Remote ID is coming (though not until October of 2023) in the US. Though there’s no official policy yet in Canada, regulators are definitely interested, and it’s likely this will become part of the future across North America.
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The new FAA Remote ID rule goes into effect Wednesday, April 21. Let’s explore what that means for you as a pilot. This story will be of use to all pilots of drones weighing 250 grams or more, and there’s some DJI-specific news for those flying DJI products.
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The owner of a business specializing in First Person View drone products and accessories has launched an action challenging the validity of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Remote ID Rule. It’s a significant move, with implications for everyone who flies a drone or RC aircraft.
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Just recently, the Federal Aviation Administration announced its new Remote ID rule. In a nutshell, drones will require a digital license plate down the road, which must be wirelessly transmitted. Before too long, some drones being manufactured will have this capability built-in, or you will be able to purchase a separate module that does the job. Now, the American Civil Liberties Union has offered its own take on the rule.
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Reactions are still coming in, following Monday’s release by the FAA of its new Remote ID Rule, as well as its new regulations for Operations over People – including flying at night. DJI is the latest to offer a statement.
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It’s one thing to read through the Federal Aviation Administration’s new Remote ID Rule. It’s something else to understand, in a nutshell, what its implications might be for you. Let’s try to figure this out.
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As you may have heard, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has released its new, final Remote ID Rule – as well as Operations Over People. Let’s take a closer look.
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As expected, the FAA has released its final Remote ID rule for drones as well as Operations over People. All drones that are registered with the FAA, and any sub-250 gram drones involved in commercial work under Part 107, must have the ability to transmit their ID in the future.
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The hottest, most contentious issue in the US drone community is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) plans for a drone-tracking system called Remote ID. Despite huge outcry from drone owners over the FAA’s initial proposal for the system, the agency looks set to move quickly to implement it.
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Remote ID for drones in the US is coming. This week the FAA announced eight companies that will help develop the technical standards for the system that allows all drones to broadcast basic information for tracking. And some household names are on the list.
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Dave Messina, President of the FPV Freedom Coalition explains the consequences of FAA’s NPRM Remote ID if it is implemented as proposed. On the website from the FPV Freedom Coalition, you can find more information on the NPRM, how it will impact your hobby as an R/C or drone pilot, as well as read the official comments that the FPVFC submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The video interview was recorded last week and published today by The Drone U.
Note: if you have missed your chance to submit your comments before the March 2 deadline, be sure to (snail) mail the FAA. It is very likely that your comments will still be accepted.
The world’s largest drone manufacturer, DJI calculates the real cost of the Remote ID Rule to be $5.6 billion USD (yes with a ‘B’) instead of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) estimated $582 million USD. Nine times more over a ten year period than the FAA estimate. Guess who’s going to pay for that… the consumer, i.e. you.
With well over 50,000 comments on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NPRM for Remote ID for Drones, the agency has its work cut out. The exact number of comments as of yesterday was 50,847, but this will likely increase once the site has been updated. Obviously, the FAA will have to process and read the comments first, some people have submitted multi-page comments, but the obvious question is, What happens next? Vic Moss shared this document from the Federal Register’s website that shines some light on the next steps in the rule-making process.
Note: even though the official commenting period has ended and you can no longer submit your comments online if you still want to provide your comments to the FAA you can try sending them in by regular mail. It is likely that the FAA will still consider them if they arrive within a reasonable time.
Yesterday, protesters in Washington, D.C. told the Federal Aviation Administration in no uncertain terms that they were very, very unhappy with the proposed rules for Remote ID for Drones (and model R/C aircraft). A large number of people braved the cold weather and made it out to the FAA’s headquarters with signs saying: “If we build it, let it fly.”
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Remote ID for Drones is a ‘giant middle finger to aviation hobbyists’ is the title of this article from ARS Technica. And even though we (DroneDJ) are pro Remote ID for Drones, albeit not in the overreaching and expensive way the FAA is currently proposing, we do agree with ARS Technica wholeheartedly. The current proposed rules will likely destroy the model aircraft and drone hobby so many people enjoy.
If you feel that leaving a comment on this website is not enough to express your concerns with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about their proposed rules for Remote ID for Drones you can join the friendly and peaceful protests at the FAA headquarters in Washington D.C. today and tomorrow.
In a smart move, DJI decided to point out the additional costs and restrictions that come with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NPRM for Remote ID for Drones directly in the DJI Go 4 app. One of the challenges has always been to reach out to as many drone pilots as possible to keep them informed of changing rules and regulations. With DJI’s market share of more than 70%, displaying a pop-up message in the DJI Go 4 app is a very effective method to reach these pilots.
Today we hear from Wing Aviation about their support for ASTM Standard for Drone Remote ID. Wing shares the concerns most drone pilots have when it comes to privacy. They also suggest you should be able to select the best form of Remote ID that fits with your drone and flying circumstances. You can read the details below.
If you’re still not convinced that the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NPRM for Remote ID for Drones is a bad idea, then take a few minutes to read Christopher Korody’s piece in which he refers to these proposed rules as a ‘black hole’.
Keep in mind that if you too feel that your drone hobby or business is under threat of these new rules, then be sure to comment and let the FAA know your concerns and feedback. You have until March 2nd to submit them here online. Do NOT simply copy-paste prepared comments because as Christopher points out: “they (the FAA) reject repetitive comments, so the thousands of cut and paste letters from AMA members will be counted as one”.
DJI posted an article today in which they raise one of the most important questions regarding the Federal Administration Aviation’s (FAA) NPRM for Remote ID for Drones; who should know where a drone pilot is located? In the current proposed rules, the drone pilot’s location would be made publicly available, which as you can imagine is a hotly debated topic.
DJI just released a video that explains how their new Drone-to-Phone Broadcast Remote ID solution works. This new solution for remote identification for drones was first introduced by DJI during the International Civil Aviation Organization’s third annual Drone Enable conference in Montreal last year. The app that works on any smartphone will show you in real-time the most important information about any DJI drone, such as the flight path of the drone, the location of the pilot and the ID number of the drone. DJI’s Drone-To-Phone Broadcast Remote ID relies on a WiFi connection between the drone and your smartphone and does not require an internet connection. This feature can be added to DJI drones by a simple firmware update.
Update: many of our readers have responded on social media, email and elsewhere expressing their discontent with the pilot location being made available to the general public in the DJI Phone-to-Drone app. A spokesperson for DJI clarified that this is simply a proof of concept based on the requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The app is not currently available to the public.
“The app and the associated drone firmware updates used for DJI’s demonstration this week are not yet available for public use, pending further direction from aviation regulators and final publication of the ASTM International standard.”
You can read the original news release from DJI about the Drone-to-Phone app here. The purpose of the app was to show how broadcast is “simple and free” and can work as an effective to implement a form of Remote ID for Drones.
If you do not want your location to be made publicly available, be sure to submit your comments to the FAA before March 2nd. You can find help here, here and here.
Update 2: DJI added new text to the description of the video. See in bold below.
DJI’s Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs, talks about drones, fighting the coronavirus with agricultural drones, the FAA’s NPRM on Remote ID, and data security with Julia Chatterley on CNN.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) wants YOUR input on the Remote ID Proposal.
A recurring theme at the beginning of this year is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NPRM for Remote ID for Drones. You will find many articles on this topic here on DroneDJ because there are a lot of aspects in these proposed rules that will change your hobby or business and likely not in the way you would appreciate. Here, today, we have DJI’s commenting tips for the FAA’s NPRM for Remote ID for Drones.
