Effective December 21, 2015, anyone who owns a small unmanned aircraft of a certain weight ( a drone) must register with the Federal Aviation Administration’s Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) registry before they fly outdoors. People who do not register could face civil and criminal penalties.

To learn more about registering your drone with the FAA visit this link.

You be aware of the safe and legal locations to fly your drone. There are a host of restrictions on drone flying. Luckily the FAA has developed a smartphone application that senses your location and tells you if it is legal to fly your drone at that location. The app is called B4UFLY and is available to download for both Apple and Android based phones.

Visit this link to learn more about the B4UFLY app for your phone.

Visit the FAA website UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) section to see all of the information that they have to offer.

Another source of information about drone ownership and flying is the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). They have several Briefing Guides available which explain the rules and regulations concerning drone operation.

Here is the section of the AOPA website that focuses on drone operations.

AOPA’s Best Practices for Flying your Drone within Five Miles of an Airport