The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced on Monday that owners of remote-controlled aircrafts larger than nine ounces needs to register the drones before flying them.

Drones are becoming a trend nowadays. The most common type are the ones consumer grade drones used by hobbyists.

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The FAA said that the new regulation regarding drones stiputes that owners must register their names and physical addresses. The FAA added that no fee will be collected for the registration of drones.

After registration, each drone will be given a unique identification number in order to identify the owner. The FAA said that the number is not necessarily a serial number.

According to CNet, the new regulation states that pilots or owners of drones must be at 13 years old. Anyone who is under the age limit will need to have their parent or guardian to register the drone on their behalf.

The latest regulation imposed by the FAA is a balancing act for federal regulators who are trying to keep the skies safe as the presence of drones increases dramatically through the years. Drones, when unregulated, can present a serious threat to airplanes as they share the same airspace.

Commercial drones such as the ones used for utility inspection or aerial photography are already registered every time operators try to acquire permissions to fly from the FAA.

The new FAA regulation was not welcomed by many drone hobbyists. They claim that the weight requirement will cover drones that are too small to be anything but toys. Some hobbyists said that drones that are covered by the weight requirement are not capable of reaching altitudes that could make them a threat to commercial aircrafts.

Academy of Model Aeronautics executive director Dave Mathewson told USA Today that "Unfortunately the task force recommendations may ultimately prove untenable by requiring the registration of smaller devices that are essentially toys and do not represent safety concerns."

Mathewson and the Academy of Model Aeronautics participated in the task force that helped create the new FAA regulation. Mathewson said that before the new regulation was ratified, they were planning to file a dissenting opinion but they were prevented from doing so.

TagsFederal Aviation Administration, drones, hobby drones, drone regulations, FAA, FAA drone, FAA drone regulations, FAA new drone regulation, drone regulation, Drone Registration, Drone Registry Recommendation