If Santa Claus brings you a drone for Christmas, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants you to know how to fly it safely. The agency has released a new video that lets all new – and existing – drone owners know of the rules and regulations that safe drone pilots must follow.
As the video shows, before you fly your drone outdoors, the first thing to do is register it at www.faa.gov/uas. If you’re going to operate according to the model aircraft rules, you’ll receive one identification number to apply to all your drones. Non-modelers must register each of their drones individually.
The video also stresses that whether you fly your drone for recreation or business, safety is everybody’s responsibility. And that means following the rules:
- Don’t fly over people and respect the privacy of anyone on the ground.
- Don’t fly near other aircraft or in restricted airspace, such as “No Drone Zones.”
The video also tells you how to get the FAA’s B4UFLY smartphone app that provides the latest information about airspace restrictions wherever you intend to fly your drone.
The bottom line: Safe flying is what smart drone pilots do.
