Having fun with my quad-copter...

Hubsan H-107C.

The masses will have to register their drones...

...if those drones weigh more than roughly half of a pound, if the FAA goes along with the task force's recommendations.  Among the recommendations was one that would require drone buyers to provide their names and addresses via a website or application, which would result in the immediate assignment of a registration number, and there would be no fee for this "service."

Among the members of the task force was Dave Mathewson, who is the Exceutive Director of the Academy Of Model Aeronautics (AMA.)  Mathewson apparently disagrees with the recommendations, because he believes that requirement to register craft that are basically toys may "prove untenable."  For reasons that are unclear to this writer, the AMA was prevented from including its dissenting opinion in the task force's final report.

Drones of the Mojave...

My little Hubsan H-107C tentatively explores a mine tunnel in the Mojave Desert.

Drone registration entrepreneurs...

In the wake of the FAA's assurances that registering our drones will be simple, the agency is advising drone owners to wait until the new registration system is set up, before hiring anyone to handle the transaction for them.  Evidently, at least one company is advertising its services, which involve assisting clients with drone registration for $24.99.

Free and easy drone registration...

The FAA is saying that drone registration will be free, and it will be easy.  Evidently, we drone-owners will be able to register our craft on a website, if they weigh more than nine ounces (as opposed to the previously-rumored eight ounces), and a registration number will be assigned to the owner, not the drone itself.  Owners can use the same registration number for all the craft that he/she owns, and the number can be hand-written on the craft using a marker pen (of the non-dry-erase variety, of course) if desired.

www.dronesforthemasses.org

Drone registration, continued...

I suppose that the good news is that mini-drones, such as the Cheerson CX-10 (see www.dronesforthemasses.org - yes, a shameless plug), will probably be exempt from the registration requirement.  The task force is supposed to have the details worked out by November 20, 2015-a week and a half from now.

Drone registration...

Most drone hobbyists are aware of the pending requirement that drones be registered - and this will included hobby aircraft.

A "task force" as been convened in order to figure out exactly how this requirement will be implemented.

Supposedly, a few task force members have anonymously mentioned that the new rule will require drones that weigh more than half a pound (that's about the weight of half a box of See's candies)to be registered via a web page, for free.  Registrants will be required to provide his/her name and address; no "sensitive" information, such as Social Security numbers, will be required.  Oh, and the drones themselves will have to display registration numbers that can easily be seen and read.

Given that most drones being sold in stores (and remember,the FAA estimates that over one million hobby drones will be sold during this holiday season) weigh more than half a pound, it should be interesting to see how many drone buyers will comply with the new rule.

Having fun...

Folks; given the bad press that our hobby has received of late, I want to remind you all that this hobby is all about having fun!  And, I suggest that you introduce as many to our hobby as you can, by giving demonstrations to friends, co-workers, and family members.  Do you want to bond with a young person in your family?  Give him or her a little drone demo!  Who knows?  You might inspire this person to pursue a career in science!  And, this country needs more scientists!

My replacement Hubsan H-107C...

I just received it today;  I hope to fly it later today and shoot some video with it.  I may start selling these on my business site- www.dronesforthemasses.org.