For more information, see the full article on Drone Rush.
Did you know that you need to register your drone with the FAA before flying to the United States? If you’ve ever flown a spaceship in the sky, I hope you know these rules. Next, the FAA is tightening its requirements so you must display your registration number before flying.
Effective February 25, 2019, all drones requiring registration must display their registration number on the outside of the aircraft.
The concept is simple. Or at least that’s the explanation. Your car has a license plate, your manned aircraft has a tail number, and now your drone has its own license plate. These unique identification numbers are designed to identify the owner of the machine, but are only relevant to authorized groups such as law enforcement and air traffic control.
Your drone must display a registration number.
An ordinary person walking down the street can’t collect your name or address from your license plate, nor can they gather information from your drone registration number.
The name of the game is responsibility. There are other benefits, such as helping identify owners of lost drones, but law enforcement is the primary goal here. We’ve heard stories of drones harassing people, flying in restricted areas, shutting down airports, and more. I’m sure the people stuck at Gatwick Airport would have liked to hear that a drone pilot has been arrested and charged with delay. (If it was the drone that caused the sadness, that’s another story.)
relevant: New drone? What you need to know before you fly
What do you do?
There are no rules for how to display registration numbers, but the FAA specifically mentions three possible techniques: You can engrave your registration number on your craft, use a label maker, or just grab a marker and start writing right away.
Of course, if you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to start by registering.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you fly a drone for a fee or are compensated in any way for your drone flights and take photos or videos from the sky (including monetizing YouTube videos), this is a commercial flight that requires a Part 107 drone license. Make sure you follow a different set of rules.
Read more: Learn more about commercial operations
