DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

A complete walkthrough on registering your new Christmas drone with the FAA

Dec 30, 2016 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

The number of new drone owners I’ve seen showing off on social media the last few days is crazy. It’s obvious a lot have been given out over Christmas. While some new drone users have already hit a spot of  bad luck, one thing many will have to do is register with the FAA. A lot of the tiny toy drones won’t need it, but if you’ve got a Mavic Pro, Phantom, or similar sized drone, it will.

Fortunately, Adorama have put together a complete step-by-step walkthrough video of the registration process. If your drone weighs between 0.55lbs (250g) and 55lbs (25kg), you’ll need to do it. It’s cheap though. It costs $5, is valid for three years, and only takes about five minutes to do.

YouTube video

The process, as mentioned, is quite simple. Simply visit the FAA website, and you’re off to a good start. In case you’re not sure exactly where your drone falls, the FAA have provided a very handy list of common drone models.

Do be warned, though, that the 0.55lb (250g) minimum is the full load of the drone. So, for example, perhaps your drone straight out of the box falls under the weight limit. But it didn’t come with a gimbal and camera. So, you add your own. Now it may (probably is) over the minimum weight requirement and would technically require registration.

Assuming your drone needs registering, you have two choices. You can register by paper, or register online. The easiest way is to do it online. So, the first step is to click Register, after which you are presented a form to create an account. If you already have an account, you can just login. Of course, if you already have an account, you’ve probably already registered at least one drone already, so don’t need the help.

You are then sent an email to confirm your account, and once you log back into the site, you’re presented with the terms of service to accept.

Once logged in, you are asked what type of account you want to create. This is important. If you’re a working photographer that’s decided to add a drone to your arsenal for clients, you’re not a hobbyist. It doesn’t really matter how you try to justify it to yourself, even if you throw it in for clients as a free extra, you’re still a commercial user.

All that’s required for hobbyist model aircraft users is your name, address and email address. Commercial users will also need to enter the make, model and serial number for each drone you are going to fly.

After filling in the form, you’re presented with some safety guidelines, to which you must agree before continuing.

Now, while it says “Guidance”, these are laws and legal requirements. If you’re found in violation of these, you can be heavily fined and prosecuted. After this, you’re sent to the payment information, then a page to review the details you’ve entered.

Finally a confirmation page shows that your payment has been received, along with instructions to mark your drone. Your registration number needs to be accessible and visible without the use of tools. So, you can’t just take it apart and write it on the inside.

You’re also able to click and get a copy of your registration certificate that you can print off and keep with you. This is very handy when you’re flying, as it allows you to quickly show people that you are flying your drone in accordance with the law if challenged. When your drone’s still up in the air, the last thing you want to be doing is arguing with people on the ground while your battery dies.

But that’s it, you’re all done. Painless and easy.

Have you received a drone for Christmas? Which one did you get? Have you flown it yet? Did you find the registration easy? Did you even need to register? Let us know in the comments.

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Registering your hobbyist drone in the USA only costs $5 and here’s how to do it FAA missed congressional deadline to create drone regulations; expects 1 million drones to be sold this Christmas Default ThumbnailWhy Registering Your Copyright Matters How I Composited An Elemental Sorceress Photo – A Walkthrough

Filed Under: Tutorials Tagged With: Adorama, drone

John Aldred: from diyphotography.net

About John Aldred

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

« Easy but powerful colour correction and grading using colour wheels
10 images for the price of none? »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Learn photography

Recent Posts

  • Samyang adds 100mm T2.3 to its compact autofocus cine prime lineup
  • Build your own DIY night vision camera with a Raspberry Pi
  • This adorable LEGO retro camera set hits the stores soon
  • Here are the cameras that shot Flickr’s best images
  • Meta AI image generator Imagine gets its own website

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy