NEW DRONE LAWS TAKE EFFECT ON MONDAY
One of the hottest gifts this season are drones, and as of Monday, the FAA is instituting new rules concerning these vehicles.
Any consumer purchasing a drone weighing over a ½ pound purchased after December 21, 2015 will have to register online as a private drone operator before flying or face a civil fine of $27,500 or a fine of $250,000 with a federal prison term of up to three years.
Beginning on Monday, the FAA will have a website for any drone owner that is at least 13 years old to provide their complete name, physical address, mailing address and a contact email address. They will then receive a unique drone operator’s certificate number via email that will identify them to one or more of their drones.
John Deans, owner of Central Texas Drones, and a pilot tells about this law and drone rules as they apply in Texas:
That operator will then have to place that FAA specific drone operator number to the aircraft(s). The operator will not have to ‘register’ each drone via the make/model/serial, but rather place their license number on each and every UAS they plan to fly after December 21st. All existing operators with previously purchase drones have to be registered before February 19, 2016. There is a $5 charge, but it will be credited afterwards.
For more information, go to the website www.centraltexasdrones.com