Advocating to Incoming and Returning Representatives

Advocating for Members

By Lucas Rodden, Government Affairs Manager | [email protected]

As seen in the April 2025 issue of Model Aviation.

WITH THE INCOMING administration and a new Congress being sworn in, AMA continues to advocate, resolve problems, and build relationships in our nation’s capital. In the last weeks of January, the Government Affairs team visited Washington, D.C., to introduce the organization to incoming members of Congress and advocate for issues our members might face in 2025.

Meetings with senators, representatives, and their staff members covered a host of topics, from daily altitude extensions and Department of Defense waivers to accessing educational grants and programs, to help usher in a new generation of model aviators. Discussions with the FAA and associated congressional offices haven’t produced a hard implementation date, but we feel confident that the years-long negotiations on altitude extensions in Class G airspace is nearing its end.

With the first meetings of 2025 completed, we continue to make an excellent impression on incoming and established decision-makers. AMA is eager to continue connecting with lawmakers, staffers, and federal agency officials to advocate on our members’ behalf. Because many in our community have concerns about the public perception of UAS, AMA is proud to boast our members’ commitment to safe, sensible, and fun modeling as the gold standard of recreational model aircraft pilots.

We want to extend our thanks to the offices of Sens. Roger Wicker (Mississippi), Dan Sullivan (Alaska), and Jim Banks (Indiana), as well as the offices of Reps. Jefferson Shreve (Indiana, District 6) and Rudy Yakym (Indiana, District 2). We are also grateful for the time of the majority and minority members from the Aviation Subcommittees on House Transportation and Infrastructure and Senate Commerce.

Drone Registration Scams

With spring on the horizon, thousands of AMA members are preparing for the 2025 season. Unfortunately, many of our members have encountered a wave of scam websites that imitate the FAA’s drone registration platform, FAADroneZone. Registration or renewal of your model might not be fun, but it shouldn’t be expensive or time-consuming when done properly. If you are due for renewal or are newly registering, consider these simple precautions to protect yourself and your information:

Know what it looks like: The easiest and quickest check you can perform is a visual inspection of the website you are on. I’ve shared an image of the FAADroneZone website as it appeared in February 2025.

Image

Note the FAA seal in the top left corner; the web address ends in .gov, and there are tools available for educational institutions and others needing FAA services.

Although some fraudulent websites mirror this look, most that target recreational pilots will use a simplistic layout without official seals, offer tools only for drone registration, and their addresses usually end in .com, .net, or something similar.

By checking the home page for these details before logging in or signing up, you should be able to spot most scams that our members have reported.

What if an entity convincingly copies the FAA website? What else can you look for? Another important check to perform is the registration fee. If it is more than $5, that is a red flag that warrants closer inspection. Note that the cost should be $5 total—not per model. Whether you register one recreational model to your account or 10, your cost should be the same.

Other scams might simply charge you a larger amount, with ranges of $50-$100 being most common. Unfortunately, whatever the price, it is not an authentic registration unless it came directly from FAADroneZone.

If you are in doubt about the authenticity of the process you’ve gone through, communicate with FAA support. The best way to verify authenticity is to reach out through the FAA UAS support center found at www.faa.gov/uas/contact_us. There, pilots can submit a web form message or call the assistance line to speak with an FAA representative. Using the information associated with your account, they should be able to verify whether your registration is current and what steps to take if it is not.

An FAA recreational pilot registration is good for three years from the date of issuance, so it’s good practice for all pilots to keep their login information secure and to keep notes on scams and other issues with it for reference at their next renewal. By following these steps, pilots can quickly and accurately register their models and focus on the fun part—flying!

To remain current with the most recent government-related news, regularly visit the AMA Government Affairs blog. If you have any further questions or concerns, contact the Government Affairs department at (765) 287-1256 or [email protected]. FRIA and Remote ID-related questions can be directed to [email protected].