us committed felonies today.

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Note that the requirement is for RC pilots to register themselves, not their individual aircraft. It also does not matter if you are actively flying the plane. A dusty model on the shelf gets you the same violation.

Does anyone believe that Federal registration of model aircraft pilots is any deterrent to a dedicated person with bad intent?

It's crap like this that will lead us to elect a crazy like Donald Trump.

ChesterW

Reply to
ChesterW
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** Not what the link says.

** The FAQ says that you must register on-line *before flying in the open*.

Takes only minutes, costs $5 and you get a unique number to put on any model that is to be flown by you in the open.

** Again not according to the link.

.... Phil

Reply to
Phil Allison

Incorrect - the offence is flying it outdoors.

Odd really in the UK the way it was done historically was a license to transmit on the 27MHz RC band (which was then swamped by cheap imported CB radio tranmissions and had to move frequency). Planes tend to fall out of the sky when they are no longer under control by the owner.

Today there are various bands where unlicensed transmissions are allowed. They are having to think hard about drones now that they are becoming very affordable and often flown irresponsibly over people.

I think the FAA are being a bit OTT requiring that visiting foreign nationals already registered with their home nation flying in organised international competitions and displays should have to register.

Almost certainly not. Just as punishment for failing to have ticked the box on the immigration form saying that you intend to kill the president will merely be added to your life sentence if caught.

I suspect he will win because the US population is so gullible. It will be interesting to see what the US is like under an elected dictatorship.

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Martin Brown
Reply to
Martin Brown

Trumping is another word for farting and that's my view of him from the UK :) He seems a total joke.....

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Reply to
TTman
[...]

Your government has obviously got nothing useful to do. It needs cutting down to size. It's fat, bloated and useless.

Reply to
Julian Barnes

odel that is to be flown by you in the open. "

Despite the levity in my last post, This just looks like having license pla tes on cars. While I do not favor government at all and could never live un der UK rule, and am not happy with all this democracy and freedom we can't seem to find, I think people should have to have license plates on their ca rs. Paying a shitload of money every year - no - but having a unique identi fication is a logical precaution against many things. they require such mar kings on boats, which seems reasonable. So things that fly, well it makes s ense. Like what if you are out flying with a bunch of others and run acros s someone who has the same model as you, it's kinda nice to know which one is yours.

This reminds me of a joke that I THINK is based on a true story.

This little old Lady packed a piece for personal protection. That is her ri ght. She comes out of the store and sees some teenagers or well, youngers, in the car. Pulled out her piece and ordered them out, got in and drove awa y.

Later she realizes something is strange, why isn't the steering column peel ed ? Where is her junk and what is this other junk ? So she goes to the pol ice station to report that she has made a mistake and this and that, and al so at the counter were the supposed car thieves making a report that they w ere carjacked.

Luckily she didn't shoot them. I mean, I like guns and think most people sh ould have them and some should actually carry them out in public for the pu bic good. But I can also see how mistakes could be made here.

But then I can also see the humor in these kids reporting the carjacking an d the cop "Can you describe the carjacker ?". Yeah "About 80, wearing a pin k dress and a white babooshka and support hose" or some shit. And "Seen wit h three bags of groceries, but no loaf of French bread sticking out". "But we could see the Geritol and the Poise pads..."

I could go on but I think I will do something less totally useless.

Reply to
jurb6006

Do you think anyone gives a damn about your opinion? ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
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Reply to
Jim Thompson

*. "

US law lives on definitions, that is why they change them to suit every onc e in a while.

That part would seem to mean if your flying is restricted to over your own property or the property of one who has given you explicit permission, you don't need shit.

However there may be limitations on that. If you own a farm that is one thi ng, you can drive anything you want there, if you have a private lake you c an float any boat you want there. However, let's say you own a strip mall. There is an area designated for public use, the parking lot. In that case c ars and drivers must be licensed.

Not all these RC enthusiasts are likely to have enough land to play alone, so they will go down to the beach or whatever. But I would say if you want one to fly around your own yard you don't need anything.

Reply to
jurb6006

That seems about right, especially when you remember how great air travel was when it was fully controlled by the FAA. The system was so bloated that only the rich could afford to fly. FAA position was that planes would fall out of the sky without their close regulation. Do these scare tactics sound familiar? We'd be better off if about half of the chiefs at FAA had their future freed to pursue private sector opportunities. Maybe the half left would be so busy doing real work that they wouldn't have time for exceeding their mandate. We could put the saved salaries toward reducing the national debt. The newly minted private sector employees would also pay income taxes that could also reduce the debt.

FAA received very clear guidance from congress that they should keep their hands off of hobbyist RC. In fact they are being sued over this very issue.

From FAA Authorization Bill: SEC. 336. SPECIAL RULE FOR MODEL AIRCRAFT.

(a) ... the Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft, or an aircraft being developed as a model aircraft, if

(1) the aircraft is flown strictly for hobby or recreational use; ...

I've had the (mis)fortune of working on government-sponsored projects. Most would have been improved by the loss of half of the bureaucrats leeching off the project.

ChesterW

Reply to
ChesterW

This regulation came about because some village idiots in our midst flew their model airplanes, drones or quadri-copters into the path of commercial aircraft. Same sort of clowns who think it's cute to shine laser pointers at commercial aircraft.

How many of these clowns have you turned in? I'm sure the answer is, "None", so you have your self to blame for the regulation. ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
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Reply to
Jim Thompson

I agree that it's partially my fault. Not because of my drone policing activities (or lack thereof), but because we have a democracy.

It's also my fault that government power was used to punish political groups who's only apparent crime was demonstrating insufficient enthusiasm for the president's policies.

My fault also includes apparent IRS obstruction of justice in 'misplacing' the evidence of IRS crimes in targeting such groups.

What gets me about my latest fault is that the FAA received crystal clear guidance from congress to keep their hands off RC hobbyists. The proximal reason for them disregarding this guidance seems to be a childish response to the loss of an enforcement lawsuit against a commercial drone photography company.

ChesterW

Reply to
ChesterW

Ah so! If you aren't a crony, you're an enemy :-( ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
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Reply to
Jim Thompson

Like this...

...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
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Reply to
Jim Thompson

No, I have never heard that. Give us a link to that claim. I have heard of outrageous fines for tossing out old appliances, but not for not registering them.

Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

+1

Excess bureaucracy is the downfall of aging civilizations. Leech is a good description for it.

Reply to
makolber

No, I don't.

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Reply to
TTman

You mean like the foreign teenager who was shot in Texas for trick or treating?

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Rick
Reply to
rickman

"All small unmanned aircraft that meet the registration criteria must be registered prior to operation outdoors."

Outdoors is not "other than your yard".

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Rick
Reply to
rickman

It won't stop a terrorist, if that's what you mean.

But that's not what it's about. It's about instilling a degree of responsibility. People who know they can be identified are more likely to comply with the law relating to the safe use of drones.

Sylvia.

Reply to
Sylvia Else

I think it is about having control. But the FAA has not the experience that the FCC has. Remember citizen's band radio.

The FAA will find it does not really have control. People will just ignore the " requirement " and the FAA will find out that it can not put a hundred thousand people in jail.

But if you want to protest, call or write your congressman. Point out that Congress said to lay off hobbyists and tell your representative to not fund the FAA for registering hobby drones.

You can also contact the White House. The FAA is part of the administration and Obama is in charge and responsible.

Dan

Reply to
dcaster

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