In a move bound to be watched carefully in Australia, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has flagged that it may soon require registration for all commercial and privately owned unmanned aerial vehicles and drones.
US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta have announced the creation of a task force of 25 to 30 people from the unmanned and manned aviation industries, to develop recommendations for a registration process that would include both commercial and private operators. The committee will report by November 20.
“Registering unmanned aircraft will help build a culture of accountability and responsibility, especially with new users who have no experience operating in the U.S. aviation system,” Foxx said. “It will help protect public safety in the air and on the ground.”
Development of commercial unmanned vehicle use is gathering pace in the United States in fields as diverse as agriculture crop spraying and possible home delivery of books and pizzas. But they are also becoming popular as camera platforms among private citizens, many of whom have no understanding of aviation and its safety issues.
The FAA reports that pilot sightings of unmanned aerial systems have doubled between 2014 and 2015. The reports ranged from incidents at major sporting events and flights near manned aircraft, to interference with wildfire operations.
“These reports signal a troubling trend,” Huerta said. “Registration will help make sure that operators know the rules and remain accountable to the public for flying their unmanned aircraft responsibly. When they don’t fly safely, they’ll know there will be consequences.”
The FAA has recently stepped up its efforts in the drone arena, mounting “Know Before You Fly” education programs for owners and commissioning IT services company CACI International to devise a passive surveillance system to detect drones and their operators near major airports.