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It seems that small unmanned aircraft (aka drones) are everywhere these days.
And since they can easily be purchased for less than $50 at places like Amazon
And besides, they’re a whole bunch of fun!
If you (or one of your children) owns a drone, you should know that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires all drones (with very limited exceptions) to be registered via their website. And in case you’re wondering, the penalties for failing to register it can be severe.
This registration requirement was apparently enacted as a result of numerous incidents where a drone has entered areas where they are prohibited from flying, including one that landed on the grounds of the White House back in January 2015.
And by the way, if you’re thinking about ignoring the requirement to register, I recommend that you first consider this direct quote from the FAQs page of the FAA’s website:
Failure to register an unmanned aircraft may result in regulatory and criminal penalties. The FAA may assess civil penalties up to $27,500. Criminal penalties include fines of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.
Bottom line: If you own a drone right now or plan to purchase one in the future, you’ll need toto register it with the FAA in order to avoid potentially severe civil and criminal penalties.