871,000 U.S. Drones—What Could Go Wrong?

The FAA invites all Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) pilots and enthusiasts to join the agency in celebrating Drone Safety Day 2023.

The agency stated in a communique: “Drone Safety Day is April 29th! Join us in celebrating through a collection of local and nationwide events curated to highlight the many safety, societal, and economic benefits of flying drones safely. Check out exciting in-person, hybrid and virtual events being hosted now and through the weekend!”

Event highlights include:

Droning On Eastern Edition: Droning On is a three-day (27 through 29 April) in-person, FAA event hosted by Washington, New Jersey’s Warren County Community College. Droning On attendees will hear from UAS experts, attend interactive panels, and participate in demonstrations highlighting the benefits of drones.

Drone Safety Day Instagram Livestream: This 28 April Instagram livestream will get under way at 13:00 EDT and feature Tyler Dobbs of the Academy of Model Aeronautics, Elton Stone of Elizabeth City State University, Russ of 51 Drones, and Roxane Romulus of Black Girl Drone World. The august company of UAS afficionados will discuss all things drones with FAA UAS expert Kevin Morris.

Individuals participating in Drone Safety Day are encouraged by the FAA to “Fly RIGHT,” have fun, and share photos and videos of their respective events on social media using the #DroneSafetyDay hashtag.

The FAA’s Fly RIGHT initiative utilizes an acronym-encapsulated safety-message comprising: Register your drone; Interact with others; Gain knowledge; Have a safety plan; Trust and train.

The agency breaks down the antecedent mnemonic thus:

Register your drone:

• All drones not flown for recreational purposes must be registered regardless of weight.
• Drones flown recreationally must be registered if they weight more than 250 grams.
• Register your drone through the FAA DroneZone at https://faadronezone-access.faa.gov .

Interact with others:

• Join a local organization or FAA-recognized Community Based Organization by visiting www.faa.gov/uas/recreationalfliers/faa-recognized-community-based-organizations .
• Engage in online forums.

Gain knowledge:

• Learn about drone safety and rules at www.faa.gov/uas .
• Check the airspace prior to takeoff through the FAA’s B4UFLY app or an FAA-Approved LAANC UAS Service Supplier.

Have a safety plan:

• Don’t assume the flight will go as planned.
• Know what you’ll do if the weather changes or other aircraft or people get close.
• Check your drone pre-and-post flight to ensure it’s safe to fly.
• Ensure you have approval to fly in controlled airspace through an FAA-Approved LAANC UAS Service Supplier or the FAA DroneZone.

Trust and train:

• Recreational flyers only need to pass The Recreational UAS Safety Test (TRUST) once, prior to flying—it’s the law.
• You may take the free online test through any of the FAA-approved test administrators.

FMI: www.faa.gov, https://www.faa.gov/uas/events/drone_safety_day