DJI Concludes Participation on FAA Drone-Registration Task Force

Recommendations to regulator seen as reasonable approach to accountability

New York, November 23, 2015 – DJI, the world leader in drone technology, has concluded its participation on the Federal Aviation Administration Unmanned Aircraft Systems Registration Task Force. The report of the Task Force was released to the public today.

We share the concerns of many of the 4,700 people who filed comments that this process was initiated in response to sensational headlines rather than data-based risk assessments, and contradicts the provisions of several federal statutes. Nonetheless, we undertook in good faith the assignment, which was not to argue the law, but to use our expertise and knowledge as the world’s largest drone manufacturer to recommend to the Administrator a national drone registration system intended to be minimally burdensome to consumers and professionals, and effective at the stated goals.

The result is a recommended registration system that, if it were to become a legal mandate, reflects weeks of respectful dialog, genuine compromise, and a balancing of interests among the participants. While several aspects of the report might be of concern to one group or another, and remain so to DJI, we believe in the reasonable approach to accountability that is reflected in the package of recommendations sent to the Administrator.

We hope that the work of the Task Force serves as a model for how to develop innovative and practical regulatory solutions to the issues raised by small unmanned aircraft systems. One thing this process has established is that new participants in this industry, working together with traditional stakeholders, can accomplish more, and more quickly, than past approaches. This fast-moving technology demands that we do things in new ways. We hope to have the opportunity to work with the FAA and other agencies again soon.