Appeals Court Strikes Down Federal Aviation Administration Drone Registration Rule

By  //  May 21, 2017

RULING CHEERED BY HOBBIST

An appeals court struck down a Federal Aviation Administration rule that required owners of drones used for recreation to register their craft. (Wikipedia.org image)

WASHINGTON DC – An appeals court struck down a Federal Aviation Administration rule that required owners of drones used for recreation to register their craft.

More than 1.6 million drones have been registered since 2015, and the FAA predicts that hobbyists will purchase 2.3 million drones this year – and over 13 million by the end of 2020.

In addition, commercial operators including real estate agents, photographers and media professionals were predicted to add another 10 million through 2020.

The FAA enacted the rule in 2015 in response to incidents of drones flying near aircraft and airports, and more than 550,000 drones were registered within the first year it was required.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said that a law passed by Congress in 2012 barred the FAA from imposing new regulations on model aircraft.

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A three-judge panel ruled that it was up to Congress to repeal the ban on FAA rules for model aircraft.

Under the FAA rule, drone registration cost $5 and required owners to mark aircraft with an identification number and violators could be sentenced to prison.

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