Drone pilots have 25 days to register

UK drone pilots have until the end of November to register their craft with the Civil Aviation Authority.

The Civil Aviation Authority is starting a service it hopes will reunite owners with their lost drones, with research from the organisation finding that a quarter of owners have lost a drone at some point. The findings suggest that most lost drones go missing because of malfunctions in flight, often after losing battery power, losing of signal or technology failures.

The mandatory requirement to register covers any drone or model aircraft weighing more than 250g (8.8oz). Owners of unregistered drones could then face the threat of a fine after the deadline.

Registering craft weighing between 250g and 20kg costs £9 a year. Registered drone owners, who must be over 18, will need to pass an online test that quizzes them on using their device safely.

Not all owners must register by 30 November, with the Civil Aviation Authority making exemptions for members of several associations involved with flying model aircraft or other small, remotely controlled craft such as drones, such as the UK Drone Association (Arpas UK) and the British Model Flying Association.

Drones, if used in an unsafe manner, can cause security risks. In July this year, Singapore’s Civil Aviation Authority released a statement saying that 18 flights had been delayed, and seven flights diverted due to drones. This was after chaos was caused at Gatwick Airport last Christmas, as well as the incident of an exploding drone in Yemen around the same time.