Drone owners need to take test and register their craft by end of the month or face £1000 fine

The U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has launched a national drone registration program.

The mandatory scheme requires anyone responsible for a drone or unmanned aircraft (including model aircraft) weighing between 250g and 20kg needs to register as an operator.

The cost for this is £9 renewable annually.

They must also take and pass an online education package.

If registration is not carried out by November 30, then drone users could be fined £1000.

The CAA has also launched a “Drones Reunited” platform which will seek to return lost drones to their owners.

Drones Reunited will help drone users recover their missing machines – a serious problem for flyers, as new research reveals that over a quarter of drone owners (26%) have lost a drone.  

The study found that drones are most at risk of being lost due to flight malfunctions – with more than half (51%) of misplaced drones going missing due to battery loss, poor signal, or a technology failure.

And in a quarter of cases it’s down to pilot error. 

Most worryingly for drone owners, when a drone is lost there is no clear procedure for getting it back. 

The CAA syas, “Drones are expensive – costing anywhere from £100 to many thousands – and losing them can really hit owners in the pocket, with many unable to replace their gadget.

This means demand for the Drones Reunited service is already high, with the study finding that UK drone owners would be willing to pay on average £59.30 to retrieve a lost drone. 

This amount rises to over £150 for a drone worth more than £500.”

Access to the Drones Reunited platform is free as part of drone registration.

Jonathan Nicholson, Assistant Director of Communications, CAA, said:

“Drones Reunited is a UK-first – an essential service that is only possible thanks to the drone registration scheme that is also launched today.

The service is about giving something back to the community, helping responsible drone owners and operators to be reunited with lost drones and continue flying.  

“Our aim is for the Drones Reunited platform to become an essential service for the drone community – the first port of call for anyone who has lost, or found, a drone.”

The Drones Reunited platform can be accessed here: dronesreunited.uk 

Users can now also register as a drone operator and/or flyer here: register-drones.caa.co.uk