Civilian drones: US officials expect sale of 1 million this Christmas - and fear they will interfere with aircraft

'Don’t be *that* guy, the one who hit Santa with a drone,' the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quipped on Twitter.

Owners of small unmanned aircraft weighing between 250 grams and 25 kilograms were expected to register their names, home address and email address on the Faa website starting Monday. (Getty Images)

US aviation authorities on Monday began to register civilian drone users in an attempt to address air safety risks posed by the one million personal unmanned aircraft they estimate consumers will buy over the Christmas holiday.

“Don’t be *that* guy, the one who hit Santa with a drone,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) quipped on Twitter.

Owners of small unmanned aircraft, which can cost anywhere from tens to tens of thousands of dollars, were expected to register their names, home address and email address on the FAA website starting Monday, an administration press release said.

Civilian or commercial drones, often used for recreational or surveillance purposes, are not to be confused with the unmanned aircraft that the US has used in Yemen and Afghanistan to attack suspected armed group targets — and that in the process have killed hundreds of innocent civilians, rights organisations like London-headquartered Reprieve have charged. Civilian drone prices run from as little as $20 for a miniature toy-like device to about $18,000 for the xFold Mapper X8 U5 RTF, which can conduct aerial imaging. The camera, however, is not included.

The registration launch Monday follows FAA estimates that a million drones would be sold to US consumers over the Christmas holiday, Aviation Daily magazine reported in early October.

The registration site on FAA.gov will then generate a certificate of ownership and user identification number that can be used for all subsequent civilian drone purchases.

The FAA set a February 19 deadline for drone registrations. Owners who register in the next 30 days can do so for free, and then registration will cost $5.

“Working together, we can keep the skies safe for everyone,” the press release said, reiterating calls that unnamed aircraft users keep their drones below 400 feet and away from manned aircraft.

In late October, a civilian drone that crashed into a power line caused a three-hour power outage in West Hollywood, California, the BBC reported, in one of the latest incidents to raise concerns about the aircraft.