On Mon, 23 Nov 2015 16:18:01 -0500, "Mr. Luddite"
wrote:

On 11/23/2015 2:07 PM, Justan Olphart wrote:
On 11/23/2015 1:33 PM, John H. wrote:
On Mon, 23 Nov 2015 13:26:04 -0500, wrote:

Another useless government boondoggle.

**********************
Drones weighing as little as eight ounces will have to be registered
with the FAA if the agency accepts recommendations of a 26-member
panel struck last month to design a registration scheme. The panel,
which included representatives from Amazon, Google, drone
manufacturers and aviation groups, delivered their recommendations to
the FAA Administrator Michael Huerta on Saturday. Although Huerta
didn't release details of the suggestions, it's pretty hard to get 26
people to keep a secret so elements of the proposal started leaking
out late last week.

The panel wants registration to be free and to be painlessly
accomplished online. Rather than register individual aircraft, the
group wants operators themselves to be registered so that multiple
drones can be listed under their names. It will be up to the FAA to
determine the penalties that will apply to those who don't comply but
analysts worry that because the vast majority of hobby users are
unfamiliar with aviation regulations that compliance will be slow to
start. Aviation groups were adamant that the drones fit into the
existing system and that manned aviation not give up any airspace
access to accommodate them. Huerta has promised a quick turnaround on
the new rules because the FAA wants the rules in place before an
estimated 700,000 drones end up as presents over the coming holidays.


Can't fix stupid.
--

Ban idiots, not guns!

especially in Washington.


Can't blame this on Washington or politicians.

"The panel, which included representatives from Amazon, Google, drone
manufacturers and aviation groups, delivered their recommendations to
the FAA Administrator Michael Huerta on Saturday."

Regulation favors big corporations and the "aviation groups" hate
drones. They would require regular GA pilot licenses for them if they
got their wish.

I doubt I will ever buy one so I really don't have a dog in the fight.

I do wonder how they actually plan on enforcing this since it is the
operator they want to register, not the purchaser or the drone itself.
When these things start hitting the Craigs list and Ebay market, used
for a few bucks each, any chance of tracking them will be ridiculous.

I know it is "free" now but once the regulation costs starts hitting
budgets, I doubt that will last long if the plan survives very long.
OTOH this is very likely to go the way of the CB and marine VHF
license. These days I doubt more than 10% of these operators have any
license at all and they might not actually remember the call sign. VHF
went license free 25 years ago and CB has been a free fire zone for
more like 40 years (KHFS-5589 here) That was probably in the last
batch of CB licenses ever issued. FCC doesn't seem to remember it.