Whether it's mapping golf courses or delivering packages to doorsteps during the holidays, drone use is on the rise nationwide. In fact, one golf industry expert on drone use estimates that 1 in 20 golf courses are now operating unmanned vehicles. For those currently using, or considering a drone, there now is more to operating one than just breaking it out of the box and launching it skyward.
Dec. 21 marked the first day that drone owners are required by federal regulations to register their vehicles with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The new rule, which came about in the wake of the formation by the FAA of an industry task force, applies to all private users with drones weighing between 0.55 and 55 pounds. Registration, which costs $5 per vehicle, can be completed online or by mail, and requires owners to provide personal contact information, including name, email address, home address and a credit card number. There is a 30-day grace period in which the FAA will wave the registration fee. New drone owners in the future must register their vehicle before flying it.
Commercial users, defined as those who are paid to provide a service to someone else, currently are exempt from the federal rule. That means golf course superintendents using drones even for purposes such as course/club marketing, monitoring agronomic conditions, managing restorations or archiving aerial imagery of the course, must register those vehicles to be in compliance with the new law. Firms that provide those same services for hire are not required by law to register their vehicles.
The new rules are based on recommendations of a task force that included drone makers, groups such as the Air Line Pilots Association and International Association of Chiefs of Police, and retailers like Walmart and Amazon.
One of the driving forces behind the new legislation is the increasing use of drone flights near airports. The FAA says it receives reports of drones flying near airplanes and airports every day. FAA guidelines require drones to stay more than 5 miles away from airports and large groups of people in places such as stadiums, remain below 400 feet in altitude and be within sight of the operator at all times.
If you're a bozo who is going to fly one near an airport, I doubt you're going to register it."
Joel Pedlikin of Greensight Agronomics, a drone-enabled chemical- and water-management services company for the golf industry, believes the new rules are a good idea in theory, but questions how many drone users will register their vehicles. It is expected that as many as a half-million drones will be purchased throughout this holiday season, he said, calling into question the FAA's ability to monitor its own rules.
"The FAA already doesn't have the people or money to enforce the rules they have now. Where are they going to find time to enforce new ones?" Pedlikin said. "They don't have the resources to enforce that. So, how many people are going to register? It seems pretty unlikely to me that a lot of people will register.
"If you're a bozo who is going to fly one near an airport, I doubt you're going to register it."
Those considering shirking the new rule should be aware that failure to comply with the FAA could result in civil penalties of up to $27,500 and criminal penalties of up to $250,000 and imprisonment for up to three years.
New legislation regulating drone use has been pending since the passage of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which charged the agency that regulates air traffic in the United States with developing a comprehensive plan for safe use of unmanned vehicles. That plan will be rolled out in incremental phases.
There has been talk within the drone industry, Pedlikin says, about future changes to vehicle set up that could help eliminate the problem of irresponsible users operating drones near airports.
"To me, flying near airports is the biggest concern of where drones are likely to do damage," Pedlikin said. "You don't even have to fly one into an engine to cause a problem, just flying it in front of the pilot on a final approach."
Geo-fencing capabilities could mean drones come pre-programmed to steer clear of places like airports. Some level of geo-fencing already is available on some higher-end models, Pedlikin said, but can be more problematic on cheaper models.
"There is no telling where in the country a unit would be used, so they would all have to be pre-programmed to avoid any airport anywhere in the country," he said. "That's a lot of work and a lot of data."
Such changes, he said, likely would increase the cost of a vehicle by $50-$100.
"You're talking about a lot of memory, and someone has to determine one geo-fencing definition. This isn't simple; it's a complicated process."