Remote ID Enforcement Extended 6 Months
With only 3 days remaining before the rule was set to take effect for remote pilots, the Federal Aviation Administration publicly announced today they will delay enforcement of the Remote ID rules for operators who are unable to comply.
The FAA said “Drone pilots who are unable to comply with the broadcast requirement of the Remote ID Rule will now have until March 16, 2024, to equip their aircraft. After that date, operators could face fines and suspension or revocation of pilot certificates.”
The FAA received hundreds of inquires asking for extensions to the new rule before ultimately deciding to delay it until March of 2024.
This provides relief to hundreds of thousands of commercial and recreational remote pilots who are unable to meet the Remote ID rule due to unanticipated issues finding Remote ID modules.
While manufactures have been required to include Standard Remote ID in new aircraft for nearly a year, even some older aircraft will support Standard Remote ID through firmware updates.
DJI, for instance, plans to push out firmware updates to a few of their previous generation aircraft by the end of 2023.
The Remote ID Rule requires all small UAS to broadcast their location, takeoff point, altitude, and a unique identifier.
Remote pilots can comply with this rule one of three ways:
- Standard Remote ID – built-in from the manufacturer; new aircraft and supported previous generation aircraft through firmware updates.
- Remote ID Broadcast Modules – add-on devices that broadcast the required information for aircraft that cannot comply with Standard Remote ID.
- Operating with FAA-recognized identification areas – Pilots who cannot or prefer not to use Remote ID can operate within FRIAs. This is primarily geared toward hobbyist.
For more information about Remote ID, visit the FAA website.
