Today, the FAA announced an "interim rule" for
registering model aircraft and commercial UAS. While the new rule
goes into effect on December 21, 2015, the FAA has also created a
second "notice and comment" period, and claims that it
may modify the interim rule based on those comments. The notice and
comment period closes on December 21, 2015. The FAA claims that
urgent action is required because as many as 800,000 UAS will be
sold during the Christmas season, and it wants to have some way of
identifying these would-by hobbyists before they fly on Christmas
Day.
As most of you know, the FAA had previously commissioned a task
force to create a series of recommendations for who should
register, how it should be done, and what it should cost. The
task force concluded that it would be appropriate to require that
any model aircraft or UAS weighing more than 250 grams (8.8 ounces)
be registered, that the registration should be done online, and
that there should be no cost
