Monday was the first day of the FAA’s drone registry, and it was not without glitches, with users reporting that it went down for a while shortly after it opened, and others complaining that the FAA posted incorrect information for law enforcement about deadlines. The site is back up and running, and that law-enforcement information has been fixed, but others are still finding problems in the system. One Twitter poster said he registered and then was shown information for someone from Nevada. “Did they even bug test this thing?” he asked. The FAA has, however, succeeded at getting the word out — virtually all of the major news outlets have covered the drone-registry story over the last week.
Concerns also have been expressed that the registry information will be available on the web to anyone, and will include the names and addresses of minors as young as 13. The FAA told Forbes blogger John Goglia: “Until the drone registry system is modified, the FAA will not release names and address. When the drone registry system is modified to permit public searches of registration numbers, names and addresses will be revealed through those searches.” The Academy of Model Aeronautics has urged its 185,000 members to hold off on registering. “We strongly believe our members are not the problem and should not have to bear the burden of additional regulations,” the group says in its blog. The AMA has filed a petition in federal court challenging the FAA’s definition of model aircraft. The FAA has posted FAQs and fact sheets online for anyone looking to use the new system.
And in case you missed it, AVweb’s Paul Bertorelli issued his own assessment of the new drone-registration planlast week.
