FAA Names Members of UAS Registration Task Force and Seeks Public Input on Proposed UAS Registration Framework
The FAA announced the members of its UAS Registration Task Force. The 26 member task force will be chaired by the Director of the FAA’s UAS Integration Office, Earl Lawrence and GoogleX’s, Dave Vos. Members include representatives from industry, law enforcement organizations, consumer groups, aviation officials’ organizations, and pilots’ associations.
The FAA recently announced the formation of the task force to develop recommendations for expanding the registration of drones as part of an effort to ensure that small drones are used safely. In a document titled “Clarification of the Applicability of Aircraft Registration Requirements for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and Request for Information Regarding Electronic Registration for UAS,” the FAA noted that pilots have reported twice as many drone sightings in this year as compared to 2014. Pilots report drones as high as 10,000 feet and as close as half a mile from runways. The FAA also observed that drone use near wildfires has interfered with the work of emergency responders.
The FAA anticipates 1 million new drones will be purchased this holiday season and it is concerned that instances of illegal and unsafe drone use will become more and more frequent. While the FAA has exercised discretion related to the registration of drones in the past, it is considering changing course by requiring greater compliance from drone operators with federal law prohibiting the operation of unregistered aircraft.
The taskforce is charged with forming recommendations related to drone registration. The taskforce will also consider whether the FAA should continue to exclude certain drones from registration based on weight and performance limitations.
In keeping with the creation of the rapid-response task force to develop a process for registration of UAS, the FAA asked for public input regarding relevant rulemaking. The FAA would like all input by November 6, 2015. Interested persons may comment online or via traditional methods.
In its request, the FAA identified 10 questions for which it seeks public comment:
- What methods are available for identifying individual products? Does every UAS sold have an individual serial number? Is there another method for identifying individual products sold without serial numbers or those built from kits?
- At what point should registration occur (e.g. point-of-sale or prior-to-operation)? How should transfers of ownership be addressed in registration?
- If registration occurs at point-of-sale, who should be responsible for submission of the data? What burdens would be placed on vendors of UAS if DOT required registration to occur at point-of-sale? What are the advantages of a point-of-sale approach relative to a prior-to-operation approach?
- Consistent with past practice of discretion, should certain UAS be excluded from registration based on performance capabilities or other characteristics that could be associated with safety risk, such as weight, speed, altitude operating limitations, duration of flight? If so, please submit information or data to help support the suggestions, and whether any other criteria should be considered.
- How should a registration process be designed to minimize burdens and best protect innovation and encourage growth in the UAS industry?
- Should the registration be electronic or web-based? Are there existing tools that could support an electronic registration process?
- What type of information should be collected during the registration process to positively identify the aircraft owner and aircraft?
- How should the registration data be stored? Who should have access to the registration data? How should the data be used?
- Should a registration fee be collected and if so, how will the registration fee be collected if registration occurs at point-of-sale? Are there payment services that can be leveraged to assist (e.g. PayPal)?
- Are there additional means beyond aircraft registration to encourage accountability and responsible use of UAS?