FAA Offers Registration Refund for Drone Pilots
Matt Rourke/AP
It's a bird, it's a plane, it's an unregistered drone!
If you're an amateur drone flyer, a recent court decision means that you might be seeing some money come flying back to your wallet.
In December 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration made it mandatory for all owners of drones to register their craft. Over the next year, nearly 800,000 drone owners registered and ponied up $5 to do so. Then in May 2017 the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., struck down the legislation. The FAA then announced it would offering refunds to any amateur drone pilots who had previously registered.
Now, the FAA won't just hand the cash out freely. Those who previously registered can apply for a refund by filling out the form here. Drone pilots will have to prove that their drone is used purely for recreational purposes. Any drones for commercial use will have to remain registered.
FAA will continue to keep its eye on the drone-filled sky. Last year the agency launched an app called B4UFLY to help impart drone safety wisdom for beginning drone pilots.