The American Farm Bureau is reminding drone owners of an upcoming deadline.
RJ Karney, director of congressional relations, says the Federal Aviation Administration made an announcement before Christmas.
“Because of the expectation of an overabundance (of demand) as a Christmas gift, the FFA issued a new rule that they would need to have a registration number.”
Registration is required by Feb. 19 and is similar to registering a car.
“If you’re a hobbyist, or using for recreational purposes, you can go to the FAA website.”
The rule also applies retroactively. Even someone who operated an unmanned aircraft prior to Dec. 21 must register before the next outdoor flight.
For those who intend to use a drone for agricultural purposes, Karney says they’ll need to apply for a Section 333 exemption.
“That’s a process they can go through online, and work with the FAA to receive that exemption. At this point, I know that there’s well north of 1,000 exemptions that have been issued. And from that, close to 200 are specific to agriculture. So agriculture is utilizing drone technology at this time.”
Register an unmanned aerial vehicle at www.faa.gov.
Source: www.brownfieldagnews.com