so i just got a mini 2 and ive been flying it mostly in my backyard and around my neighborhood just to practice hovering and stuff. my neighbor mentioned something about having to register with the faa and i honestly had no idea that was a thing. the drone weighs like 249 grams i think, does that matter? i dont want to get in trouble but also it seems like overkill to have to register just to fly around my house

yeah so the 249g thing is actually really important ? the Mini 2 is specifically designed to be just under the 250g FAA registration threshold which is why DJI made it that weight. under 250g and youre exempt from registration for recreational flying. that said you still have to follow the recreational rules which means staying under 400ft AGL, not flying over people, keeping it in visual line of sight, all that stuff. and if youre near any kind of airport or controlled airspace you need authorization through LAANC or the FAA DroneZone app before you fly. most backyards are fine but worth checking an app like Aloft or B4UFLY just to confirm your area isnt in some restricted zone

also worth mentioning that even if the faa doesnt require registration for that weight class, some states and cities have their own rules layered on top. florida is pretty relaxed but like new york city has basically banned recreational drone flying in a ton of areas. i learned this the hard way planning a trip lol. just google your state + drone laws before you assume youre good