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DJI will severely limit your drone’s capabilities if you don’t register with them

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DJI haven’t wasted any time, have they? No sooner did the FAA announce that hobbyists would no longer need to register their drones did DJI step in and say “Well, actually, you do”. DJI have announced that they’re going to be crippling drones pretty severely if they’re not registered with them. The changes come as part of new firmware updates for their drones. It’s also coming to future versions of the DJI Go and DJI Go 4 apps.

The changes, set to take effect at the end of this week, are to ensure you’re using appropriate geospatial information. All existing flight safety limitations, like geofencing and altitude limits, will stay the same. But, until you register, you won’t be able to fly more than 50m (164ft) away from you, and no more than 30m (98ft) high. And it covers all the popular DJI drones, like the Phantom 4 range, and Mavic Pro.

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FAA doesn’t require registration of personal drones anymore

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This Friday, federal appeals court in Washington D.C. decided that Federal Aviation Administration has no right to require hobbyists to register their camera drones and model aircraft. As SF Gate reports, this decision came after a drone hobbyist John Taylor filed a claim against the FAA in 2016. He claimed that they don’t have the right to force him to register his aircraft.

As U.S. Circuit Judge Brett Kavanaugh states, “Taylor does not think that the FAA had the statutory authority to issue the registration rule and require him to register.” And according to the judge, he is right.

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Drones are definitely here to stay as US sales increased 117% in 2016

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Some drone manufacturers didn’t have a great holiday season last year. But that hasn’t stopped people from buying them. According to a new report from market research company NPD, “premium” drone dollar sales are up. And up in a big way. They’ve more than doubled on the previous year, rising by 117%. NPD define “premium” as drones costing more than $300.

The study covers the 12 month period ending in February 2017. And goes on to say that in the first two months of 2017, $300+ drones account for 84% of dollar sales, and 40% of unit sales. Out of that 84%, the majority of them were $1,000+ drones, like the DJI Mavic Pro and Phantom 4.

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

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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.

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FAA releases commercial drone rules, they’re totally OK with your drone photography business

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After long drawn out speculation and worry, the FAA have finally confirmed and released the regulations regarding commercial drone use. The short version is that they’re fine with it and being able to do it is relatively easy, as long as you’re over 16 years old.

Posted to the FAA website, the new “107 to Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations” sets the terms for civilian operation of small UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) devices.

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This small hovering drone that follows you around, can be controlled from your phone, shoots 4K video and doesn’t require FAA registration.

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Drones have become ridiculously popular in the last few years, of that there is no doubt, but sometimes you don’t need all the power and load capacities of huge drones like the new DJI Matrice 600, or even the relatively modest Phantom 4.

Sometimes, you just need a camera that hovers and follows you around, which is where the small Hover Camera steps in.  Capable of shooting 13MP stills, and 4K video, the Hover Camera weighs in at under 250g, meaning that it doesn’t require registration with the FAA.

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Small Drone Owners May Not Have To Register With The FAA After All

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It was only two months ago that the FAA mandated that all drone owners will have to register with the FAA.  But now a “Micro Drone” amendment is suggested to be added to the FAA’s funding bill that will exempt small drone owners from registering. (The bill goes by the boring name of Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Authorization (AIRR) Act). The bill must be approved by the congress by March 31st which is just around the corner in legislation terms.

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Drone Operator Arrested After Crashing Into the Empire State Building

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Major cities and famous landmarks often make for awesome shots, and that’s probably what Sean Nivin Riddle was after when he went filming with his drone around New York City’s Empire State Building last night.

Unfortunately for the 27-year-old his drone crashed into the 40th floor of the skyscraper, leading to local and federal security forces swarming to the area and arresting him.

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American Airlines Crew Spotted Drone While Approaching Miami International Airport; Expect Repercussions

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The Boeing 737 was making its way earlier this morning from O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, when according to FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen the crew spotted a drone 1-2 miles from the end of the runway.

Although no evasive action was required by the plane, the FAA is investigating the incident and politicians are planning stricter regulations on drones.

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FAA confirms names and addresses of drone registrants will be publicly available

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Today is the day. From here on out, anyone who purchases a drone must register their device with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) before their UAV ever takes flight.

While the process is both simple and affordable – only $5 and a few lines of information submitted online – a new realization about the process might make you reconsider for the sake of your privacy.[Read More…]

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