All information provided below is true only for the United States.
Nobody can blame me for High-jacking this topic, I started it, it’s mine… So as long as we talk about Fords, Drones, Batteries, and anything else that is loosely associated to these is open season… Enjoy!
If you are talking about your drone registration then you are correct, it does expire. A drone registration (required on all drones, even toys, that weigh more than 250-grams (.55-lbs)) costs $5.00 and is valid for 3-years. If a drone is used for any Commercial Purposes, no matter how small or light it is also must be registered. Drones are registered through this FAA Web Site…
https://faadronezone-access.faa.gov/#/
IF you are talking about your Part 107 Pilots License, it never expires, but it is only valid for 2-years, and then it loses “Currency” (not as in money, but as in Old…) and the holder, the Pilot, must retake a Free course offered by the FAA and pass a test. The purpose is to ensure the Pilot knows the current Rules, Regulations, and Laws. The course and Tests are administrated through this FAA Web Site…
Speaking of “Tort Law” our Legal System has its roots in English Common Law that originated in the early Middle Ages. Back then the rule of the day was: “Cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos.” Which loosely translates to: “The owner of the land owns everything up to the sky and down to the center of the earth.” But that is really just the polite translation, it directly translates to: “His alone is his, even to heaven and hell” or as in modern terms: “Whoever owns the soil, it is theirs up to Heaven and down to Hell.”
And how this perception has persisted even today… Several States have passed laws that prevent one from flying Drones and other small aircraft over private property, none of these laws are constitutional and cannot be enforced. But that has not prevented folks from getting charged, their drones confiscated and stuck with various legal fees (lawyers, etc…).
Congress, passed the Air Commerce Act in 1926, and gave the US government jurisdiction over “navigable air space,” or the sky above “minimum safe altitudes of flight” as determined by the federal government. Back then it was to prevent the early aircraft pilots from barnstorming people’s property (scaring the chickens, cows, and horses)… Over the subsequent years, this law has been refined with the advent of Controlled Airspace.
Now, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) owns and controls all airspace from Ground Level up to 60,000 feet.
There are various levels of Controlled Airspace that surrounds various locations and flying anything might be restricted or even prohibited. These locations include certain municipal properties, like cities, airports, military installations, critical infrastructures, like power plants, bridges, etc… For example, there is a No Fly Zone around Disney World in Florida that states aircraft can be no closer than an altitude of 3,000 feet and a three-mile radius from the center of Magic Kingdom. So No drones are flying there and you cannot hire a helicopter to fly you close enough photograph the family dancing with Mickey…
But I digress, in general there are no flight restriction on Drones in most locations. But there are laws that prohibit nuance behavior or disturbing the peace. For example, if you are flying your drone over your neighbor’s home and you are preventing them from the “quiet enjoyment” of their property, that’s another thing… You can fly your drone over your neighbor’s home if your Drone is just passing over, but no sustained flight (hovering…).
The Police are becoming more and more informed about Drones and where they can legally fly, which also means they know what paperwork the pilot must maintain on their person for themselves and the drones (certificates and registrations…).
If your son’s drone has a Registration, it is probably a larger one (over 250-grams) or he also has a part 107 license. Actually, the law allows you to register any drone. As was noted by @Cavell about dead batteries, you might want to ask your son if his batteries need topping off and how to do it…
My DJI Drone uses what they call, “Smart Batteries…” the battery has circuitry in it that controls the charging of the battery and that circuitry uses battery power to run. If the battery runs down too much, it cannot operate the circuitry to start the re-charge. Not good… but the Smart Battery “talks” to the controller tell me exactly how much battery power remains and how much longer it will fly before the battery goes dead and just lands wherever it happens to be, over a tree, a lake, etc…
And to get this back on track, my neighbor has a Ford Truck, it has a Battery, but I don’t want to Drone on… LoL
