John Taylor, a D.C. resident, brought forth the initial petition in an effort to fly his hobby drone without the need to register, and also attempted to challenge the ban on the operation of model aircraft in various restricted areas (including all of Washington D.C. and much of its surrounding geography), but was denied. Although the Registration Rule was turned down, the court is giving the FAA seven days to petition the ruling, which in turn means until May 26 hobbyists still must register in order to fly their drone. This includes any drone heavier than .55 pounds (up to 55 pounds) or if they are to be used in a commercial setting. It currently costs $5 to register each drone, which some referred to as a drone tax. The Registration Rule was put in place as both a precautionary and reactionary measure as some hobbyists over the years have caused property damage, interfered with air traffic, interfering with fire fighting missions, and a crash landing on the White House lawn.
Surprising Reactions to Rule Change
In a somewhat surprising response, DJI’s head of policy Brendan Schulman told Recode that the existing policy was both reasonable and added accountability to hobbyists. This was also mirrored in a statement by Kara Calvert, the Executive Director of the Drone Manufacturers Alliance (DMA). In a prepared statement by the FAA, they stated the administration is reviewing the decision: Read more insight about drones at Tech.Co
