A U.S. appeals court has struck down a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rule requiring operators of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) used for recreational purposes to register the devices with the FAA.
In a decision released Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia said that the registration requirement violated a 2012 law that said the FAA “may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft.”
The ruling came in a lawsuit filed by John Taylor, a model aircraft hobbyist who had challenged the registration requirement.
The FAA had argued, in part, that the requirement was consistent with the agency’s mission of improving aviation safety.
In response to the ruling, the FAA said that it had “put registration and operational regulations in place to ensure that drones are operated in a way that is safe and does not pose security and privacy threats.” The agency said it was reviewing the decision and “considering our options …
