TO:         Deans, Directors and Chairs

FROM:    Dr. Paul M. Hunt, Senior Associate Vice President for Research & Graduate Studies

DATE:     February 2, 2016

RE:         Required Drone Registration

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced that effective December 21, 2015, anyone who owns a small unmanned aircraft weighing more than 250g (8.8 oz) must register with the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System registry before they fly.

Office of the Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies (OVPRG) staff have reviewed this requirement with the Office of the General Counsel, and we now request that faculty who intend to fly an MSU Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) provide information at https://forms.exportcontrols.msu.edu/uas/new  (MSUnet ID required) so that MSU may submit an institutional response. Some points of note:

1. More information may be found at the UAS Registration FAQ’s web page at http://www.faa.gov/uas/faq/
2. Important – MSU UAS systems must be registered via their paper system per FAA rules.  We cannot use their online web-based system.
3. OVPRGS has obtained the appropriate forms from the FAA, will obtain the required institutional signatures, and will submit the MSU response as a batch.
   1. Please provide the required information by 5:00 PM on Friday, February 12, 2016, to allow OVPRGS adequate time to prepare the official forms and obtain signatures. You may enter the information on our web form at the following URL:  http://forms.exportcontrols.msu.edu/uas/new (MSUnet ID required).
   2. Faculty who miss the deadline cannot fly their MSU UAS systems until a late registration form is prepared and submitted centrally by MSU. This derives from FAA rules.
   3. This registration process applies to:
      1. All drones, whether or not they have been previously flown
      2. Home-built and/or home-designed drones used for University purposes
      3. All drones being flown or intended to be flown indoors or out used for University purposes

Please accept sincere thanks for helping MSU comply with the new UAS/drone regulations.  Questions may be directed to Export Control & Trade Sanctions at (517) 432-4499.

Also see New MSU Interim Policy on Drone Acquisition and Operation.