Feds to require drone registration

Hobbyists and companies alike are trying out drones for fun and commercial purposes, and as the sky starts to get crowded there is a growing cry to regulate the remote-controlled aircraft. The U.S. Dept. of Transportation on Monday said it would form a task force that will come up with a registration process for drones by Nov. 20.

The task force will be composed of 25 to 30 representatives of drone and airplane manufacturers, federal officials and other interested parties. Companies including Google and Amazon have been experimenting with drones, officially called "unmanned aircraft systems," (UAS) for product delivery.

Judging from the language in the Transportation Department's announcement, hobbyists flying what could be considered toy drones may escape registration requirements: "The group will advise the Department on which aircraft should be exempt from registration due to low safety risk, including toys and certain other small UAS."

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