By Evan Ackerman25 Nov 2015 17:15 GMTFAA Task Force Recommends Registration for All Drones 250 Grams and Up Photo: Robert Lz via Fllickr

Over the weekend, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration’s acronym-laden Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Registration Task Force (RTF) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) released its final report, consisting of a set of recommendations on how the FAA should implement mandatory registration of consumer drones. The most immediately relevant is the minimum mass required for registration, which is a mere 250 grams (a little more than half a pound). In other words, if your drone weighs more than 250 grams, the FAA’s drone registration will most likely apply to you.

In addition to details on the registration process, the 18-page document also includes some justification for why the task force made the recommendations it did. So, before you get out your pitchforks to protest the 250-gram weight threshold, let’s take a look at where it came from.

Why 250 Grams?

In determining its minimum requirements for small UAS (sUAS) that would need to be registered, the Task Force was concerned primarily with the safety of a hypothetical human on the ground, and what would happen if a wayward drone smacked said human in the head. Due to lack of data, they did not consider “UAS-aircraft collisions, engine ingestion, propeller, and rotor impacts by UAS,” although the report notes that “task force members representing manned aircraft organizations expressed specific concerns” about this omission.

Obviously, mass is only one component of how dangerous a drone might be in this situation: there’s also velocity to consider, among other things. But, trying to work in a bunch of other factors would be complicated, and the Task Force thought that might dissuade people registering their drones at all, so they just went with mass and nothing else.

To come up with the 250-gram minimum mass, the Task Force cited a study showing that “an object with a kinetic energy level of 80 joules (or approximately 59 foot-pounds) has a 30 percent probability of being lethal when striking a person in the head,” and then solved for a reasonable mass and velocity (250 grams traveling at 25 m/s). By estimating the mean time between failures of sUAS and making the assumption that sUAS would be flying over densely populated urban areas (even though they’re not supposed to), the Task Force came up with a ground fatality risk of “4.7 x 10-8, or less than 1 ground fatality for every 20,000,000 flighthours of an sUAS.” This is about 10 times more dangerous than the acceptable risk levels for commercial aviation (air transport of passengers and cargo), and 1000 times safer than the actual risk levels for general aviation (which includes commercial aviation plus all other kinds of flying things), and the Task Force judged this to be “a reasonably acceptable risk level.”

This wasn’t an easy decision for the Task Force to make, as the report notes:

“The Task Force spent considerable time discussing and deliberating about what the appropriate weight threshold should be. While general agreement was ultimately reached on the 250 gram weight, there were Task Force members who believed it was too conservative, as the weight could negatively impact the credibility of the sUAS registration program and thus lessen compliance levels because it would require registration of some sUAS generally considered to be in the ‘toy’ category. Others took the opposite view that there should be no registration exemption for UAS of any size. There was also concern that other countries are considering or have already established regulatory cutoffs at much higher weights of 1 kilogram or 2 kilograms. Some also felt there was insufficient time afforded to fully evaluate the calculations and assumptions made that resulted in the 250 gram cutoff weight, particularly because the typical approved operation of small UAS, unlike the typical operation of manned aircraft, does not involve flight over unprotected people.

Certain task force members noted that the FAA’s 25 years of bird strike data show that fatal aircraft accidents caused by small and medium birds (weighing four pounds on average) are extremely rare despite the presence of billions of birds within the low altitudes where small UAS typically fly, and urged the FAA to select a weight that posed a similar safety risk.”

Having said all that, the Task Force is recommending the 250 gram threshold for registration, and that’s that, although they did ask the FAA to avoid using this threshold for anything but registration: they’re not saying that >250 grams is somehow “less safe” and <250 grams is somehow “more safe”—this is just what they came up with as a registration cutoff, and nothing else.

Register Your Drone

Here’s how the Task Force envisions the registration process going:

You buy a drone. If it weighs more than 250 grams (including payload), you go to a website to register your drone before flying it outside. There may be an option to register your drone when you buy it, but it won’t be mandatory.On the website, you enter your full name and street address. You don’t need to give the FAA an email address, telephone number, or any specific information about your drone (although you can if you want). You also don’t need any kind of proof of citizenship, although you do need to be 13 or older due to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act. Younger kids can still fly drones, but they’ll need a parent or guardian to register them.There will probably be some “Know Before You Fly” stuff for you to look through during the registration process, although it won’t be a test, just a sort of “click here to acknowledge that you have read and understand this information.”There’s no fee.You’ll immediately receive a digital certificate of registration that contains a unique universal registration number. For a little bit of money, you can ask the FAA to mail you a physical copy, too. You’ll need to somehow put your registration number onto your drone so that it’s “readily accessible” before you fly the drone outside. This isn’t the same as “clearly visible”: you can hide the number in an enclosed battery compartment, for example, as long as tools aren’t required to access it.You should be prepared to show your registration certificate whenever you’re out flying your drone. If you get more drones, they’ll just use the same registration number that you already have: the number is associated with you, not with your drone. You’ll have the option to delete your registration if you stop flying your drone(s).

That’s it.

What About Violations?

The FAA still needs to figure out how to enforce all this, and what happens if something goes wrong. For example, while the Task Force recommends that you should be prepared to show your registration certificate when you’re flying your drone, it’s unclear who you’d have to show it too, and under what circumstances, not to mention the consequences of not complying. Luckily for all of us, the Task Force does at least recognize the the current framework should definitely not be applied to sUAS:

“The Task Force recommends that the FAA establish a clear and proportionate penalty framework for violations. Current registration-related penalties (perhaps exceeding $25,000) were established in order to address and deter suspected drug traffickers and tax evaders who failed to register aircraft as part of larger nefarious schemes. Any person flying an sUAS, including consumers and juveniles, may now find themselves inadvertently in violation of this new system. The Task Force recommends that the FAA expressly establish a reasonable and proportionate penalty schedule that is distinct from those relating to traditional manned aviation.”

What Happens Next?

Adjusting, approving, and implementing the rules are up to the FAA now, but from the sound of things, they’re going to move fast. FAA Administrator Michael Huerta released a few statements on the report over the last few days; here’s the one worth caring about:

“We will consider [the Task Force] recommendations and the public comments as we develop an Interim Final Rule on registration, which will likely be released next month and go into effect shortly thereafter. This step will be followed by another opportunity for the public to comment as we move toward issuing a final rule on registration.”

Next month is December, so it still looks like the FAA is shooting to have something up and running by the time an estimated 400,000 new drones arrive for the holidays. But remember, even if you don’t get a new drone next month, these rules will be retroactive, and you’ll need to register in order to (legally) fly drones that you currently own.

Our guess is that whatever the penalty framework for violations ends up being, at least initially, it’ll be pretty forgiving as people get used to the new system. The FAA mostly just wants people to fly their drones safely, and registration that connects you with your drone encourages accountability while also giving the FAA at least one opportunity to inform each pilot about existing regulations designed to make things as safe and fun as possible for everybody.

[ Task Force Report (pdf) ]

美国联邦航空局的工作小组建议，所有无人机250克登记了

faa专责小组建议所有无人机250克和up照片登记：罗伯特LZ通过fllickr
周末，美国 ；联邦航空局&rsquo；的缩写，拉登无人飞机系统（UAS）注册任务部队（RTF）航空规则制定委员会（ARC）发布它的最终报告，组成的一套建议，FAA应实施强制登记消费者无人机。最直接相关的是注册所需的最低质量，这是一个仅仅250克（一个小的超过了半磅）。换句话说，如果你的无人机的重量超过250克，FAA &rsquo；的无人登记将最有可能适用于你。

除了详细的注册过程，18页的文件，还包括为什么任务力也建议一些正当的理由。所以，在你拿出叉子抗议250克重的门槛，让'；看一看它是从哪里来的。

为什么是250克？

在确定小型UAS的最低要求（SUAS）需要注册，专案组关心的主要是地面上的一个假设的人的安全，如果一个任性的无人机打在头上的人说会发生什么。由于缺乏数据，他们没有考虑&ldquo；美国飞机碰撞，引擎摄食，螺旋桨，和转子影响UAS，&rdquo；虽然报告指出，&ldquo；专案组成员代表的载人飞机组织具体问题”表示；这个遗漏。

明显，质量是唯一的一个组成部分如何危险的无人机可能是这种情况：有&rsquo；的速度考虑，在其他事情上。但是，试图在一堆其他的因素很复杂，与工作小组认为可能导致注册他们的无人机在所有的人，所以他们的质量和别的去。

拿出250克的最小质量，专案组引用的一项研究显示，&ldquo；以动能80焦耳的能量水平的一个对象（或约59英尺-磅）有百分之30  ；的概率是致命的打击一个人的头部，&rdquo；然后解决合理的质量和速度（250克25米/秒的旅行）。估计故障SUAS和假设SUAS将飞越人口稠密的城市地区之间的平均时间（即使他们&rsquo；你不应该），专责小组想出了一个“地面死亡风险；4.7×10-8，或小于1，病死率为每20000000 flighthours地面一个SUAS。&rdquo；这是10次更危险比为可接受的风险水平 ； ；商业航空 ；（乘客和货物航空运输），比实际风险水平 安全1000倍；通用航空 ；（包括商业航空加飞行的东西等），以及小组判断这是&ldquo；一个合理的可接受的风险水平。&rdquo；

这并&rsquo；为使特遣队的一个容易的决定，正如报告指出：< / P >

&ldquo；专责小组花了大量时间讨论和审议什么合适的权值阈值应。虽然最终的协议是在250克的重量达到，有专案组成员谁认为它过于保守，因为体重可能产生负面影响的SUAS登记程序的可靠性和减轻合规水平，因为它需要一般被认为是在'一些SUAS登记；玩具&rsquo；及nbsp；类别。人应该有对UAS任何尺寸的没有注册豁免相反的观点。也有人认为其他国家正在考虑或已经建立了监管下限在更高的重量1公斤或2公斤。有的还觉得没有足够的时间给予充分的评价，导致在250克截止重量计算和假设，特别是因为典型的经营小型UAS，不像载人飞机的典型操作，不涉及到未受保护的人飞行。

某些工作组成员注意到，FAA &rsquo；的25年鸟击数据显示， ；致命的飞机事故中小型鸟类造成（平均体重四磅）是极其罕见的，尽管在小型UAS通常飞的低海拔地区数十亿鸟的存在，并敦促联邦航空局选择一个重量，构成了类似的安全风险。&rdquo；

说了这么多，任务力E推荐250克的注册门槛，而&rsquo；的，虽然他们也要求FAA避免不登记使用该阈值：他们&rsquo；并不是说& gt；250克就是&ldquo；不安全&rdquo；和<；250克不知何故，&ldquo；安全&rdquo；&mdash；这正是他们想出了一个登记截止，没别的。

注册你的雄蜂

这里&rsquo；的任务如何力将注册过程：< / P >你买一架无人机。如果它的重量超过250克（包括有效载荷），你去一个网站注册您的无人机飞行之前，它的外部。可能会有一个选项来注册你的无人机当你买它，但它不会；T是强制性的。在网站上，输入你的姓名和地址。你不需要；不给FAA电子邮件地址，电话号码，或任何关于你的无人机的具体信息（尽管你可以如果你想）。你也不需要任何证明；公民，尽管你需要13以上由于孩子&rsquo；的在线隐私权保护法案。年轻的孩子们仍然可以飞行的无人驾驶飞机，但他们&rsquo；需要父母或监护人登记。可能会有一些“飞”；在你知道；你看在注册过程中的东西，虽然它不会；T是一个考验，只是一种与ldquo；点击这里承认您已阅读并理解此信息。&rdquo；有；无费。你&rsquo；将立即获得数字证书注册，包含一个独特的通用注册号。一点钱，你可以向FAA的邮件你物理复制，太。 ；你需要以某种方式；把你的注册号码到你的无人机，&rsquo；的&ldquo；易于&rdquo；在你飞无人机外。这是'；不一样的&ldquo；清晰可见&rdquo；：你可以躲在一个封闭的电池仓，数量为例，只要工具是&rsquo；不需要访问它。你应该准备出示登记证书时，你再飞你；无人机。 ；如果你得到更多的无人驾驶飞机，他们&rsquo；会使用相同的注册号码，你已经有了：数与你，而不是你的无人机。你'；要选择删除您的注册，如果你停止你的无人机飞行（S）。
，&rsquo；的它。

什么是违法行为？

FAA仍然需要弄清楚如何执行这一切，如果出现错误的时候会发生什么。例如，虽然工作组建议你应做好准备，当你要表现出你的登记证书；重新放飞你的无人机，它&rsquo；不清楚你&rsquo；D有太多，什么样的情况下，更不用说不履行义务的后果。幸运的是，我们所有的人，专案组至少认识当前框架绝对不应该被应用到SUAS：< / P >

&ldquo；专责小组的建议，FAA建立明确而适当的违规处罚框架。目前登记的相关处罚（可能超过25000美元）是建立在以解决和阻止疑似毒贩和逃税者谁没有登记的飞机为较大的邪恶计划的一部分。任何人飞SUAS，包括消费者和青少年，现在可能无意中在这个新的体系违反发现自己。专责小组的建议，FAA明确建立一个合理、适当的处罚的时间表是不同的，与传统的载人航空。&rdquo；

接下来会发生什么呢？

调整、批准和实施规则由美国联邦航空局，但从事物的声音，他们都要快速移动。美国联邦航空局局长米迦勒韦尔塔发布在过去几天的报道的一些语句；这里&rsquo；是一个值得关心：< / P >

&ldquo；我们将考虑[任务]的建议和我们发展登记暂行最终规则公开征求意见，这将有可能下个月将发布之后生效。这一步之后会有另一个机会，为我们走向发出最终规则登记评论公众。&rdquo；

下个月是十二月，所以它仍像FAA拍摄有什么和大约400000个新的无人驾驶飞机抵达的假期运行时间。但要记住，即使你不；不能得到新的无人机的下个月，这些规则将是颠覆性的，和你'；要以注册（合法的）飞无人机，你目前所拥有的。

我的猜测是，无论处罚违规端框架是的，至少在最初阶段，那会相当宽容；人们习惯了新的系统。美国联邦航空局大多只是希望人们飞无人机安全，并登记，与你无人机鼓励责任同时也给联邦航空局至少一个机会通知各试点对现有法规旨在使事情尽可能安全和有趣的人。