No Big Surprize... Performing Site Maintenance In Anticipation Of Christmas Crush

The FAA temporarily suspended online registration for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Tuesday night and will do so again Wednesday night to perform site maintenance in advance of an expected rush of customers on Christmas Day.

In a news release, the FAA said that while an overwhelming number of people have successfully registered, "we have received reports from a small number of users of performance issues. We have instructed our contractor, CSRA, to address these issues and to complete other maintenance in advance of the post-holiday demand."

The registration site was taken offline Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST. Service was expected to resume service at around 6 a.m Wednesday. The same schedule will be followed Wednesday night.  Customers may use the system throughout the day on Wednesday before it is taken offline in the evening.

The agency has seen strong initial demand, with more than 45,000 registrations completed since the site opened for business Monday afternoon. According to industry estimates, as many as 400,000 small UAS could be sold during the holidays.

The FAA is requiring registration of all aircraft weighing more than 0.55 pounds (250 grams) and less than 55 pounds (approx. 25 kilograms), including payloads such as on-board cameras.

Registration will foster a greater awareness on the part of users to learn the rules about flying safely in the National Airspace System. Registration will also enable the FAA to trace the ownership of an aircraft in the event of an incident.

Owners who previously operated an unmanned aircraft exclusively as a model aircraft prior to December 21, 2015, must register no later than February 19, 2016. Owners of any other UAS purchased for use as a model aircraft after December 21, 2015 must register before the first flight outdoors.

Owners using the model aircraft for hobby or recreation will only have to register once and may use the same identification number for all of their model UAS. The registration is valid for three years.

(Given the anticipated numbers, if you do find a UAV under your Christmas tree, it is likely that you'll experience delays in getting onto the website to register "before the first flight outdoors." Have fun and good luck. ed.)

(Source: FAA news release)

FMI: www.faa.gov