Do I need to register my drone?

Hobby pilots: Yes, if your drone weighs 0.55 lbs or more, you will need to register it with the FAA before you fly!

Making money? If you will be compensated for your flight, like selling your drone photos or putting videos on YouTube with monetization turned on, it does not matter what size or type of drone you fly, you must register your drone under the Part 107 commercial drone system.

Bottom line, you you probably need to register your drone with the FAA before you fly in the United States. (For other countries, check here.)

FAA sUAS registration – register your drone here

Do I need a license to fly my drone?

Yes, you need a drone license before you fly.

• Hobby pilots require the new TRUST certificate
• Commercial pilots require the Part 107 certificate

For most countries, your need for a drone license depends on why you are flying. In the United States, if you will be paid to fly, or you will be otherwise compensated for any aspect of the flight, including selling your drone photos, or uploading your drone videos to YouTube with the Monetization tool turned on, you fall under the Part 107 regulations. You will need a drone license, we call it the Part 107 Certificate.

Otherwise, if you are legitimately flying for fun, the TRUST certification was launched in 2021, and is now required by all pilots.

After April 2021, all pilots that desire to fly at night, or to fly over top of people, will also require Part 107 certification.

Do I need the Part 107 certificate drone license?

What do I do after I register my drone?

The process is fairly easy, you must be 13 or over and it will cost $5. From there, there are strict rules you will need to follow in the air, please read through and check them all out. I know some of them can be a hassle, depending on where you plan to fly, but the more we break the rules, the stricter they will become in the future.

Help us all enjoy drones for years to come by enjoying them responsibly today.

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Important new information

The FAA requires all hobby pilots to acquire authorization before they can fly in controlled airspace. That means that if you are within a few miles of an airport, chances are you cannot just go outside and fly. You will need to consult an app like Airmap or the FAA’s own B4UFly to figure out your airspace requirements.

Things to know before you fly

• You must register your drone with the FAA before you fly
• You must affix your drone registration number to your craft
• The FAA requires you to pass a test before you fly your drone
• You must acquire your Part 107 certificate if you are to receive any compensation for your flight
• You must follow all of the FAA’s airspace rules if you are flying outdoors
• Hobby flights have different requirements from commercial flights
• In the eye’s of the FAA, drones are aircraft. Period.
• You need to acquire authorization to fly in controlled airspace
• Almost all drones over 249 grams will need a Remote ID broadcast starting April 21, 2021

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Why do I need to register?

The FAA has taken a keen interest in anything that takes to the sky, obviously, and particularly those things that have the ability to cause harm to any other aircraft or to people and property below. Also things that can be used to violate one’s privacy or national security by way of taking inappropriate photos or videos from the air. In short, you may have the most innocent of intentions with your new toy, but flying in the wrong place at the wrong time can happen in an instant.

The basic FAA registration includes guidelines to help prevent an incident with your drone.

In addition to providing basic guidelines for safety, let’s be honest, FAA registration is also for accountability. It can be difficult to track down the pilot of a drone, especially if it is laying in a broken pile in the grass outside The Whitehouse – a definite no-fly zone. The FAA is hoping to never have to hunt you down, but I hope you understand that your FAA registration number is just like the license plate on your car. Like it or not, accountability is important.

How do I register?

Luckily enough, the FAA has made is super easy to register to fly your drone. Visit their website, be at least 13 years of age, have a valid credit card and in a few minutes you’ll have what you need to fly legally in the United States.

FAA sUAS registration

Perfect, now I want to fly for work!

Hold on there, I am sorry to say, you cannot just fly your drone for pay. This one may be a sore spot for many, but the fact is, you need a special extra license to fly for pay. Again, you can drive your car with your normal driver’s license, but you need a special license to drive for hire, same idea.

For drones, it is called the Remote Pilot certificate with a sUAS rating, known commonly as the Part 107. It’s not too hard to get, but it will take some time to learn all the rules. We want to help you learn the rules and get your commercial license, check out our drone pilot training material.

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Now go, fly safe

I hope this has helped, at least a little, but, basically, yes, you’re going to need to register your drone with the FAA to fly outside, in U.S. airspace.

Looking for more info on drone laws?
Meeting with DJI at CES 2020

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