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U.S. NEWSSaturday 21 November 2015
AP sources: Task force wants even smaller drones registered
JOAN LOWY In this photo taken June 11, 2015, a hexacopter drone is flown during a demonstration in Cordova, So far there’ve been no
Associated Press Md. accidents, but agency offi-
WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. cials have said they’re con-
aviation industry task force Associated Press cerned that even a small
is recommending that op- drone might cause serious
erators be required to regis- tion of anonymity because a half-pound would have FAA officials said when damage if it is sucked into
ter drones weighing as little the FAA asked that the dis- to register them. they announced the for- an engine, smashes into an
as a half a pound, a thresh- cussions be kept private. Registration could be done mation of the task force airliner’s windshield or col-
old that could include The registration require- through an FAA website last month that they hoped lides with a helicopter’s ro-
some remote-controlled ment would apply to drone where an operator can registration will help create tors.
toys, industry officials said. operators rather than indi- provide name, address, a “culture of accountabil- Helicopters are the greatest
Federal Aviation Adminis- vidual drones to avoid re- phone number and other ity” among drone opera- concern because they fre-
tration officials who con- quiring operators who own contact information and tors and allow owners to be quently fly below 500 feet
vened the 25-member task multiple drones to register receive a registration num- tracked down in the event (150 meters) in the same
force on drone registration more than once. The oper- ber. of an accident. airspace as small drones,
have said they want to ator would receive a single The Consumer Technol- The FAA now receives said Jim Williams, the FAA’s
avoid requiring the regis- registration number, which ogy Association estimates about 100 reports a month former top drone official
tration of toys. But the con- would then be affixed to 700,000 drones will be sold from pilots who say they’ve now at an international law
sensus of the task force is the body of each drone. in the U.S. this year, includ- seen drones flying near firm with drone-industry cli-
that the weight threshold People who already own ing 400,000 in the last quar- planes and airports, up ents.
that triggers registration drones weighing more than ter. dramatically from last year. There are no studies on
should be set at 250 grams how much damage drones
or above, which is about a of different weight might
half-pound, said people fa- cause to a helicopter or
miliar with its deliberations. aircraft engine, he said. “I
The threshold is based on am not a fan of the weight
the potential impact a limit because there’s no
drone that size would have science behind it,” Williams
if it fell from the sky and said.
struck a person or if it col- The weight threshold for
lided with a helicopter or drone registration in Europe
plane, they said. is about 2 pounds, while
The recommendations Canadian officials are
were expected to be sub- leaning toward a threshold
mitted to the FAA by Sat- of about 1 pound, industry
urday. The FAA then can officials said.
modify them, and hopes to Williams said he hopes the
issue the rules before Christ- FAA will add other require-
mas to begin registering ments to the half-pound
some of the thousands of threshold that would elimi-
drones expected to be pur- nate most toys from the
chased over the holidays. registration requirement.
One industry official said Williams said drones that
the target date is Dec. 21. can download real-time
Four people familiar with video are also a concern,
the advisory group’s delib- because the operator be-
erations described the con- comes engrossed in the
clusions to The Associated picture and is distracted.q
Press, speaking on condi-
